The Next Term - What You Can Do NOW

It is that time of year when we are releasing the schedule for the next term, in this case, Winter term. The classes don't start till January, but we need to get the word out now.
Since it is Christmas time and even we are planning for the holidays, raising awareness of our upcoming classes can be a challenge. We need your help to make this happen most effectively.
We are asking you to talk up your classes and encourage those you know to sign up. We can send you an email flier, if you request one, which you can send out to any on your email list. You are the front line that our clients see and we want your classes to go.
Do you have any other things you do to get the word out about your class? Share them with us here.

Important Feedback

As instructors, we want to know how we are coming across to our students and how effective we are being. It is always gratifying to hear how good we are doing or uncomfortable to hear we have missed the mark. Often this feedback doesn’t come until the end of class when we can’t do anything about it.
Carol Smith, from the Helium.com website, writes, “Don't be afraid to ask your students how they feel the course is going. If you are relaxed and friendly they will feel they can give you an honest answer. If they aren't happy, ask them what they would like you to change - and change it! You will be a better teacher for it and you will have happier students.”
How do you handle this situation? Do you regularly check in with your students or pull one aside during a break? What has worked for you? Comment below and share with us.

Dealing with Late Arriving Students

We all want to start our class on time; it is respectful to those who are present and we don’t like to repeat ourselves. Carol Smith brings up an interesting point that we need to also be aware of as we teach adults. She writes for Helium and says the following:
“Remember that your students have lives. If they are late arriving there is probably a reason. It isn't helpful to turn into your old form teacher and be rude to them. I remember attending a course myself a few years ago. One night I was late leaving work, and then was caught in traffic. I arrived home, wolfed a speedy sandwich and went straight out to my class. All the tutor said when I arrived was 'Do please try to be on time'. I hadn't been late before. Needless to say I didn't return to the classes.”
Sharing the expectation of being on time at the start of the first class and then understanding that life happens, can keep you and the class on track for a good experience.
You can read her complete post at: http://www.helium.com/items/980193-tips-for-teaching-adult-learners-instead-of-younger-learners

2010 List of the Top Tools for Learning

The Centre of Learning & Perfomance Technologies has compiled a list from over 545 learning professionals worldwide of the top 100 Tools for Learning. They do this every year and one can see the changes over the last three years of what technologies have been seen to contribute most to learning.

This list included many things I use on a regular basis and quite a few I have never heard of before.

I invite you to read the list and share with us which technologies you have found most useful. Also please share how you have used them inside and outside your class. You may find something new you can use.

Here is the link to the list: http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/recommended/top100-2010.html

Adults Can't Learn???

Agelesslearner.com posted an interesting article that among other things stated, "Western society once believed adults didn't learn. Even today, if you ask a group why adults cannot learn, it may surprise you how many begin answering the question without challenging the premise. Unfortunately, many adults deny themselves what should be one of the most enriching parts of life because they assume they can't learn."

If this is the case then the adults who attend our classes have overcome a major hurdle and it is our pleasure to keep encouraging the learning. How do we do this? There are many different ways.

Giving them the learning in small bites; not trying to cram too much into a single class; adapting the class to the adults present.

Do you have ways you make this happen? Please share them with us. Make a comment below.

Pushing the Next Class

Getting students in the next class is important.
Nancy Hulverson posted in LERN:
"In our computer lab, we have a small wipe board at the front of the room. It has a label that says "Your next class is". The instructor writes the next class in the series down or the next logical class. We have an amazing number of people go from digital cameras to photography to Photoshop as an example, from this sign.
Once you have a student enjoying your program, most students just want to know what to do next. They already love you, they just don't know what to do. Just tell them! "
At this time when we have fewer students, in-class promotion is very important. The more students we retain the better for all of us.
If you don't know what the next class after yours is, please call you programmer.

The All Important Roster

Before every class we send out the class roster. We do our best to keep it up to date, however lately, we have had a lot of people sign up at the last minute and don't have time to get the changes to the instructor. This means some students who have registered will show up to class but may not be on your roster.

As you check the names on your roster against those who are present, if a student says he/she has registered, just write down their name and contact information and pass it to us the next day. By far most of the time, the students have indeed registered.

If they are not on your roster and haven't registered they cannot stay in the class.

Two more things: the roster has your computer login information on it, and remember, there is private contact information on the roster that the students should not see. Please don't pass the roster around the class for them to check that they are present.

WE'RE BAAACCCKK!

We have begun another year and with it has come some challenges in registration. Just as registrations are down all over the country such is the case with us.

However, all is not bad. There is plenty of interest in our classes but there is a lack of knowledge that the classes are available. We need your help getting the word out. We don't want to be the best kept secret in Central Oregon. You do a fantastic job teaching, we have a strong following and there are plenty of people who need to know this.

How can you help? Get familiar with all the classes we have to offer. Share with your circle about yours' and others' classes. If you see a place we can put out our schedules let us know and we will get you some to share. Request an email flier about your class and send it out. Use your class as a place to promote other classes you teach and others teach.

If you have other ideas share them with us through a comment below.

One last thing you can do is join our FaceBook page as a fan. We are getting more and more interest on our site.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Summer Time

It is that time of the school year!

The department goes on its abbreviated schedule, summer classes and camps abound, and we halt posting until the Fall session.


Have a great summer.

Helping Without Talking

Try these help-aids with your students when you don’t have time to stop and chat.

• Redirection. If the student is off-task and/or looks lost, point to the task they should be on.
• Permission. A nod of the head is a good way to tell a student it is okay to ask a question.
• Understanding. Have the students use a signal to indicate where they are with the material. For example, raising one finger means I'm lost, two fingers means I'm catching on and three fingers means I've got it.
• Praise. Use a non-verbal gesture such as thumbs up or a vertical nod of the head when something good happens.

Did you notice the hand gesture in the photo in relation to the text?

Student Feedback: Information That Makes a Difference*

When you are a new instructor with us, you will receive a student feedback packet during the first two terms you teach for Community Learning. What follows is information on how to handle those packets.

1. Conduct the student feedback during your last class session.

2. Present Student Feedback forms to the class and ask for open, honest responses that are to be anonymous. Tell them to supply their contact information if they would like a response from our office.

3. Ask for a volunteer to distribute the forms and collect them when completed.

4. Leave the room while students are completing the feedback forms.

5. Have the volunteer collect the forms and place them in the envelope provided. You may read the surveys for helpful information prior to sealing the envelope.

6. Put them in the mail immediately following the class, using the enclosed envelope (postage prepaid). Please do not ask a student to mail the envelope.

Every attempt is to be made to secure open and honest feedback without pressuring the student.

Your programmer will contact you with a summary of each feedback survey.

After the first two feedback forms are completed, contact your programmer if you would like to pursue addtional feedback.

*Thanks to Rachel and Paul for this post.

Can We Talk?

One element that is often lost in a classroom is the opportunity for the students to interact with one another about a topic. The Socratic method of instruction helps restore the lost element.

An aspect of the method is for the instructor to pose a question with students then given time to discuss it. Students use classroom material, prior knowledge, and facts to bolster their opinions.The instructor steps back and observes the process, but it’s the students who are talking and, therefore, learning.

Studies suggest that students retain what they learn when they talk to each other about the question. They tend to focus on both the similarities and differences in opinions and compare the ideas of others to their own. Thus, they begin to develop their own voice regarding the subject.

Teaching the Correct Level of Material

As previous posts have suggested, having a successful class for both the students and yourself requires a number of classroom management strategies. This suggestion involves making sure your class material is the same as the description in the schedule and that you inform the students as to what will be taught.

For example:

1. If you are teaching a beginning class, confine the content to beginning material.

2. If you are teaching an intermediate class, you might briefly recap relevant beginning material but be sure to teach intermediate material.

Spring Clean Your Computer

It is that time of year when we clean out, get rid of, or at least notice that we have extra stuff we could do without. Your computer needs attention as well. Living in the high desert can be hard on a computer so here are some ways you can take care of it.

• Computer: Get a can of compressed air and blow the dust out of the fan on your computer. This is especially important if you have a pet.*


• Keyboard: While you've go the canned air out, blow out your keyboard. Clean in between the keys with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol.


• Monitor: Clean you monitor with a moist paper towel. Don't use glass cleaner, as it will leave residue.


• Mouse: You can clean your mouse with an alcohol swab.

*Do not take the can of compressed air into a place where it could be considered a weapon/bomb, such as a school.

Three Ways to Make the Student Feel Welcome*

Make students feel welcome in your classroom by making the effort to learn about their backgrounds and interests. This will help you build a sense of community and also can improve instruction. When you know your students, you have a better understanding of their special needs, learning preferences and styles, relevant prior experience, and practical issues that will play a role in the class.

1. One way to get to know your students is to find out their prior-to-current work experiences. This gives you a chance to acknowledge what students already know and to emphasize topics of particular interest. An initial effort to get to know your students also pays rich dividends when you are grouping students into teams.

2. Starting the first class, ask students to talk about themselves and their educational goals. Ask students to fill out index cards with their hopes or concerns for the class. Ask students how they learn best.

3. Encourage students in your class to share their backgrounds with each other. Invite older students to share experiences that may help younger students appreciate working with those who are different. Try to help older students understand what skills or abilities younger students bring to the classroom as well. In the technological workplace, you never know whose talent, skills, knowledge, or unique attribute will be just what is needed to address the next challenge and lead to success.

*League for Innovation, 2008.

Burnout and How to Avoid It

Inside the School Update of February 15, 2010 offers a look at teacher burnout. It suggests three traits of burnout.

• Emotional exhaustion: Teachers feel that they can no longer give of themselves to students as they did earlier in their careers.
• Depersonalization: Teachers develop negative, cynical, and sometimes callous attitudes towards students, parents, and/or colleagues.
• Diminished Personal Accomplishment: Teachers perceive themselves as ineffective in helping students learn, and unmotivated in fulfilling their other school responsibilities.

Next, it provides ten steps to avoid burnout. Read the article by clicking here.

Four More Classroom Management Startegies

Giving praise to your students can be a great way to have the students feel good about themselves and reduce classroom management issues. Following are four tried-and-true strategies that are easy to implement.

1. Praise should be specific and linked to behaviors that you want to encourage.
2. Praise needs to be tailored the individual.
3. Praise can be meaningless if you have no other positive, personal interactions with a student.
4. Some students need praise for small acts that others might take for granted.

Increase Your Enrollment

It is that time of year again. Spring is here and people are thinking of things other than taking your class.

They will miss a great opportunity and all your hard work preparing for the class may be for naught. The solution to the problem is simple--increase your class enrollment.

Three straight-forward activities that can increase your enrollment were discussed in a previous post. However, they are certainly worth repeating.

• Contact potential students and tell them about your class.
• Make announcements in places where people gather who would be interested in your topic.
• Email prospective students and give them the department Internet address so they can register online. http://noncredit.cocc.edu/

Spring Break!

Posts will return March 29, 2010.

Classroom Management Strategies With a High Priority

With a new session beginning, it is a good time to mention some basic classroom management strategies.

• Use nametags or the equivalence to call students by their names.
• Do not compare people and classes.
• Set realistic expectations for the class.
• Never ignore or ridicule questions.
• Try not to help too much.
• Do not focus on mistakes.
• Resist having a favorite student.
• Manage your frustration.

Search the Blog

Looking for something specific on the blog?

With 80 posts, many of which contain a great deal of information, it can be a daunting task to find just the right item. Sometimes using the keyword/labels in the sidebar can prove time consuming. The good news is that there is another way to find what you seek that is usually faster.

It is the search function in the upper left corner of the screen. Notice the Blogger icon with a blank area to its right. Type in a keyword or phrase in the blank area and click on the magnifying glass icon. Viola! The post(s) that contain the word(s) replaces the most current post.

Helping the Absent Student

This seems to be a time of the year when students miss class because of illness. Rather than have them get behind, miss the one session for which they enrolled, or stop attending altogether, I would often provide the missing student with a copy of the material from that meeting. The material usually consisted of my notes, an assignment, or task to perform.

The material was sent via email. For those who did not provide an email address when enrolling in the class, I would call them on the telephone, explain that I would like to send them the material from the missed meeting, and ask for an email address. They not only provided an address but expressed gratitude for the extra effort being made on their behalf.

Active Listening in Classroom, Part II

Last week’s post covered the first two aspects of active listening. Following are the three others.

3. Provide feedback. Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions. Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. “What I’m hearing is…” and “Sounds like you are saying…” are great ways to reflect back. Ask questions to clarify certain points. “What do you mean when you say…” “Is this what you mean?” Summarize the speaker’s comments periodically.

4. Defer judgment. Interrupting is a waste of time. It frustrates the speaker and limits full understanding of the message. Allow the speaker to finish. Don’t interrupt with counter-arguments.

5. Respond Appropriately. Active listening is a model for respect and understanding. You are gaining information and perspective. You add nothing by attacking the speaker or otherwise putting him or her down. Be candid, open, and honest in your response. Assert your opinions respectfully. Treat the other person as he or she would want to be treated.

Active Listening in the Classroom, Part I

Being an active listener can greatly improve the classroom atmosphere, if for no other reason than the students know you are working to understand them. The following are the first two suggestions from a total of five that are discussed in an article from Mind Tools. If you are new to the concept of active listening, they can be difficult to accomplish. As always, the key is to practice, practice, practice…. Next week's post will contain the remaining three suggestions.

1. Pay attention. Give the speaker your undivided attention and acknowledge the message. Recognize that what is not said also speaks loudly.
   *Look at the speaker directly.
   *Put aside distracting thoughts. Don’t mentally prepare a rebuttal!
   *Avoid being distracted by environmental factors.
   *“Listen” to the speaker’s body language.
   *Refrain from side conversations when listening in a group setting.
   
2. Show that you are listening. Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.
   *Nod occasionally.
   *Smile and use other facial expressions.
   *Note your posture and make sure it is open and inviting.
   *Encourage the speaker to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.

Six Causes of Resistance to Learning

We continue our theme of classroom management by offering six causes of resistance to learning. The causes may offer insight into a student whose classroom behavior is inappropriate.

The entire article, brought to us by Inside the School Update, can be read by clicking here. In brief, the six causes are:

• Poor self image as a learner.
• Fear of the unknown.
• Disjunction between learning and teaching styles.
• Apparent irrelevance of the learning activity.
• Inappropriate level of required learning.
• Students' dislike of the instructor.

Getting Mad in the Classroom

Sometimes things just don’t go right in the classroom. If you find that you becoming more and more angry and you need to express it, consider the following strategies.*

• Do not use a lot of emotional language.


• Do not throw things.


• Do not make exaggerations about the situation.


• Do not be rude or condescending.


• Do describe how student behavior affects you and what it causes you to do and to think.


• Propose some alternatives


• Identify student behaviors that are more appropriate and let them know.


• If possible, let the intense wave of emotions pass before you respond.


• Control your emotions rather than let them control you.
  

* McPherson, M.B., Kearney, P., and Plax, T.G. (2003). "The Dark Side of Instruction: Teacher Anger as Classroom Norm Violations." Journal of Applied Communication Research, 31 (1), 76-90.

Email the Courtesy Call

Numerous posts (see: Helping Students be There and Make the Courtesy Call ) addressed the idea of contacting the students prior to class to convey important information and help develop a sense of community. The example below is an email that Chris Matthews, Tai Chi instructor, sends his students.

“Hi everyone,Wanted to remind you all that you are signed up for a Tai Chi for Health class this weekend, Sat. and Sun., Nov 14 & 15. The class will be held at Focus Physical Therapy offices located at 901 NW Carlon Ave (just off Broadway and Colorado next to the Deschutes River). Class will run from 8:30 to 11:30 am. I will be there about 8:15 so feel free to get there a little early.We will be taking some breaks so please bring some light snacks for yourself as we will not have time to go out for anything. Wear comfortable clothes and Focus does ask that we not wear shoes on their practice floor, so if you are comfortable in socks that is great but if not please bring a clean pair of shoes to wear.I have attached some information on tai chi and qigong for you to look at when you have time. You do not need to bring this information to class.If you have any questions before class please feel free to call me at 541-555-1234 or email me. Look forward to seeing you Saturday!”

Thanks to Rachel Knox for this post

Five suggestions for Having a Guest Speaker in Your Class

Bringing a guest speaker into your classroom can be very rewarding. It provides insight from another expert, broadens the subject matter, allows for a change of pace, etc.

The following suggestions will help insure a positive experience for everyone involved.

1. Identify the topic suitable for inviting a guest speaker. The presence of the speaker is to augment class material.


2. Select the speaker carefully. Invite someone who is a good presenter and can keep to the time allowed.


3. Communicate with the speaker. Provide information on how their presence fits within your curriculum, classroom accommodations, parking, etc.


4. Inform the class that there will be a guest speaker prior to the event. It allows the students to prepare questions.


5. Be the moderator. Introduce the speaker, keep the presentation on track, facilitate a question/answer discussion, and provide a closing.
   

Sign of the Times

Seems like we should not make our first post of the new year somewhat negative but all those receiving mileage should be aware of the changes. So, here goes...

Effective January 1, 2010, the federal mileage reimbursement rate decreased from 55 cents to 50 cents per mile. It is the College’s practice to adjust its mileage reimbursement rate whenever there is a change in the federal rate. In accordance with General Business Procedure B-2-6, the College reduced its mileage reimbursement rate on January 1, 2010 to 50 cents per mile to coincide with the federal rate change. The travel reimbursement form on the fiscal services website will be adjusted to reflect the new rate. There are no changes in the meal per diem.