James Thurber

Since I teach a CJ program, I have the students "interview" each other and present the basic information to the class. This gives them a chance to meet everyone, and is a great ice breaker.

I have tried to stay away from repetition, however, I find that using it sparingly helps the students, rather that makes them feel like they are in a Kindergarten class. I use it to emphasize key points, then just hit them now and again, (i.e. definitions that are critically important for them to know in order to think outside of the box).

While my program is primarily lecture, I watch my students carefully for frustration with the coursework, lack of interest, the usual suspects that we have to deal with that are part of the "new generation" of students. What I started to do, is encorporate the LO into the "talk", and have the students go right into hands on as part of their class work. It sinks the LO in and gives them that break that they need to reset.

Due to the size of my class room, I have the students sitting in rows behind tables, facing the front. As I lecture, I stand and emphasize points, as I discuss, I wander around the room, and when it is task oriented, the students move to the training area of the class room. I have found that keeping them moving has assisted the learning process. I am going to try some colored papers, etc. and see if that helps.

Too many words, too many pics, too many whiz-bang entry styles. Keep it simple, use the right image for the right lesson. Don't use ppt for EVERYTHING! It's over used and overrated.