When it's time for the Group Project, inevitably some students on a team will find that not all their teammates are communicative. Even friendly nudges by their facilitator can go unanswered. Announcements get posted on the classroom, as well as the DB's. I'd be interested in hearing how other's grapple with this issue

The first class and how you present yourself really matters. Your complete package of your self will be remembered for a long time. You need to make sure everything is ready and completed to present your self to your class.

I have worked in many different colleges and, in some of them, the paper work (like filling,tests scoring, students reports,etc.)interferes with teaching, without mentioning some administrative duties the teacher has to do

How can one inprove the learning enviroment whith a small class room? Can the classroom be to small to help with learning?

How do we deal with students who allways miss the first day of class? I have found a realy bad traight forming among my younger students (18-25) that they feel as if it is our job to repeat all the intro information given on the first day!

Many schools have HVAC problems. This causes poor learning environments and in soom cases bad outcomes.

Valuing diversity is what educators, organizations and members of communities do to acknowledge the benefits of their differences and similarities. They work to build sustainable relationships among people with diverse backgrounds. Some students are visual, audio or hands on learners and each classroom session should incorporate all three styles to keep students engaged.

Team Work provides organizational basis for satisfying the common interest between the business and individual needs and aspirations. For the organization: Teamwork Builds on group strengths. Increase available pool of skills and knowledge and aids development. Give sound framework for positive attitudes and performance measures. Creates conditions for new ideas to flourish. Provides framework for an organization to grow and develop. For the individual: Satisfies social instincts Increase opportunities for skill acquisition, job enrichment and aids career advancement. It allows information sharing to operate for self improvement in a supportive environment.

I measure my effectiveness by my ability to communicate. Communication is the cornerstone of success. Effective communication aids learning and development, builds bridges and relationships, while ineffective communication can create misunderstandings, conflict and confrontation. As a result, I pay special attention to: • What I say • How I say it • What I meant • How its received and interpreted • Interpersonal dynamics • Timing • Voice, tone pitch and rhythm • And ask questions to gain or confirm understanding and comprehension

I find that my learning style is based a lot of the times on the rapport of the student.

Hello Susan, have you used the redirecting of questions, and let the students pick the student to answer the follow up question. If yes how did it work? Allen

Gang, how long should learners with disabilities be allowed to complete assignments? I have seen 2-4 weeks at different colleges. I personlly think 2 weeks is fine but 4 weeks a little strained. What are your thoughts? Gary

Gang, I have been asked a 100 times if a student could work alone. He or she would rather work alone and do the work rather than rely on others'. Many times it from folks who have had poor results from previous team assignments. I always answer with the same thought: The business world requires employees to work in groups and/or teams and it is skill required to learn in classes. This reply usually satisfies the concerned student. Anyone have similar experiences? Gary

Is a student the can learn by any learning style an easy student to teach?

It is very important for the information delevered to be the same as used for student evaluations.

The last thing mentioned in this section is "Dealing with Chronically Late Students". When I teach the early morning classes (when tardiness is rampant) I inform my students that each day during the first 5 minutes of class there will be a question of the day. They have to be in class to earn the point (usually 1 per day). I ask easy questions (When is the mid-term?)and then allow them to use their book, notes, syllabus or ask a fellow classmate. Overall the exercise has worked (for those students who are motivated by the system). In addition, I have a no late work policy and require assignments to be turned in during the first five minutes of class.

Despite what ED103 has suggested, I find that offering students a "choice" of different essay questions can address different learning styles. In the English and History classes I teach, I want to test a student's capability to receive a relatively complex question, apply critical thinking, and express their response in a thoughtful, organized and creative way. For one question, I might offer an article or essay to respond to; for another, I might use a video clip or painting; for auditory learners, an audio clip of a poem or essay read by an author works nicely. In the end, I think I can offer equivalent questions (perhaps because the material is so subjective) while allowing students to engage with their preferred learning styles.

In my first class I always give a brief background on myself, both personal and professional. I want student to know that I am an expert at what I do and that they are in good hands and I also want them to know I am a person with outside interests. I go over the course expectations, I try to joke a little and get them to relax. I always let them know they do not have to call me professor or Mr. Melle that will do just fine. I find this gives them my expectations but also relaxes them some as well.

I have specific course expectations for each course and at the beginning of a course I advise all students to read these expectations. While I know some students do not read them, when emailing me or asking me questions that I have already outlined in the expectatiions, I refer them there, it saves me a lot of time having to answer the same questions over and over and it gives them the answers they need.

Over the past two and a half years I have taught several business courses both pre and post graduate. I have a lot of experience in business and marketing and I have used this experience in the classes that I teach. I advise students that I do not teach out of the book. I teach each session based on an upcoming assignment and I use real life experience as examples rather than text book or hypothetical examples. My students have told me time and again that they like this style of teaching and it gives them a sense of the real business world, not just a class room perspecitve.