I love to tie in a case study of some sort to make the students think. The other day in Hospitality Supervision, the book has a scavenger hunt that was a good idea. I took the idea, catered it to my need and man o man it was fun. I had a list of things (this varies upon class size)that would challenge them to work together and timed them to get all items on the list and tied it to the daily grade. I have done this many many times. Usually after a very short briefing from me (here is a list, I am giving you x amount of time to talk about it and 30 min to get the 100 things on the list) This is where it gets interesting, a class will either all scatter like cats OR in a couple of classes someone steps up to organize the effort. It is a learning example for me but also for them that even though everyone one wants to be a leader the acceptance of one has occured in many of the classes I have taught. Any thoughts as to how this could be a better study?

I find that motivation no matter what industry is a challenge. All People work at different paces and have different things that make them tick. Some people may want money to motivate, some may want just doing the job satisfaction, and some may just need a little attention once and a while. Whatever the motivator treat everyone as an individual and once you find out what makes people tick - then run with that motivation to get that teamwork flowing!

Michele West-Lax Forum 5 Response Personally, I am a visual and tactile learner. Once I am shown the function or visual connection between the content I am learning, in conjunction with hands on experience, both the experience and learned theories comes alive. I have learned a great amount of skills for this forum, in utilizing varying methods of learning to suite all students and obtain optimal learning. Because my area of teaching is scientific, not having a lab component, can make the learning process more difficult, since within these areas of study, seeing the part and its function, can increase understanding. Nevertheless, using visual manipulation of objects, through video, can help auite that need for tactile learning.

Michele West-Lax Forum 4 Response Not having an extensive teaching experience, I utilized instructor skills and methods from professors of the past that I enjoyed. Upon walking into the classroom, I smiled and greeted students as they walked in. Once class began, I introduced myself, gave a brief background about my experience and skills, gave contact information, and then had the students introduce themselves and give a reason why they choose their area of interests. I wanted to get to know the students and for others to get to know them. These forums and trainings for immensely effective in ensuring the skills used in the past by previous professors, and the skills utilized in the classroom are standard and effective.

Having gone through this course several times, I think/hope I have finally got the idea.. some of the quiz questions completely lost me in that It has taken me an inordinate amount of time to realize the difference between closed, open and procedural questions,. However at this point I feel The content within the course may be helpful during my lectures, I did enjoy the quizzes and I particularly like the Highlights section of the course, it seemed to me to clarify much of the course content

Michele West-Lax Forum 2 Response I have found that as an instructor, I have compared and contrast textbooks to decipher levels of complexity. If needed, I will access whether the text explains a theory in too little detail, which can induce obfuscation within the students. Thus, during my instructional teaching, I will add some information taken from other sources into my lecture, to fil in any possible gaps or confusion that the currently used textbook can induce. While complexity and detail is warranted in some areas of discipline, I have lend myself to keeping it simple and using as much photographic representations to complete a mental comprehension of the theory.

Hello Everyone, The one sure way to tell if it is time to switch to another teaching style for the night is what I call the glassy eye syndrome technique. This syndrome has been around for years, and when you are paying attention to your class, you can easily spot this infliction by simply looking into the students' eyes. If all you see is a blank stare and someone staring at the clock about every 20 seconds, that is the best time to change things up a bit. One method that works really well is having group activities, as it helps students to gather their attention back to the subject and not our monotone voices.

Hello Everyone, The one thing I learned as a student, was to pay special attention to the syllabus. The syllabus was not only the guide for the entire class, but when used properly, it was also a great way for the instructors to get to know their class. One way I like to break the ice, is to treat the reading of the syllabus as a question and answer session. I.e. "yes if you have a medical emergency, and you communicate with me, I will be more than happy to work with you" OR I.e. "no, turning in the homework the day after the grades are posted will not help. Neither will the sad face you put in your email asking for an extension".

Hello Everyone, I remember "way back", when I was taking my first undergraduate classes and how I thought how easy professors had it. All they had to do is sit back, "act" like they were grading papers, and just enjoying the good life. Needless to say, I have learned how utterly wrong my thinking was. I view each class as a new practice, a new chapter in life. The more I go over the material, the more effort I put into that days class plan, the better my presentation will be. I am not teaching to sit back and enjoy easy street, it is my duty as an educator to ensure the students will take away the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in life.

Hello Everyone, The one thing I truly enjoy about being an educator, is the ability to gain and share knowledge. Most people think as educators, we are always sharing our knowledge with our students. But a true professional is also learning that every day, we are also gaining knowledge to become a better educator, professional, and person. No two classes are the same, no two students are the same, life is continually changing, and we must learn to gain the knowledge to provide the best learning experiences for our students.

In some of our courses,we would lecture on the subject sometimes for hours then go to the lab and actively perform the activities we had lectured on. This works to an extent. One course I teach in particular, has made a big move toward the active learning style and I, personally, have been able to see a much improved outcome from it. Much of the lecture material has been converted to operating and testing instructions that the students use as they are physically able to experience the outcome of their actions in real time. This method seems to dramatically strengthen their understanding and gives them a much better initial grasp of the material and concepts.

Some methods I have used involve game-style tactics to either prepare a class for a test, or to introduce a new topic and see how muck knowledge is already out there. Can anyone share some methods that have worked for you?

I am new to teaching so my experience using active learning is limited. As a student however I was always the type of person who learns better through involved methods as opposed to pure lecture. It’s been said many times throughout this forum of the need for a blend and again from a student’s perspective I believe this is spot on.

I've often been in classes myself with instructors who would not use any active learning techniques. They were some of my worst classes. I believe some individuals may believe so strongly in "old school" methods that they refuse to adopt these practices. I find active learning greatly improves knowledge retention and allows the students to practice applying the knowledge they have gained. My students stay alert in class and really seem to enjoy the constant participation in their education and gain confidence that they truly can understand the material.

I am always concerned about making sure that all the content gets covered. A great method I learned from a seminar by L. Dee Fink author of "Creating Signficant Learning Experiences", is to require that the students do the reading and memorize the needed facts first and come to class prepared to discuss their application. To be sure that they are prepared there is a quiz at the begining of class for each student to take individually. Then small groups take the test together and have to come up with a consensus for the right answer. The resulting discussion during the group test is full of active learning techniques.

I think asking questions in class shows the instructor that the student is in learning mode. It prompts them to have open ideas about the subject. When students are not asking questions, I typically quiz them. Once they are quizzed, the questions start flow again. Again, I think it is a matter of knowing your audience(students).

I have been teaching for a little over 5 years now. I must say, it is critical to know each students learning style. As a instructor, you want to be able to reach each student in order for them to walk away with something if it is visual, auditory or kinesthetic. It also prompts the instructor to grow in other areas to become more successful and master their skill set.

These students need more time to learn but they really want to learn, so I believe that the Instructor has to be patience in teaching them and have to utilize all simple means to teach them and achieve the required goal.

Language is a big barrier. I think the students with language barriers should be provided with some help from the institute they are studying in.

Diversity in teaching helps many students and focus many things rather than staying focus at something which might not bring interest in students learning.