Barry Westling

Matthew, I don't think it's always necessary to pretest. For me, it's mainly when I have no idea what preparation or prior learning the class has received. In that setting, it's a great planning tool for me. Barry Westling

Matthew, Of course, skills and knowledge are the minimum outcome we should be providing. Communication and critical thinking are value added attributes that can only help students in the work setting, so if possible, adding these where we can is helpful. Barry Westling

Matthew, We owe our students the courtesy and professionalism to be prepared and ready for class every scheduled session. And that's what students expect of us too. Barry Westling

Wanda, I think you are spot on. The (inaccurate) adage in medicine of "see one, do one, teach one" does have a degree of truth that is realized in the field trip experience. I have seen many students become motivated and begin to buckle down following an interesting or pertinent field trip. I think as instructional strategies go, that's powerful! Engagement and drive to learn is internally driven. Inspired speakers or exciting field trips can very effectively create that inner drive. Barry Westling

Wanda, Great! These activities stimulate and motivate. Often students receive clearer ideas about their career choice solely from an inspired guest or interesting tour. In some ways, I've thought these ought to be required activities for vocational training. Barry Westling

jason, I like electronic grading and also feel there is no substitute for face to face discussions about progress for better effectiveness. Barry Westling

jason, The biggest use I find with pretesting is assistance with my planning for minor adjustments in the curriculum in order to better meet a specific student cohorts needs. Barry Westling

jason, I always try to figure out what makes for success, and I've discovered that communication, reasoning and critical thinking, and professionalism are as important as the technical skills. Barry Westling

jason, Sure, students will nearly always respond favorably when they see their instructor with their "act together", as in preparation, organization, and readiness Barry Westling

Ronald, Pretty much, I think when students are participating, actively engaged, and interested in the topic through involvement, all needed senses will be functioning. Barry Westling