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Ask a question from your peers to help you in your professional work. Seek different points of view on a topic that interests you. Start a thought-provoking conversation about a hot, current topic. Encourage your peers to join you in the discussion, and feel free to facilitate the discussion. As a community of educators, all members of the Career Ed Lounge are empowered to act as a discussion facilitator to help us all learn from each other.

Your Instructional Style

What techniques can you employ to further develop, refine and enhance your instructional style?

Your Instructional Style

What techniques can you employ to further develop, refine and enhance your instructional style?

Your Instructional Style

What techniques can you employ to further develop, refine and enhance your instructional style?

Your Instructional Style

What techniques can you employ to further develop, refine and enhance your instructional style?

Repetition

In cuisine and pastry it is important that students be allowed/encouraged to practice as much as possible. This helps increase speed, quality of work, skills making them more employable.

Planning for class

This seems like a very fun part of teaching. Reading this module was very informative and gave me great ideas on how to prepare for classess. This is my first time as an instructor so this will be very helpful as I prepare for my next group of students.

Demonstration

I prefer to do a demonstration on day one of the class to illustrate a new technique that students haven't been exposed to yet. This excites them about wanting to learn.

Group learning

I like the idea of group learning, it can help bring out shy and withdrawn students. Groups can help students help students and a feeling of belonging.

Student Question

How do you create tests? Are there test banks at your school that you must use?

Use of Standardized Testing

It has been my observation that there is widespread use of "test banks" in the career colleges. The test banks are provided by the publisher of the textbooks. Instructors also draw from other sources. Some programs are writing their own tests. One big problem is content validity. The tests are really supposed to match the course objectives. Sometimes instructors simply "teach to the test" in so called "reviews" in order to patch over the problem and avoid post testing riots! Professional teachers know that "teaching to the test" scientifically skews the results. It is better to discard questions post test based upon statistics. (Of couse one can argue that it is better to throw them out before the test is given.) David Leon Cooper, MS (Ed Adm)

First day

always looking for ways to make the classroom a better place.

First Day

This is my favorite day! it's always fun meeting students for the first time.

Planning

This is my first time as an instructor. so writing lesson plans,I probably go the long route, taking extra time in this process.

Formative evaluation.

I always have students that gripe about how often there are quizzes and how long they are. I feel these benefit the students. They know if they are on track and I am able to determine if I am being efficient in my teaching.

Student Question

What technique do you use in your classroom?

Using several techniques.

All too often instructors, including myself, get use to teaching a certain way. We never vary our set ways to help accommodate our students. Perhaps my preferred way of teaching is useful for auditory learners, and yours benefits the tactile learners. We all need to vary our teaching methods to accommodate our students. Should we have regulations in place that force instructors to use several teaching methods other than their preferred method of teaching?

Developing a teaching style

How long would it take to develop a style? I am guessing that as I get more experience and acquire more and different knowledge, my style will constantly change. If we are able to incorporate our new knowledge and skills than our style will be constantly developing. I feel that teaching can be a great way to learn new things. There is always going to be students that will challenge you with questions you don't know how the answer to, and looking up that answer will help you learn. YOu will also learn and adapt your teaching style based on the preparedness of your students.

Movement in the instructional area

I agree that an instructor needs to move throughout the classroom/lab, it makes the students focus on what is being said or done. They will pay attention, not sure of what comes next, will she ask a question during lecture, in lab will she check my work to see if I am doing it correctly, etc. It keeps them alert especially if the subject is difficult.

Predictive Validity of General Education Tests/ Relevance to Program

A great deal of work has been done with general education (essential skills)assessment instruments and correlation of them to success in specific programs. Psychometricians (PhDs) perform this work by designing them and running the statistical data. Some challenges of the vocational or technical programs ("career college")are weaknesses in English and math. Many students are not primarily English speakers. (They are "English as a second language" individuals.) Many come from "at risk" homes and inner city environments with many social-economic issues. These tests can identify individuals who are not properly suited for the desired program. Some students can then be diverted to other programs and remediation. I have observed some individuals attempt to enroll in vocational (practical) nursing programs but not be able to pass the admission (general education/essential skills) assessment. Many of them have been directed to Medical Assisting programs instead of the VN. I have observed many of these students complete the MA program and then the vocational nursing program. (That is an expensive route but an effective one.) More work needs to be done in the area of "bridging" general educational remediational needs with the admission process (assessment of essential skills). Another thought on the general edication process: it clearly provides support for students with defective essential skills backgrounds so that they can be successful in the career program. Unfortunately, not all programs can contain that element. An example is vocational nursing. That makes "up front" (admission) assessment critical. David Leon Cooper, MS (Ed Adm)

Socrates and the Socratic Method

Socrates never wrote anything. His student, Plato, wrote a number of documents on his teacher. Basically, Socrates was a master of questioning. He essentially debated the great teachers and thinkers of his time; through the use of questions, he would demonstrate the contradictions in their arguments. He was also known to help his opponent with a way out of their situation so as not to cause embarassment. He tried to get to the first cause of things. He wanted someone to define what something was before he let them try to apply or judge it. By the way, the Bloom's Taxonomy used in this course is obsolete. It was corrected by a group of educational psychologists led by his former student. See: Bloom's Revised Taxonomy. David Leon Cooper, MS (Ed Adm)