It is important to establish a baseline for where students are at in their learning before jumping into teaching a course. You could be dealing with transfer students, returning drop-out students, or under-prepared students.

I encourage students to learn how to design effective PowerPoint slides so they can assess the effectiveness of learning tools.

I use white paper but use color to highlight different areas I want students to cue in on. I also use these colors in association to mind-mapping content.

Field Trips are great because it gives the students a chance to see what it is like in there career field.

My policy is that the lowest quiz score will be dropped and if you miss a quiz you can't make it up. Examinations can't be made up unless the student had some type of hardship. Then it will be a the instructor's discretion if the exam can be made up.

I think pretests are an excellent idea because it lets you know if the student has any knowledge on the subject that you are going to be teaching.

I feel flip charts are a great tool to use in class because it is an excellent way for all the students to get involved in the class discussion.

at the career college where I work extra credit is not an option. I feel that the students work harder knowing that the grade they are earning is hteir grade.

I like the idea of pretests. I teach pt care classes and I am always amazed at what students think is ok to do when they are the student and not the patient.

I like powerpoints because they help my students get to know the steps of the hands on skills they are learning. The read it, they see it, they do it!

What are some good ways to answer students when you are not sure of the question?

First day of class I have students write down their career goals/job goals, the duties and responsibilities needed and what they want to learn from the class.Before moving into new material I have a class discussion and meet individually with students to inquire how this material relates to their job goal and how it will be used in their job. This way I keep the student focused on why they come to school, talk about the importance of how learning in class will help them be the best/most qualified when they work in field of choice. Guest Speakers are also used relating to class topics. All guest speakers are asked to discuss work qualification and knowledge needed to work their field.

I truly have nothing to add that has not been said 100 times; but in order to receive credit I must create a post. I feel that this is basic information that we learn from day one! Sorry if this upsets anyone. But I refuse to write something for the sake of writing. I discourage it from my students so I think that it would be hypercritical to create “fluff” here.

i love the idea of bringing in a guest speaker. I think the students appreciate hearing a different voice and perspective. Being a new instructor, I've never had to contact someone in the community to serve as a guest speaker. Are there any suggestions on how to approach an "expert" when asking them to be a guest in the classroom?

Our classes go to clinicals one week a month, which is like a field trip. I like the idea of giving them questions to contemplate upon return and will ask them to write and then present their thoughts about: •What type of safety items did you see being used? •What was the pace of the work setting? •Was the work being done in groups or individually? •What excited you most about the workplace? Thanks for the idea

No matter how many times I review my policy, I will have several students test my kindness. I typically have a 24 hour policy for exams and quizzes. I give a quiz each week. Without fail, I will have up to 25% of the class absent on quiz day because they know they can make up the quiz.

I like to offer my students extra credit points by aloowing them to create study guides on a chapter or topic. This way, they are reviewing the information they learned and I can use the study guide for future students

I have experienced many students who did not have the capacity of an open mind. When the coursework began to get difficult and the concepts more abstract, these students had great difficulty no matter how small I broke down the material. Mnay students become aggressive because the course concept differs from what they know. Any ideas/advice on how to resolve this?

I readily admit that I am not a powerpoint fan. Powerpoint is used incorrectly more times than naught. I have students who ask me in the beginning of the quarter if I will use powerpoint throughout the course because if I do, they have stated that they will not buy the textbook. When did powerpoint become the new textbook?

As I prepare for a new quarter, I look at a class outline and think of what types of fieldtrips can I bring the students on that will highlight class material and be in real time with real situtations and decisins needing to be made. I contact my network to see if there is anyone or anyplace out in the community that can give us this experience. I try to set the fieldtrips up four to six weeks in advance. I have found that facilities appreciate the proactiveness of my scheduling.