Charles Turner

I like the idea of doing quick safety check-ins at the beginning of class to reinforce the need for following safety protocols. In the laboratory environment there are a host of hazards. We must work hard to ensure our students understand the hazards and how to avoid them. 

I am a firm believer in formative assessments. Assessing and providing feedback as the student learns allows us to shift instruction as necessary to best support student learning. Relying exclusively on summative assessment runs the risk of completing a learning block only to find that our students are missing key concepts. 

Teaching strategies for labs are quite different from traditional classroom-based learning. In the lab we are able to connect concepts and theories to real life applications. Understanding how our students learn will help us make informed decisions on how we teach in the lab. 

Competency-based learning should be focused on knowledge acquisition to support workforce participation and/or be student-centered. The idea of teaching to competencies resonates with me. I've worked in workforce development for years and the need for industry recognized credentials has remained a necessity. As we prepare our students and deliver content, our focus should remain on these outcomes.