Eric Thompson

I use intrinsic motivation in my course presentations. I try to make the class fun, so that even if the course material is dry, the experience is remembered as enjoyable. Joking is helpful, but not too much. Telling personal stories, related to the point at hand, is useful as well.

Adult students require the respect that adulthood commands. As an instructor, it is our job to balance the structure of the course with the liberty of the adult students.

I use pnemonic devices to remember names. Tyler becomes "Tyler the Creator." Tony becomes "Tony Toni Tonê." I may use them in class as nicknames, depending on the mood of the room, or maybe just in my own mind as a way to remember them.

I teach at a school for creatives, so many of my students have memorable stage-names as well.

I establish dominance early in the term by a sort of performative mental instability. I brand my self as "Crazy Instructor" so they expect me to be bombastic and animated. This cuts down on class clowning, changes the focus of angry students, and a makes shy students feel less intimidated.

I love when students get calls in class. The first time I hear a ringtone or vibration, I sprint to the student and insist to talk to whoever is calling. This is all presented playfully, as a gag. "I wanna talk! I wanna talk!" They're usually so surprized that they'll either mute the phone or actually let me answer. When I do get to answer, I usually answer with "Atlanta Police Dept. Zone 6, this is Sarg. Whatever." Always gets a laugh and the phones are silent for the remainder of the term.

My icebreaker is that I play a character when I teach. I'm a clown-authoritarian. I pad all of the seriousness of the class with silliness and joke, but I use humor and fun as a backdoor to let them know that, while I like to keep it light and fun, the work itself is serous business. I have two rules for my class: 1. be nice 2. do what I say

I can only be so blunt and to the point through the lens of a jester.

I think I've intuitively been applying the techniques in this lesson already. I let my students know from the beginning that I am a human being, I tell them (briefly) about my experiences in the industry, about my family life, stories from my musican or touring days. They know that they'll always get an honest answer from me. This is all about building trust. Trust is the key.

I usually turn my nose up at acronyms, I usually find them contrived and corny. REFOCUS, however, is very helpful to me. Its an operating procedure to keep my motivation in check. I liked that part.

Its all about building trust. Letting your students know that you are on their side, that you want them to succeed. I also use a lot of jokes and gags to keep things light and fun.

Framing student needs in terms of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is more helpful than I had ever considered. I mainly teach in the evenings, I've noticed that:

>If the basic needs aren't met (namely food and sleep) than the student suffers.
>If they don't feel safe and secure, they can't focus. I teach downtown in a busy city, so we have to make sure security is tight and watch out for each other. I've been asked more than once to walk one or a group of women students to their cars.
>If they don't connect with their classmates and myself… >>>