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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.

Hard to be Tactile in Law

Law classes are very auditory or based on the densely written word. It is difficult to be tactile in law. Typically, the best we can do is have students draft documents, whether court-ready documents or traditional writing assignments, in an effort to do the actual work of the legal professional. But I could not disagree with anyone who argues that document drafting is just a different version of the written-word form of education. Even a task such as interviewing a client or negotiating with an opposing party is still more auditory than tactile, in my opinion. It's too bad we don't get to dissect or handle animals like other programs. I'd appreciate some tips on how to be more tactile in law courses.

smiling in the classroom

I have found that smiling helps create a bond with your students. They feel that you are happy to be teaching them and that you care about them. I have had other instructors say "I can't believe the things that you say to students and they still like you" What I say is constructive criticism, but with a smile. Even if it is a constructive criticism they perceive that I care enough to tell them and want them to succeed.

use of multiple choice

I usually use multiple choice since I want students will use the concepts of biology to better understand what they learn in their vet classes. They don't necessarily need to remember every detail just general concepts. Maybe their are better ways of doing this?

formative assessments

I usually use either a hands-on lab/activity or question the students to determine if they understood what I just talked about. It also gets them to look through the notes, recall inforamtion and realize that everything they need to know is right at their finger tips if they don't recall the information.

Daily Assessments

I feel that daily assessments are too difficult to give, as it barely gives a student the opportunity to digest the lecture/discussion/activity that day. I tend to give quizzes on a unit, rather than daily or weekly, basis.

Comes Naturally

I find that in my program, music business, delivering content that suits a variety of learning styles comes naturally. I normally base my lectures on a topic touched on in the text, but deliver it using video, web content, PowerPoint (rarely) and classroom discussion. Then, the project or assignment usually allows for hands-on interaction, either with computer software, musical instruments or library research.

Variety in the Classroom

When I am preparing my lesson plans for each class, I try to be aware of the different learning styles, and as much as possible I try to include at least one item in each lesson that will accommodate each learning style. for example, I might lecture on a topic (auditory), while I have a PowerPoint presentation showing (visual), have the students write a 1-minute paper on the topic (written), and then have them actually practice one of the skills presented (kinesthetic). Of course, this is made easier, in some respects, because I am a medical instructor, so there are always new skills we are learning or practicing.

Know your stuff!

Your students will know if you are prepared for class. You are the expert, so make sure that you are prepared for every class and ready to answer any questions that students may have. This will allow you to establish credibility and recieve respect from your students.

Taking it Personally

It’s hard not to, but we have to draw that thin line. The most effective way of dealing with a disability, after understanding it and what it takes to overcome it, is by getting to know the learner. Making the lessons relevant and addressing the material to suit their needs, while keeping in mind there always needs to be an answer to the question “what’s in it for me?” in the underlying theme. Knowing the learner and putting forth effort while truly trying and caring shouts volumes at a learner. But we should do this only as far as we can without crossing the line into ‘too much’ territory. Whether we become too involved in their personal lives or we empathize too deeply at our own peril, we must keep ourselves balanced between what’s best for all things considered.

Active Learning

Is active learning an essential component in a career college?

Student Participation

I have found that my 8am class isn't as lively as my night class. To get more student participation, I have found calling on students to answer questions keeps them on their toes. Also, having them get into groups to discuss information and present to the class helps.

Breaking up a 4.5 hour block of time

I am a new instructor and I will be teaching an evening course which runs for 4.5 hours. Of course we will take breaks but this is a tremendous amount of time to fill. This is an Anatomy and Physiology course, however it does not include any sort of lab.....so basically it is all lecture. I like the idea of the 10-16 min mini lectures but even so I will need to find many ways to break up this block of time to keep the students engaged. I am open to comments and suggestions.

Ask good questions.

Asking "good" questions isn't simply a matter of the technique, but includes asking varied questions that bring out answers from students at different learning levels. I appreciated how the lesson brought this point out.

New Instructor

Much like many of you, I am a first time instructor. Although there is so much to learn from other instructors, I do believe that new instructors have something to bring to the table also. Having recently been a student, I try to reflect on what my intructors did to be effective teachers and incorporate those things into my classes.

Aural Learners

I teach Audio so the subject material lends itself to Aural learners. Amazingly, I find that people who are aural learners struggle more than other students. I believe that different skills are better learned through different learning styles. The most successful students are able to integrate different learning style in order to learn material. For example, many students with excellent aural attention skills struggle with the technical aspects of the class. Students with strong kinesthetic technical skills struggle with more conceptual ideas. Basically I am suggesting that students must combine different learning styles in order to be successful. Certain skills are best presented through certain learning techniques.

Students with disabilities.

Where do we find training on learning disab.?

Job related skills.

It is very important to bring the text and profession together with real work examples.

Groups.

How to score/grade groups?

Eye contact.

How to deal with students who are falling s sleep.

Using learning styles you are not as comfortable with.

I have found that it is a major challenge to incorporate the learning styles that I do not learn best from myself. I have a fear that students are thinking the same thing I would if I were in their shoes (which is not positive). However, after stepping outside of the box a few times it has become more and more comfortable and I have really improved how I deliver the materials in this way (as evidenced by course evals).