ED 101 planning, etc.
This material was mostly rhetoric. Many schools, mine included, do not give the instructors the ability to choose their text books.
A syllabus is a great thing to have--as is a course outline and such as that. I go over mine the first day of class, but I have never noticed any of those documents to make much difference in a student's behavior.
Some come to class on time, and they would do that even if I did not tell them it is required. Others habitually come in late and break other rules--and the syllabus will never change that.
Lesson plans are a must, but the best laid plans of mice and teachers gang aft a'gley.
Paul,
An easy way to stay up to date and provide variety for your students while making sure the core content of your course is still being delivered.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
That is what I do, Gary. I can tweak it for each class. When I find something new to add to it I can add it without any problem.
Paul,
You do work in a difficult situation since you are not able to enforce rules that help students to develop self discipline and hold them accountable for their actions. When students have varied hours as a result of intern/externship changes in hours it is to the disadvantage of the student as well as puts you in a difficult situation of trying to maintain the standards of the class while they are absent for varying periods of time.
I have to use a required text that I did not select and it is much like yours in that it is poorly written and does not reflect some of the best practices in the field. I'm not really comfortable with it but I do assign chapters in it so I am in compliance with school policy about textbooks. So that my students have the latest information and best practices I have put together a resource packet that they can use in the course. In the packet I put exercises that I know work as well as activities, case studies and any other resources that facilitate student success. Since it is a packet I can easily update each session if needed and that way I know that my students are getting the latest information that is available in our field. You might want to consider something like this so you can personalize your courses even more to fit your personality and instructional style.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I use the first class to go over the syllabus. My syllabus contains the course requirements and the rules and the grading system.
I don't use the books much. I do occasionally use the textbook for my remedial class, but the actual 'teaching' part of the book is very poorly written.
Even the exercises are hard to follow.
I end up tailoring assignments for each class.
The problem with the rules are I can't enforce them the way I would like. If my students are late I have to let them into class and make up the stuff they missed. This doesn't encourage them to be on time.
On the other hand, sometimes they are late because they are in an intern/externship, and those places do not seem to care that their intern is in school. Once class begins, they change the students work hours and that causes problems.
I have to adjust, but it is very difficult to fill in the blanks left by being 20 minutes late for class every day.
Paul,
Not real clear as to how you see your role as a learning leader since the resources you mention seem not to have any impact on the success of your students. A well prepared syllabus is a guide line that lists the course requirements and policies. These policies such as being on time are clear and when violated then there should be consequences. Students are warned and then removed from class if they do not follow the course requirements and policies. Also, I have found that by talking with students individually I can have a major impact on their success in the course, especially those that are facing some challenges outside of school. Even when a textbook is selected for an instructor there are many opportunities to personalize the content of the text in a way that makes the information come alive for the students. This is one of the rewards of being an instructor because you get to see students get the information and have the learning light bulb come on. Also, passion for for your field and enthusiasm for teaching about it goes a long way in helping to "sell" students on the idea that you are offering something that is of value and will help them move forward in their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
