Have you ever had to deal with college students parents?  Generally, when you deal with college students parents, it is over a grade or a policy.  Dealing with college students parents can be a challenge.  I recommend that you keep ACCURATE documentation of all assignments, projects, tests, quizzes, etc., and you show the students and parents how the grade was calculated based on graded tests, assignments, quizzes, projects, etc.  It is important not to discard graded papers for at least one extra grading period, in the event you need to refer to the graded papers.  Remember documentation is all you… >>>

I wanted to pass on the most effective method I have used to counter the opportunities for cheating. When I prepare an exam for a weighted assignment or topic I always prepare a version "A" and "B". Students in close proximity get different tests and I have less wandering eyes. Students who have to "make up" an exam are given a "C" version so the exam does not get passed on from others. (version "C" is usually quite different but still on same materials covered) I hope this helps others to use this method to keep students honest.

The course on enhanced student learning has brought to my awarenss various disablities and short commings faced by the students and manner of addressing them while keeping the students motivated and focused on task, by developed communication skills and putting students in learning groups all the while following the policy and proceedures of institution

Are you one of those instructors that give your students study guides?  I am a fan of study guides.  I give my students study guides so that they are better prepared to succeed.  I have discovered that when you thoroughly prepare your students by lecturing on the topic, demonstrating if applicable, allowing time for hands-on if applicable, reviewing, and sharing a study guide, students take full responsibility if they are unsuccessful on a test.  Students do not complain when you have given them every thing you have to set them up for success on a test.  My study guides make students… >>>

I find the the more classes that pass through me the easier it is to read the next class. This makes changing when needed "on the fly" easier and smoother for me and the students.

Many career colleges are making service learning a part of their curriculum.  Service learning is not new but it still is not known by a lot of colleges and students.  Service learning is sometimes confused with community service.  Community service has the goal of helping a sector of a community to complete a project or activity.  There is not credit associated with the completion of the project, only the satisfaction of having participated in the effort of helping others.  Service learning can have the same goal but in addition participating students receive credit for their work and the project is… >>>

Something as simple as greeting students on a daily basis means a lot to them.  It is a great way to build rapport with students, and it lets students know that you are friendly, personable, approachable, and caring.  Everyone deserves a hello, good bye, and smile!

Having a notebook/binder for each class that you teach is extremely helpful.  The notebook/binder should include items, such as chapter notes, lesson plans, class syllabi, tests, quizzes, handouts, activities, etc.  Most people store needed teaching materials electronically, but having a notebook/binder that consists of hard copy materials is a great backup plan in case something happens to your computer/printer.  Notebooks/binders are thought to be  a teaching resource that is "old school", but it has served to be very beneficial to me in more ways than one.  When school equipment  is down, instructors come to me wanting to know if I have… >>>

Guest speakers and field trips have been a part of instruction since the beginning of time.  In a previous blog I covered benefits of using field trips to reinforce what is being taught and in this blog I wanted to highlight the value of using guest speakers.  Guest speakers bring to the classroom/lab relevancy and application.  They are the models that the students will be observing when they are out in the workforce so the earlier they can meet and hear from them the better.

There are two groups guest speakers that really capture the attention of the students and… >>>

Role playing can be a valuable teaching resource for you to use with your students because are going to need to know how to fulfill the role of the career professional they are training to be.  Also, role playing enables students to develop their communication skills as they demonstrate, describe, or portray a person in the field. 

Set up a situation where the students work through a problem or use their critical thinking skills to resolve a challenge.  The more they role play the more comfortable they will be when they are in the real setting.  Role playing will give… >>>

Check lists are used in all areas of our lives, be they on paper or on an electronic device.  With all the pressures and challenges of being an educator it is easy to overlook an important announcement, deadline or event for students.  By creating a check list you will be able to scan it as you prepare for the class and make sure you have gotten together all needed supplies, handouts and activities needed for the up coming class.

Check lists can serve as memory joggers  because in reviewing them you can see that you need to make this call… >>>

Do you look at teaching as a profession or a passion? Some will respond by saying both, others will respond by saying profession, and some may even respond by saying passion. I have a strong love and affection (passion) for the teaching profession. I look at teaching as my passion. I absolutely love it, and I would rather not do anything else other than teach! Students quickly pick up on my extreme excitement for teaching!

Many instructors put students into groups to work on projects, discuss topics and get to know each other better.  All of these outcomes are good but in order for teams to really be effective the structure of these teams need to be thought out carefully.  Many of you will recall being put on a team where it seemed that a couple of you did all of the work while the rest of the team got equal credit.  As a result many instructors have moved away from using learning teams but with some planning they can be effective learning tools.

When… >>>

A recent study completed by Dr. Karin James, assistant professor in the department of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University revealed the followed advantages of developing good handwriting.

• Developing handwriting skills can help students to expand their brain activation.  in addition, printing practice improved letter recognition which enhances reading ability.
• Good handwriting can mean better grades since the writing is easier to read and grade by instructors.
• Handwriting is faster than keyboarding in many situations.  Also, in the process of forming letters a higher level of cognition occurs.
• Handwriting aids in memory.  Writing and rewriting notes assists students in

… >>>

Do you use text writing in the classroom as oppose to basic writing?  As the professional, I feel as though that we should always be held to higher standards than that of the students, therefore we need to use proper writing in the classroom.  Our younger generation, Generation Y, are so use to all of this text writing they can hardly spell.  We as the instructors certainly need to lead by example and demonstrate to our students that basic writing is still the way in the professional environment.  Students should be penalized if they use text writing for assignments that are to… >>>

Remember your elementary school days when you were so excited when the teacher announced that you all would be going on a field trip the next day.  She or he share where the class was going to go and what you would see and do.  The next 24 hours seemed like forever before you boarded the bus and you were on your way.  As a student I know I was always excited about field trips for two reasons, one we got to leave the school grounds and in many cases the field trip site was where food was prepared.  This… >>>

In today's career college classroom it is not uncommon to have a range of students in ages from 18 to 80 or beyond.  This wide range of ages can present a challenge in terms of trying to relate to and involve every student in the learning process.  Each age group as a different perspective on how they conduct themselves in class, their reasons for being enrolled and what they want from the course.  As the instructor it is your challenge to blend these diverse groups and challlenges into a focused learning opportunity for everyone.

One of the first things you… >>>

Students, no matter their backgrounds, age or experiences are nervous the first time the class meets and for many of them they have a fear of failure.  When they enter a new class they want to know what it takes to be successful in the class.  This is where a well prepared syllabus and organized instructor comes into play.  In addition, there is the generational fear of failure.

For younger students, especially those just out of high school the fear of social failure is very high.  They wonder what their peers will think if they are not successful.   They want… >>>

It is very important for the instructor to know how to best reach their student academically to ensure the student is grasping the concept.  There are various types of learners, such as auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.  The instructor can give a short learning style test to determine a student's learning style so that when teaching/tutoring is taking place, the student gets it because the instructor is teaching to how the student best learns.  If you Google learning style tests, hundreds of web sites will pop up and free tests can be obtained to give to students.  Most learners are visual… >>>

After completing a course it is good to take a moment and reflect on how the course went.  Review the student evluations, scan your notes and think about what you want to do the next time you teach the course.  Instructors should always strive for instructional improvement but it content or delivery so once the course is completed think about how improvements can be made.  Ask yourself questions like:

• am I going to introduce new content?
• if so how much?
• what if I use different media?
• what about some new examples?
• should I develop new assignments?
• etc.

The idea is… >>>