Get Your Students Hired
I always have a back up plan in case my product does not show up. based on a daily lesson
I think a back-up plan is an excellent idea. I always have work or ideas put to the side just incase the students get bored or the original plan gets done sooner than planned.
Hi Eli:
The process you've described seems sound. Back up plans also include resources or activities to be used on those crazy days when nothing seems to be working and you just have to go to Plan-B. Pull sometyhing off the shelf related to the general topic and go with it.
Regards, Barry
I'm not sure that I develop concrete backup plans. If I sense that my students are not understanding something, I will pose the information in the form of a question. Not only does this refocus their attention but it also forces them to think about what I have asked. If a student answers the question wrong, I never say that that is incorrect (so as not to discourage them). Instead, I'll ask "Any other ideas?" This often generates more responses which lead to discussion which gets everyone refocused so that I can continue the lesson.
Hi Lou:
It sounds like you've put some thought into you planning for back up. Good thoughtful consideration.
I think of back up in the sense that every possible thing I've planned for the day goes out the window for some reason. Now what? So, I 've found that easy to use, pull down from the shelf activities that are very low tech and can used in any environment on a moments notice are the most successful. Perhaps your plans are similar.
Regards, Barry
Our instruction is cumulative. Each class is based on the fundamentals of the previous, and each class does address fundamental skills or knowledge. In addition to fundamentals, the world of food provides infinite opportunity to expand on the fundamental.
So, when thinking of backup plans, I assess the progress of a class or an individual, and decide if the backup is to revert to strengthening previously addressed fundamentals (this is usually the easiest backup), or if the backup will be an expansion of fresh material (maybe an opportunity to express creativity, or solve a problem).
Hi Gearld:
Using whats worked in the past is a good idea. The other good thing is that a lot of what you use involves discussion, which engages the student more so than other media choices.
Regards, Barry
I mentally review what types of discussions we have had in class in the past and attempt to bring up relevant topics from those past discussions (from previous groups). Additonally, I always have activities planned that can be utilized if discussion or other activities don't seem to be working well with a particular group.
Hi James:
These techniques are okay. We always have to ask ouselves if the media we're using isb the best for the students. Having something prepared for "one of those days" that can pulled off the shelf and put into action with little effort can pay off big dividends in the eyes of the student - i.e. seamless instruction.
Regards, Barry
Hi Patti:
These games are good use of time, especially in the kind of courses you teach and when attendance is low. Real life situations, however they are presented always makes for an interesting discussion.
Regards, Barry
Hi Connal:
Good ideas all. Maybe you could have students critique other students work and vise versa as way to develop their own competencies - of course with you guidance.
Regards, Barry
If I lose my computer, projector & screen for my PowerPoint presentations, I move to the whiteboard and flip chart with markers.
One of the strategies I use is to develop the content into a form of a game such as jeopardy or around the world. This way, students are learning and having fun at the same time. I use this strategy when I have low attendance or when students just seem disinterested in the subject. I also try to incorporate real life siuations and have them relate the contents covered to their own lives.
My class is a real-time practical course. There is no lecture. I am constantly teaching "over the shoulder", a little comment here, a little direction there. Students make mistakes mostly because they don't listen or write down directions. I am unwavering in my demand that they write down directions in a little notebook, but when a student seems lost I ask them a few personal questions about movies or TV, or their background and previous employment or some sort of cultural item I can use to make an analogy and clarify a point. Failing that, I might take them aside for a minute and walk through their task with them, showing them again how to do it or having them show me.