Emma Tan

This century offers an opportunity to explore the vital importance of enhancing or developing our soft skills as we also relate to the challenges of the technical world. I observe that due to our high tech industry wherein people no longer relate with each other on a face-to-face basis but more so "texting" each other; I believe that we as a culture will be more prone to relate with technical gadgets and therefore lose the beauty and wonder of relating on a human level.

After taking up this course, my whole perspective of know it all attitude changed. I learned and understood what active learning and teaching is all about....I am just excited to apply what I have laerned

How do we alleviate the stress or tension in the classroom, if we ourselves are stressed out? There are situations when students just pushed our buttons to drive us to the point of expressing our own frustrations and stress by our body language. When I feel that I am so stressed out, I put out my little mirror from my bag, put this infront of my computer, and tell myself (smile and don't worry about small stuff, because THIS TOO WILL PASS :-) I give students a little "me" break or me time.

This course reenforced my vision to instill with or in my students' minds that WE CARE about their personal challenges outside the classroom. Understanding our own challenges to cope with our struggles with our personal life, academic life, financial life, will strenghthen our belief that students are not only students but also HUMAN beings as well. Oftentimes, when I conduct my class the first hour, I wonder, that my students encounter on their way to school, what are the experiences they encounter at home prior to reaching the school? DO WE REALLY CARE?

I normally include a schedule to speak with my students one-on-one to update them of their progress. Some students at first are anxious about that the one-on-one meeting is all about. After careful planning, I found that speaking with students using this strategy helps alleviate the tension or stress of just speaking about "grades" but also on being fully connected with students on a human level stressing our or my desire for their improvements.

I believe that we have short attention span; I develop my lectures for 10 to 15 minutes, then proceed to do work-out activities or document production and let students o something with the information they have received. I do this teaching and learning strategy especially with technology or computer softwares. I first SHOW AND TELL THEN STUDENTS DO AND SHOW THEIR UNDERSTANDING BY DOCUMENTS PRODUCTIONS.

It is always advantageous for instructors to introduce social networking and the use of digital technology in the classroom. However, the real key to instruction, as what I have learned from this training, is still based upon the HUMAN CONNECTION THAT IS MADE BETWEEN THE STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR. (WHETHER ON A FACE-TO-FACE BASIS OR ON-LINE)

I have a better grasp of my own learning styles as a baby boomer. Students also learn better if instructors use the four learning styles: Written word, auditory, visualization and tactile.

I had a better insight on which generation I belong.....and why we are termed BABY BOOMERS..... A better self-understanding of my generation profile...will let me have a better understanding of other generation.....