Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Compliance with ADA is a subject that each instructor must be well educated on. While an instructor may think that he or she is helping a student with a disability, they in turn could be harming the student's success. Instructors should always consult the campus disability coordinator for assistance with students.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Diversity

All of our classrooms are diverse. Not only with cultural diversity, but with learning diversity. the more encompassed classroom we create, the better our success rates will be. As an instructor we must respect this diversity and include it in all of our classrooms.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Group Work

While the concept of group work can promote teamwork, it can also create angst. As the facilitator of the group project, it is important for the instructor to not forget about the importance of following up with the groups and maintaining control of the groups. If a group has an individual who is not doing their share it can cause issues that can and will have a negative impact on the purpose of the project. On the flip side, you may also run into the student who wants to take command of the group, again, causing significant issues with the… >>>

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Repeat, Repeat

Key concepts must be continuously repeated and revisited. Students may become frustrated with the repetition, especially when they hear it in another class, but it must be communicated to them how important the concepts are and how they build on the foundation of your education.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Maintaining a gradebook

We expect our students to submit their work on time with diligence. As such, we as the instructors must return graded assignments on time. To complete your assessment of student progress, I find it important to follow up with guidance on the assignments. Students must receive valuable feedback to all quizzes, competencies and projects. We are doing them a dis-service by not following through with the material they may not have learned and what better way to ensure they have gained knowledge than by following up with a graded assessment.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

The Best Laid Plan

Even the best plans can falter. Being over-prepared with back up activities is essential. It is also important to continuously update your activities to ensure that you are meeting your students needs and to prevent burn-out for you the instructor.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Death by Powerpoint

It can be easy for an instructor to rely to heavily on the powerpoint. A poorly crafted powerpoint can have catastrophic results. Over the years, I have seen great and not so great powerpoint presentations. The overloaded, unorganized powerpoint will confuse and frustrate students. The use of powerpoints can also but distance between the instructor and the class as the instructor's back is turned to the students and they end up reading each slide word for word. While an effective method of instruction, I would caution the less experienced instructor on the over use of powerpoint.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Setting the stage

As a new instructor I went into my classroom with the mindset that I was about to give an award winning performance. I had feedback on the students in the class and found out that they were less than responsive to new instructors. I have to say the news I had on them was slightly intimidating. With that being said, I figured what do I have to loose if I go in with an abundance of energy. My class started and ended with a hook to get the students excited and by the end of the term, this class who… >>>

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Creating the Right Test

As a new instructor, I believe it can be quite difficult to develop the right type of test. while we don't want to give the answers away, we also don't want to see our students fail. One method I used was assessing my students each day. The use of open ended questions, short reviews with multiple choice, teach backs, written summaries and true/false questions allowed me to gauge how the students were able to reflect, which gave me a foundation for building exams.

Sherry Erney

Discussion Comment

Assessment of Student Learning

Continuous assessment of student learning should occur throughout the course. I find it important to conduct a form of assessment at the conclusion of each class session. The reason for this is that if you are building on theory or a concept, your students must understand step A before moving onto step B, etc. If a student is uncertain about the previous steps, learning can be hindered.