Anthony Shipley

Without a doubt, vivid language that allows students to visualize more clearly what we're trying to express during a lecture. I use anecdotes and metaphors whenever possible, because I do believe it makes lectures more memorable for students. This was a good module. It is important to give students a clear sense of where each class is going, and key points need to be repeated and reinforced. I had a teacher once in a history class who thought he was Teddy Roosevelt and jumped up on a table, a la charging up Kettle Hill, and I don't go to that… >>>

In terms of assigning "weights" to various assignment types in my classes, the course syllabus spells out minimum and maximum limits within categories, but I do have a measure of flexibility. I tend to come down on the side believing that as my students get out into the "real world," they will be evaluated more on what they do on a daily basis, day-in and day-out, than they will on one particular day. Therefore, I like to assign as much weight as I can to class participation and homework assignments. As for sharing grades, the module recommends a couple of… >>>

Our textbook comes with PowerPoint slides to accompany the material, but my students pretty much groan when I put those up on the board, because many of them have been "PowerPointed" to death. I think PowerPoint is a wonderful graphic tool, but I am finding my students often take the attitude: "Oh, not another one!" I have found some of the videos on the OpenCourseware sites to be valuable (along with streaming video), but those are not available for all content areas. My students in oral communications are required to use a visual aid, and most of them choose PowerPoint.… >>>

:) I had some instructors walk into class and say that, and I will tell you that it is demoralizing from a student's perspective. I also had instructors tell us straight up, "Only one or two of you will make an 'A,'" or "The final grades in here will reflect a bell curve." As an educator, I avoid telling students anything like that. I am a believer in rewarding achievement and not just "giving out good grades" to be a peacemaker. However, I am also a believer that someone should have a fair opportunity to earn the grade he or… >>>

The adults I teach, most of whom are "returning to school" in an effort to improve their lives, really need to see that what they're doing will impact them positively in the future. Whether I am teaching speech, ethics, writing, or history, I try to present situations in which what they are learning will benefit them. As part of the first meeting, I discuss with them their chosen career paths and point out how things we will cover will "tie in," so to speak. Students in the writing courses, especially those students who have not taken an English class in… >>>