I am unable to use the power-point or overhead projector because it brings on migraines. I have had to find different ways to deliver lesson plans. It seems to work for me, but sometimes I do envy those of you who can use them. I have tried just recently to use the power-point but my students informed me they were unhappy with the way the lecture turned out. I had to redo the lecture the old fashioned way. I do a lot of writing on the white board, and I even try to draw. If anyone has any suggestions regarding the power-point, please let me know. I am always willing to try new things.

I am unable to use the power-point or overhead projector because it brings on migraines. I have had to find different ways to deliver lesson plans. It seems to work for me, but sometimes I do envy those of you who can use them. I have tried just recently to use the power-point but my students informed me they were unhappy with the way the lecture turned out. I had to redo the lecture the old fashioned way. I do a lot of writing on the white board, and I even try to draw. The old saying "if its not broke, don't fix it". If anyone has any suggestions regarding the power-point, please let me know. I am always willing to try new things.

It is very important for the students that the instructor be in class before the first student arrives. Have all necessary paper work in-front of chairs to which students will sit. I introduce myself as Mrs. and not my first name. I believe that is the first step for gaining respect from any student. Usually from that point on the respect is established on both sides.

I have found it very useful and exciting for the students to see a lot of visuals the first week. I give handouts of 8x10 pictures for my visual learners, 3 dimensional objects for my tactile learners and Cd's for my auditory learners. I cover all 3 each day. I plan my class 2 weeks in advance, and yes, I always seem to add something new to one or more of the planned weeks. I realized that I can plan ahead, but leave a block of time for something to be added in. As in library time for essay's or continuing online education for the students.

As there is no perfect student, there is no perfect instructor. I have found that admitting my mistakes in a humble way, lets the student understand that I to am human and assures the student when they do not complete a task the first time, I will be there to say "you gave it your best and tomorrow will be a new day". I let my students know that I am not perfect, but I will always do my best and that is what I expect of them.

I have found this amazing icebreaker to introduce students on the first day. So often students get comfortable, and are not very welcoming to new students. I found a form that requires each student to go around the classroom introduce them selves and ask the other classmate a question such as do you have a tattoo? If the student says yes, then that students signs the opposing students paper. And so on and so forth. This has been very successful.

Noise ( anything which interupt the communication)

I have a student that backtalks to me and other students in front of the class. I have addressed the situation with her yet she is non compliant. I noticed that students are moving away from her. She has only been here 2 months and frankly I dread it. I have had students come to me stating they follow my lead on how to handle her. I ignore what she says usually, because she will continue if I address it in front of the class. Yet, I do speak with her privatly and she seems like she wants to improve. Any ideas?

Hello Everyone, I thought I introduce this topic onto the forum since nobody has done so yet. Even if it is a cliche. First impressions count. For this reason before my first day of class, I go over my classroom and insure all equipment is working order, all tables and chairs are clean, whiteboard is clean, and all materials that student will require will be on hand for the students when they arrive. On that first day, sharply dressed, I great each student, and either hand them the printed syllabus, or direct them to the online version. The look of the classroom, and the instructor, as well as the perception of professionalism is very important. It sets the tone for the rest of the course. Andrés

I have worked with various schools. Some have all the curriculum, and materials, schedules, lab material all prepared for a the courses and centers that deliver them. In others, nothing is done, and complete lattitude is given to the instructor to prepare his/her class/course the way the see fit. Personally, having been various postions between both extremes, I prefer to have it all laid out. This way I can focus on delivery, and elaboration if required. Having said this, if the logistics and/or materials are not what I consider quality, it's good to be able to make ajustments, in order to have the right balance of quality, logistics, and still have time to teach. Andrés

Your student like you, and are ocassionalyy inviting you out to drink with them. As a proffesional you don't accept in order to maintaine the student/trainer relationship. You group graduates and you are no longer there trainer. They invite you again, arguing, there is no longer a conflict. What would you do know? Andrés

What do you think of PowerPoint presentations? I found that they have been over used.

This is my fifth year teaching and every new semester I am nervous. To help calm myself I concentrate on one of my strength as I enter the room and greet the student. Take a deep breath, stand tall and walk like you are a queen or a king. The students are nervous too and your confidence will put them at ease.

I have mixed feeling about giving Extra Credits to my students. I like extra credit because it reward the students who are willing to go a step further in their study. On the other hand are college students too old for extra credit? I was educated in Europe and we did not have extra credit. I would appreciate your feedback.

I have been teaching for 5 years. I have the reputation of being tough, demanding and fair, and my students love me. Once in a while I have students that I absolutly cannot reach. They arrive late (which of course disrupt the class), have no personal discipline, and constantly disrupt the class with their talking. I tried talking to them outside of class but it does not work. The only recourse I have is to ask them to leave the class and go talk to the director so that the rest of the class can learn. The other students appreciate their leaving, the director supports me as it seems that my class is not the only class these students disrupt but I feel guilty. I would appreciate any ideas on how to reach these discipline challenged students. Thank you

I recently took over a class for an instructor on medical leave. My first few class meetings were unproductive to say the least. Many of the students had an attitude. Attitude and disrespectful behavior had me at wondering what to do. After great thought, I chose to start a recent class off with a discussion of respect went hand and hand with professional behavior and success. I continued with demonstrating, comically, what not to do during an interview. I then worked the discussion into their field's professional expectations and certifications they should strive to acquire. It seemed help me connect with them and by the end of the class the ones who were late, did not want to leave. What suggestions does anyone have?

In my field, students are required to demonstrate their knowledge in a practical application. This is done by working with "clients" in a public, realistic environment. It can be difficult to point out mistakes in front of others. Most students welcome feedback and direction, but occasionally I find students who get defensive and feel attacked or humiliated in front of their peers. I believe that instructors should work on the methods of delivery for offering constructive criticism. Some students appreciate a candid remark or a joking comment, but others may feel ridiculed. Is it better to address issues and offer criticism in a group setting or wait to speak to each student one-on-one? Cliff

Answering the questions A- Audience, B- Behavior, C-Condition, and D- Degree have been a big help in re-writing old daily lesson plans. Having these question answered for each daily topic pretty much spells out the where and how to get to where we need to go.

For lecture notes, I have always worked from an outline. Unfortunately, I am also a stickler for form and have always tried to make the lecture content fit into an outline form. By this I mean that there should be at least two points for every heading or subheading to be considered good form for an outline. I have found Information just doesn't always fall in an outline form to be easily presented. I am anxious to rewrite some notes in the tree diagram form. I think it will provide the flexibility I was never able to find in my rigid outlines. Actually, I'm just disappointed I didn't think of this idea earlier myself but rather read about this idea in this course!