James Jackson

Dennis, great post. While we as instructors cannot control the outside world, we can ensure our students are surrounded by positive energy while they are under our care.

James Jackson

Dennis Dougherty CHEP

I have been using several of the techniques given in this lesson for a long time now. Although the questioning techniques help a great deal with motivation, outside factors still remain and can often times be a restriction for those students affected by outside forces.

When it comes to the " hands on" portion of the class, I employ a technique where I demonstrate the task to one of the group members and that person will explain it to the next and so on. I have found that this too is a huge motivator and also brings clarity to the students.

James Jackson

Herbert, outside of lecture, what other techniques are you using to transfer your knowledge to your students? For some students lecture may not be the best way to transfer your knowledge so I am always interested in what other techniques instructors use. Thanks for anything you can share.

James Jackson

Herbert Parks

As I teach a lecture, I ask many open ended questions assessing the student’s overall knowledge of the course material, and in most cases ask if anyone else has anything they would like to add.
Often as I cover newer material in the lecture I will again reference back to the previous material covered and make sure that the information is being retained and thoroughly understood.
Often students will interject real life experiences with the class which helps to bring some students out of their shells, so to speak. It’s hard to have a one size fits all concepts, but this method seems to work well with most classes.

James Jackson

Melissa , this is a great tool and one suggestion is to pair students of similar skill and personality. Be careful not to pair an obvious extrovert with an introvert as the extrovert will tend to take over the conversation. Be a participant of the groups versus just a facilitator.

James Jackson

Melissa Doles

I like to use questions to gage the understanding of the topic and to ecourage the students to think outside the box. I also want to use the pair-think-share concept in class. I see the value in taking away some of the pressure in answering questions out loud during class time. I believe that it will boost confidence as well.

James Jackson

Thanks for your post Billy. I want to make sure I understand your statement. As I read through your statement I get the impression you are not in favor of getting your technical education students in the habit of asking probing questions or clarification questions as part of their communication skills. If I am not reading your statement correctly please correct me and help me to better understand. For what it is worth, I feel that questioning is critical in all areas of education and all areas of professionalism.

Thanks for any clarification you can provide.

Regards,

James Jackson

James Jackson

Yolanda, glad to see you were able to gain a takeaway from the course. Questioning is a great technique for both instructors and students. As you model the behavior you want your students to emulate, they will become more and more comfortable with the process. By the end of your term with your students they will gain a skill they can take with them into other courses and into their own lives.

Regards,

James Jackson

Yolanda Hairston

I think it is important for students to ask questions because, it helps them to get a better understanding, and it also allows other students to open up in class as well. I always ask questions, but I never considered pairing students in a group of 2 during for questioning, I will use that technique in my upcoming term.

Billy Hodgson

Is not the real value of liberal arts education different from technical education found in this subject of the question. In liberal arts, we teach asking the good question. In technical, we teach the answers or content of our work?

James Jackson

Thanks for sharing James. I could not agree with you more and it is through this type of dialog and two-way communication that instructors build true and trustworthy relationships with their students. Asking questions and getting students to follow that process and ask their own clarifying questions is a critical tool to effective teaching today.

Thanks again and kind regards.

James Jackson

James Lauer

This is something I enjoy to do in the classroom the most.This is a great tool I use for learning and reenforcing the subject matter. In addressing questions from the students, I will often have to rephrase the question, helps me to keep the discussion focused and on point. Sometimes the student will not have a well formulated question. Then confirming with the student,"Is that your question?" Generally, this will clarify the subject and draw the interest of other students into the discussion. For me, its a technique that works well.

James Jackson

Thanks Dale, glad to hear the course provided you some takeaways that will assist you in your teaching. Can you also share some of your current approaches to responding to questions? Specific examples are great tools for others to read and better understand how the techniques in this class may be of better assistance in their teaching and learning environments.

Thanks for anything you can share.

Regards,

James Jackson