This is definitely the best way to engage the students in discussion. Keeping the discussion moving in the right direction is key to helping students absorb everything.

I think this all goes back to how important planning is. If I am not prepared as the instrutor the whole class is thrown off and nothing runs smooth.

I love meeting a class for the first time! I love coming up with new activities to get to know everyone. One game that I like is having students come up with two questions and then having students draw them and answer them.

Planning for me is so important. I love to have something new and fresh for the students. I love having them find and discuss current events, I feel this gets everyone's brain working.

I am a first time instructor and I have been trying to come into my own style. Each class that I have taught has allowed me to learn different learning styles and then decide different approaches.

The course content is going to be very important when putting together an exam as well as looking at the learning styles of my students. Working through the course, I will get a gauge of what my students can and cannot handle. However, I will look at my course content and lecture material and tailor an exam that will hit on all the main points I will cover in lecture and homework assessments.

I teach a lot of beginning level accounting courses that have a lot of theory and rules the students need to memorize to be successful. The first time I taught the class, I asked my students questions about the delivery. I used the feedback given to tweak the way I present my material so that it works for that particular group. I use similar examples and handouts that seem to work with the students each time, but I always ask for feedback on what can be done better. I also like my students to be involved in the process of the class. I have different activities that break the course up and give real life examples. For instance, I use a video on Enron to discuss the cash flow concept with my students. Sharing the video (the story) to go along with handouts of the actual financial statements helps reinforce how the statements were put together and what was actually wrong with them. A second activity I have used in personal finance is an electronic game with budgets and monthly spending. Students get involved in this activity and it shows them how important the concept of an actual budget and building passive income truly is.

In a classroom, I like to ask open ended questions as well as ask specific questions about a certain concept we are covering at that time. When working in the classroom, I can take a check of the classroom and see if students understand the material by the look on their faces. If I see the “deer in the headlights” look, I know I need to go back and go over concepts and ask specific questions about why things are not making sense. In an online forum, I use specific questions and real life examples to get students to think about the concepts being taught in the classroom. I also have a broad post for students to post specific questions about homework concepts. However, I do not get the response I would like from this type of post. A lot of the times students ask questions as they are submitting the homework assignment for grading without utilizing this discussion thread. How could I get more response from this post in the online discussion and not have students ask questions when submitting homework (when it is too late)?

Knowing about my students learning styles can be helpful when putting together my course content. I can use this information to tailor my lecture plans to meet the needs of my students so they can excel in the classroom through their learning style. I teach accounting and finance courses and bring a lot of different learning styles in my course delivery. I give handouts to students so they can work out the problems in class along with a visual aid of using a working example in Excel.

Some learners tend to try to keep their disabilities secret which by the time their known it may be to late to help them.

These learners also require alot of patience from the instructor which is also key to their success.

Could learning groups be used for hands-on lab projects if the numbers were two or three per project?

I think students appreciate an instructor that projects enthusiasm in the class room by using their voice to do it. I also use a seating chart so that I can get to know my students by name early. This is my way of communicating to them that I know who they are therefore their attention is required. These skills plus the use of eye contact helps keep the student attentive.

One of the instructional 'tricks' that I have developed for myself over the years is to use visual aids in the classroom (virtual or brick and mortar) that provide the student with a 'story' or 'cartoon' of the material i am trying to present. Since the majority of my students over the years have been older teens and adults this is not as easy as it sounds. I use PowerPoint to convey informamtion - I mix it up with photos, clip art (both static and animated), video clips and of course some text. But the text is minimal - I do not want them to 'read' the slides - the slides are a guide and a visual trigger. I want them to 'listen' while they are looking at the slide. Even the tutorials that I create for students to review outslide of the class are filled with action. Non-traditional students are often fearful of being able to keep up with the 'lectures.' Unless every student is 'anal' and has already developed a work and study ethic, you have to bring the information to the class in a non-threatening medium - and without boring them to death! Since I teach online this is critical - I want my students to look forward to each lecture, not dread having to show up.

Reenforcement showing how much they have learned so far. it's a great reenforcement, reviwing their goals...

Being a lab manager for over 20 years, and a lab assistant for 15. I share manny of my real life experience.

Eliza Doolittle is alive and well. She is in every class we teach, especially at the Career College level. Our students are here to change their lives and we owe it to them to have those high expectations. They can succeed in college; they can conquer difficult material. But they can also be fragile; they need our constant support and encouragement to rise above their circumstances.

Eye contact is a great way to let students know that you are watching and interested that they are paying attention. If you maintain eye contact then they will learn from your expressinons and voice inflections.When you do not maintain eye contact students will tend to occupy them selves with other things such as a cell phone under the desk or falling asleep in class. Let them know that you are interested in their education by acknoleging them frequently during the lecture.

Modulating your voice during a lecture seems to help keep students interest up.

At the first day of class ask all students to take off their shoes and put them into one pile. Then ask students to pick a pair of shoes and find out who they belong to. After finding that person ask a couple of questions about that student. After the whole class is done. Each student will discuss to the class what they found out about their fellow student. It also gives the instructor an insight of each individual student.