Jason Munn

I used to teach at least one of the first semester courses each semester, so I always knew where the students' knowledge and skill levels were. Lately, I've been teaching upper level courses exclusively, so I have to use a Pretest to see what was learned in first semester. Sometimes, I'm really surprised at either 1) what the students didn't learn or retain, 2) what may have not even been taught to them, or, worst case scenario 3) what may have been taught to them INCORRECTLY. Having a solid Pretest helps me and the students address so many issues, challenges,… >>>

Not long ago, I was swept up into a series of negative interactions with a now former colleague that were unavoidable. My Soft Skills are pretty good as indicated by years of positive and always improving student evaluations, performance evaluations, and informal feedback, but this colleague pushed me beyond my limits and abilities I had at the time. I therefore didn't always handle interactions with him in the best or most positive way; I wasn't able to. I had never encountered an individual like this before and it was blowing my mind; it was incomprehensible to me at the time.… >>>

I have been fortunate to teach at the college level for several years now and have found that even when teaching the same course, no two lesson plans are identical. They might be close, but never the same. Each class is a different make up of students. Each semester, I find myself adjusting the rate of content delivery for specific areas and having to review or reinforce some areas more than others. There are trends, and my lesson plans usually don't change drastically, but it has been enormously helpful to be fluid and dynamic when pacing a course, even if… >>>

Sometimes students get a little carried away with the "why?" questioning and it leads away from what my course is focusing on which leads me to start discussing something that is covered in one of their other courses they are currently taking. I have to catch myself and stay close to the topic. Sometimes though, it seems the students are put off by the "you'll get to it in your 103 class" type response, and I have to politely explain that we need to stay on topic in order to cover the material for this class. The why on top… >>>

I have found that there is a time and a place for multitasking in the classroom and it is NOT when I'm going over new and complicated material. GEN Yers seem to think they can be on the internet, check their cell phones, glance at Facebook, etc and still understand the complicated information I'm going over. They "hear" it, but they're not processing and retaining the information. I really need their attention 100% when I'm going over step by step how to do something. If they miss a step, things don't work. Then I wind up explaining it all over… >>>