back up plan
some of my students are farther along than others. This is ok. I am lucky enough to have another instructor so we can split up.
Hi Richard:
I think the best approach to back up plans is to have more than enough material to cover in the alloted time, and if things go differently than planned, the teacher will have alternative ways to keep the students busy so they won't feel their time is being wasted.
Regards, Barry
I think holding students after class will allow them to keep coming in late knowing that they will get the information at the end of class and they will get personal treatment from the instructor.
Hi Evelyn:
Not a bad plan. I guess that presumes you'll always have a smarter student present :-).
Regards, Barry
If you didn't have another instructor you could always have the quicker/Smarter student work on the next chapters or help the slower students as well.
Hi Summer:
I agree with you. As the primary instructor, we need to be able to plan and adapt to assure our students are getting at least a minimual amount of relevant material on a day when things are not going as planned. I would suggest using resources that ar'nt commonly used because they're more likely to be available when the usual resources are broken, missing, unavailable, or not not useable for whatever reason.
Regards, Barry
I would not consider having two instructors in the classroom a very effective back-up plan as if anything goes wrong with both of you, then you are back to square one. I believe having a back-up plan means having little activities or handouts available in case something goes wrong or if you just end up with too much time leftover after you are done with your original plan.
Hi Shane:
Planning for the unexpected is one of the best tools when a teacher is having one of those days when "nothing seems to be working or going as planned". So, effort to create those tools that can be implemented with little preparation but related to the lesson are best. It just takes some planning and forethought.
Regards, Barry
I try to do the same and use a block sched however some still seem they are cut off any suggestions
Hi Sara:
Good idea! This is a great example of planning and anticipating that each class may play out differently than earlier ones. Segmenting by objective is a related technique too. Maybe that's how you decide where your stopping point is. Anyway, I find that there are natural stopping points in the course objective. If I end the lesson with say, 10 minutes, how can I make that 10 minutes count? That's where a back up plan for a brief activity will be a life saver.
Regards, Barry
I always have my lectures set up with good "stopping points" so if time is running out I can progress the class in the right direction without it seeming like I am just cutting off lecture.
Hi Cindy:
When attendance is deemed critical most institutions will develop a policy addressing it. As adults, students have to accept resonsibility for their actions, including attendance. If there are rules that address, whatever consequences will be levied.
In general, if students are not able to attend class on time and as scheduled, perhaps they are not prepre to be attending the program, or the timing for attending is not appropriate due to circumstances.
Regards, Barry
"If they're late, hold them after class to cover what they missed. That should diminish latecomers.
"
We cannot just have the students stay after class as they will just leave if they want to. How can you make adults stay over?
Hi Janice:
Good back up plans allow a teacher to use an activity that effective when their regular plan for the day is not available for whatever reason - usually, needed resources ar not available. A good back up plan really comes in handy during these times.
Regards, Barry
Knowing your students needs helps to renforce learning material
Hi Brendan:
Expectations. That's the one edge you have to address both your top performers and dead beats alike. You set the standards. If students will not participate as you expect, then you'll have to treat them like the children they're acting like.
* If they're late, hold them after class to cover what they missed. That should diminish latecomers.
* Didn't do assignments, hold them over after class to work on it.
* If they're talkers and disrupting the class, move them to a private corner of the room.
You are in control. True, you can't make them like you or force them to do work, but you're in charge of your classroom and unless you allow it, nothing you don't want to happen should be tolerated. Good luck!
Regards, Barry
One tough thing that I've noticed in teaching a large class is the disparities in motivation and expectation among my students. Some are at one extreme that barely come to class, don't pay attention when they do, and don't really mind that they aren't passing. Then there's the other extreme, my go-getter students who crave constant attention and are very concerned with their progress in my course. How can you find a unified approach for these two extremes? I've tried motivating the unmotivated, and assigning a less-intense curriculum to bring all of the students onto the same page, but nothing seems to work.
Hi Wendy:
You've put your finger on the fact that all classes have a certain amount of class dynamics and characteristics that can't be perfectly predicted. Good teachers seem to find the ways and methods that will achieve the student learning outcomes being sought.
Regards, Barry
When I meet a new class, I just never know what to expect. I always have plan A, but sometimes it becomes painfully clear that it just won't work. Plan B can vary depending on students. For every class, I have a general outline of what we will do that day. I have no idea why, but with some classes we get through the material with no problems and with others it may go extremely slow or faster than I had planned. If it seems that they are just not getting it, I have extra study materials available that will help and we spend extra time answering questions and explaining as needed. For the faster groups we will get more indepth about each topic.
I also plan for the unexpected. The class I teach is 60 hours so if something happens that would take away any of those hours we might be in trouble. I have alternate assignments that can be done outside of class if need be.
I believe that the information presented is the same in the end, but the presentation will vary.
Wendy
Hi Jana:
Well, I might say, two instructors with no game plan is double trouble. Back up plans allow for relatively easy access to some sort of activity that requires little to no preparation and is always available regardless of the reason for the interruption. The closer you can get to something like that, the better.
Regards, Barry
