1. Learn students names as soon as possible.

2. Be authentic. Students can spot a phony.

3. Genuinely care about your students.Talk to them in and out of class. Have office hours where students can talk one-on one if necessary.

4. Be professional. It is important to set a precedence in your classroom.

5. Be willing to admit when you do'nt know something, but find the answer and get back to them as soon as possible. It is OK...no one expects you to know everything.

6. Have fun in the classroom, be enthusiastic! Make learning an enjoyable experience. Relax; be flexible.

7. Know your material!

8. Know community resources, so you can recommend students to appropriate areas for what they need. ie: Housing, Domestic Violence, Food/Clothing Assistance, Counseling  

9. Observe good teachers; take advantage of professional development opportunities. Teach to the different learning styles. (See below: Multiple Intelligences) Read books, internet or magazine articles about teaching. Define and know your teaching philosophy.

10. Give students choices of assignments. Students like to feel they are self-directed. (ie: Choose between these 3 assignments: Class presentation, Drawing assignment, or Typing a letter.

11. Give positive, quick, and detailed feedback.

12. When you lose your passion for teaching, quit.

Advice taken from Dr. Hunter Boylan, Regina Reep, and                                                                         http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=1745

According to William Glasser, an American psychiatrist, students remember:

10% what they read

20% what they hear

30% what they see

50% what they see and hear

75% what they discuss with others

80% what they experience

95% what they teach to others

So you can see how important it is to involve students in as many learning styles as possible. While presenting material in multiple styles, students will hopefully retain the information. For example: Give students a handout to read along with you, then ask them to explain the information to the student to his/her right. This involves hearing, seeing, reading, and teaching to others.

To read about William Glasser's reality therapy and choice theory to assist students in solving problems, see     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_therapy

Besides your end of class evaluation the college requires, there are ways to see if your students are understanding or having difficulty with what you are teaching.

Try the following examples by Angelo, T.A., & Cross, K.P.(1991). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

The One-Minute Paper

Write down at the end of class (on an index card) the answers to 2 questions.

1. What did you learn today that was most useful or meaningful?

2. What questions do you still have at he end of today's class?

The "Muddiest" Paper

Students are asked to use index cards to describe "What was the 'muddiest' point in the session. In other words, what was least clear to you?"

Interim Course Feedback System

US Military Academy often uses the following 20 questions.

The instructor selects questions from the list below to be asked at different points of the class. Students turn in answers anonymously and the instructor covers the answers during next day of class. This is great for students who are not assertive enough to ask questions in class. It is excellent feedback for the instructor who wants to effectively reach the students.

1. The most important thing I have learned in this course so far is. . .

2. The most interesting new idea I have learned in this course is. . .

3. The aspect of this class that is the most helpful for my learning is. . .

4. The most challenging part of this course is. . ..

5. The most difficult aspect of this course for me is. . .

6. The one thing I can do to improve my learning in this course is. . .

7. I would have an easier time learning in this class if I could. . .

8. The one thing I expect out of this course that is not being provided is. . .

9. I would improve this course by. . .

10. The great weakness of this course that I would correct is. . .

11. The part of the course that I have liked the most so far is. . .

12. I know the following techniques are used in other classes and I believe they could be used effectively in this class. . .

13. I have the following questions or suggestions for you [class instructor]. . .

14. I suggest that you [class instructor] make the following changes in the course between now and the end of the semester to help me learn better.

15. My recommendation for improving class participation and discussion is. . .

16. To help me learn, you [class instructor] should start doing the following things. . .

17. To help me learn, you [class instructor] should stop doing the following things. . .

18. I have the following suggestions for how you [class instructor] can use other media or other technologies in this course. . .

19. Please comment on how well the required readings tie in with class presentations, discussions, and small-group projects...

20. Please comment on how well each class session helps you synthesize the major ideas for the lesson... 

An instructor needs to teach to the different intelligences of students. Look at the table below under "Tactics Used to Awaken" to give you tips for teaching. Develop different activities which will expose students to varied styles of learning. Students can take an assessment to help them discover thier preferred intelligence.   http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~buckleye/miinventory.htm  

http://www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html

Multiple Intelligences

Credit: Roxanne Newton (Mitchell Community College)

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