Student discipline appears to be more difficult in our public schools today. A good discussion regarding the possible causes would be both very stimulating and profitable.

I like to tell the student the important topics we will be covering the next day at the end of each class so they know they will be in the next day and will not want to miss the material.

I love to pull out lessons learned from my past jobs in the video industry. I tend to be a little of a 'digital pack rat' in that I keep a lot of the stuff I worked on over the years, including early drafts and versions. This stuff is invaluable when creating a lesson plan or a powerpoint guide. By using real world stuff I can show where things went off track, and more importantly, how the problems got solved!

I find myself getting sucked into students medical issues and I feel like my hands are tied because I work at a school and not in the medical field where I have a host of options. I have a student that is a juvenile IDDM and is only twenty. In the middle of class she states she feel like killing herself and don't think she will live to see thirty. I did not know what the resources were so I explained to the class that if a patient said that, we would let the provider know immediately. Now what should my follow through be, I don't know.

As an intrinsically motivated learner, I sometimes find it difficult to reach out to my unmotivated students. I find myself with the attitude that it's their money and their life; if they don't care to work, I can only do so much to help them. This is especially true considering the schedule and lifestyle of the adjunct instructor. I teach English at three schools in three different programs. I'm provided with course syllabi and textbooks for each course, but individual lesson resources/activities, tests, quizzes, etc., are often lacking when they're provided at all. And it can be difficult to network as an adjunct instructor. In other words, as a young instructor with training in his field but not in teaching, I find my time already full between familiarizing myself with the course curriculae, coming up with any (let alone good) class activities, and grading. I enjoy teaching and care about the success of my students. But I find the idea of motivating them really challenging. I feel really prepared to work with motivated students. I'm encouraged by their enthusiasm and excited by their accomplishments. When they'd rather play on their smartphones or gaze out the window, I'm pretty content to let them as long as they're not distracting others. How about those with more experience? Does it get easier to work on motivating students when you're not constantly battling to keep up with your lesson plans and grading? How do you get to know the "personal interests and hobbies" of your students when you have so many full classes? Is this something that also becomes easier with time? And how do you balance professional development (such as spending the recommended four hours on this module), all the responsibilities of teaching, getting to know your students, and not have it bleed into your personal life? Maybe these are all common concerns for an inexperienced teacher who has the good fortune of getting several jobs at once, but any tips or advice would be appreciated.

Could someone please share there experiences

Has anyone had any experience with and if you have what is some advice you could give from your experience ?

How do you use reinforcement with a student who wont respond?

I have the advantage to work with a group of recently high school graduates and working adults. And this has really helped me because I have experienced just about everything mention in this course .

I've found that students who just came from high school have a sense of structure that is still a bit ingrained in their thinking, and therefore can do well in my classes. I also find that students over 30 are serious about learning and getting a good career. But the in-between years are the hardest. Many students who are 23 or 24 have been away from school for a while. They tend to have the hardest time getting back into a structured environment, and they aren't yet serious about a 'career'. It just takes a bit more maturity than they sometimes seem to muster up!

How can I maintain the students on task in a calss of 60 students teaching Anatomy & Physiology??

Everyone needs a little motivating from time to time. Family, friends, goals, money, knowledge, society, religion all of these things motivate individuals to succeed and to continue on. Sometimes students (and teachers) need to be reminded of what motivates them. This is key in retention.

Keeping focus on the students is necessary because they are the reason we have jobs in the first place. I teach because I have a passion for changing lives. Therefore my ultimate drive is the student. When I begin to lose focus or when I try to inspire focus in my students, I evaluate what I want in life, what my purpose is and what I want to do/where I want to be, and it gives me motivation to finish the necessary steps to acheive my goal.

Being a student myself, I know it's difficult being in a class that is boring, or where the instructor is unclear, the material is scattered or the learning environment is unorganized. So as the instructor, I stress attendance, relate to each student individually, make lectures interesting by providing real life experience, examples, guest speakers, stories and jokes. I keep lecture organized and fun while providing the students with the material in a comfortable, professional manner.

It has worked to introduce myself and give small amount of background on my nursing career. I also enjoy talking about my son and farm projects so have shared pictures of cows and pigs with class.

Why do they constanting talk beyond the instructor.

Motivation is key to students learning and wanting to learn. However, keeping all students motivated is a challenge. We all know that some students will never be motivated to do anymore than the required to get by. It is those students that keep me motivated to better myself and my teaching abilities.

Because of the current economic situation in this country, there are more adult learners entering career colleges because they need to acquire a new skill. Am I right in assuming that the retention of this particular type of student would be higher because of their need to provide for themselves and their families?

Teaching to Motivate Motivation is a group effort. Motivation can be offered and encouraged, but motivation also must come from within. For a student to truly own their goals, education, accomplishments and success, they must share and participate in the motivation process. So, let us consider the instructor half of the motivation circle. An instructor has the opportunity to show learners how useful, interesting, applicable, and exciting their subject is. For example, I teach math and statistics. These are not commonly “loved” subjects. However, I love them both! I read math, statistics, and physics for fun each day to improve my skills and to deepen my own understanding. I truly believe that math is magical and holds the secrets of the universe. I teach math with this type of enthusiasm. I take the time to show my students why and how math and statistics are not only incrediblely interesting, but also invaluable to all careers and majors. I gauge my lectures by how I would feel if I had to listen to myself. Would I be bored or would I be on the edge of my seat – waiting to hear where the story will unfold to. I have also found that clarity is very motivated just as ambiguity can be very discouraging. Attending college is enough of a challenge without having to play a guessing game during class. I make a point of creating clear and concise communication with respect to every aspect of the class. I help student to realize that they can succeed and that it is OK if they do not understand a concept right away. Learning math can be a unique experience because the concepts are new and as a teacher, I must related these new concepts to ideas that my students already have and know. This connection will realize and ground the concepts, thereby offering greater understanding and application. In exchange for my absolute dedication, I expect my learners to try hard and then try again. I encourage them to believe that they can, and that it is OK to read the textbook and solve the problems. Learning math specifically is interactive – the student and the instructor must both do their part.

Refocus: Sometimes we need to restart Teaching is a wonderful, rewarding, exciting, challenging, and energizing profession. Teachers have the unique privilege to share learning, engender confidence, and promote creativity and success. As such, teachers are always “on”. Teachers are energized, excited, motivating, encouraging, empathetic, present, and available 24/7. However, teachers are also people, and people with the type of expectations placed on teachers, must recharge, re-energize, restart, refocus. No matter how dedicated a teacher might be, a day might come when that teacher feels frustrated, defeated, or even worse, apathetic. However, it is important to realize that these feeling are normal and a natural result of offering constant and endless positive motivation and encouragement to others. Once we as teachers realize that it is OK to also be human, we learn that our feelings are normal. Then, we can take the next step – the step of refocus. For me, the Holidays are my time of refocus. I remind myself of how wonderful people are, the world is, and my ability to offer hope and success to those I share my instruction with.