I lecture on the material and execution of techniques, and then I will demonstrate the technique so that the students have a tangable finished product.
Carol,
Good strategy. Grading rubrics really help to explain to students the reasons for their grades. Also, when a question is raised it is easy to target just where the points were lost rather than having to look all over the paper or project to respond.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Radha,
Do you provide contact information? In what ways do you make yourself available: online, email, phone, office hours? I arrive to class early and stay after for ten to fifteen minutes in case students need to discuss something.
Carol Myslinski
Hello,
I provide rubrics with the assignments, and we discuss the rubric. Also, I refer back to the syllabus and refer to the course objectives and assignment due dates.
Carol Myslinski
Schnikka,
For sure. The students need to know what the expectations are and then be given the steps to achieve them. This way everyone will be working toward the same common set of goals.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
BY SETTING YOUR EXPECTATIONS FROM THE START IT'S MORE THAN LIKELY TO BE CARRIED THROUGHOUT THE MODULE.
For me, going ouver my expectations the first and second week of class has helped. I sometimes will also repeat them about mid-way to ensure my students are on track.
After I explain the syllabus,I answer any questions that the student has, I repeat back what the student is asking, then I answer. I also give them a pop quiz to make sure they understand.
Jumana,
This is a positive way to lay a solid foundation for your students. Let them know from the very beginning what the expectations are so they can see how they can plan their success in the course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I get very detailed the first day of class to make my expectations very clear. I tell them exactly what is expected of them and what is also expected from me to them.
At the beginning of the course we discuss what their goals are and what the expect. Then I go over with them what I expect and why I expect it of them. I further exlain that their future employers will have the same lin of expectations as myself.
Always ask (?) questions. Ask students do they understand or is the content clear. Tell them now is the time because during test time there will be no questions ask. I also try to observe my students during time of lectures and lab.
This is very important so that students know what is instructor expectations therefore all students follow same guideline.
It would require a lot of brainstorming during your prep hours, have an agenda for every session which would some types of readiness from you end.
Being a new instructor, I am finding out that the students "appear" to be learning - only later to find out they were lost and/or afraid to ask in front of the class.
I find myself getting mad that they aren't doing the work! Or perhaps I am not as effective as I think?
Pop quizzes are definitely a tool for helping with this issue. Perhaps I should use more often - and check their homework more often as well!
I enjoy rubrics because they give the student a clear understand of what is expected of them, thus making them more comfortable and secure in their training.
The easiest way to show expectations may be to show an example of work that is in completed form and discuss the different sections or peices of an assignment so that the students have a very clear idea of what the material, research, or project should look like.
Lisa,
Good strategy for getting student involvement started early in the course. Also, I like the way you get them to invest in the course as they work to list the expected outcomes.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It is especially important to keep the goals somewhere on the board throughout the class. This helps in two very important ways--it keeps track of where we are going--I place a check mark next to each completed item, and it serves as a quick reminder to late comers who need to get "settled" without disrupting the class.
Another approach that involves students in developing classroom expectations is to have students write or draw expectations for the classroom. Allow students to brainstorm ideas and accept all ideas that are worded positively or negatively. Transfer the ideas or drawings to chart paper. Older students can complete the process by meeting in groups and combining responses. Work with students to combine their ideas into three to five expectations for how they should be treated and how they should treat each other. Make sure that the expectations are appropriate to the level of the students.
