2011 REEA CDW Spodek 2011... · 2011. 5. 24. · 2011 REEA Conference Course Development Workshop 2 ©Marie S. Spodek, GRI, DREI [email protected] 718.310.7217 Overview The learning

2011 REEA Conference Course Development Workshop 1

©Marie S. Spodek, GRI, DREI [email protected] 718.310.7217 www.mariespodek.com

2011 REEA Conference

Course Development Workshop Today’s competitive and rapidly changing market dictates that real estate educators deliver high quality, high impact courses to students who are usually short on time and already overloaded with information. In addi-tion, course developers must package their seminar materials in a way to facilitate regulatory approval. This three-hour Course Development Workshop addresses these issues by teaching instructors how to:

• Tightly structure course outlines, learning objectives and topical timeframes

• Coordinate the outline, learning objectives, visuals, student mate-rials and other materials to eliminate confusing and time-wasting “glitches”

• Include the “proper mix” of teaching methods required to keep students awake, involved and learning, and that regulators want to see.

The conference seminar will begin with material on page 13; earlier ma-terial will be discussed as interest and time permits. About the Instructor: Marie S Spodek, DREI, GRI has been in the real estate business for more than 30 years, working first for a city real estate office, and then in a suburban of-fice. She was the first woman trainer for a major franchising organization, and she used many of those skills when she successfully owned and operated a real estate school in Charleston, South Carolina. For the past 15 years, she has com-bined classroom instruction with the development of course materials. She is an active member of the Real Estate Educators Association (REEA) and was awarded the first Jack Wiedemer Distinguished Career Award in 2001.

Spodek is co-author of Environmental Issues in Your Real Estate Practice, Manufactured and Modular Housing, Insurance for Consumer Protection, Mortgage Fraud and Predatory Lending, and Sustainable Housing and Building Green: What Agents Should Know, all published by Dearborn Real Estate Edu-cation. She is also the consulting editor for Property Management Eighth Edi-tion, Real Estate Fundamentals, Eighth Edition, and The Language of Real Es-tate Sixth Edition suite, also published by Dearborn.



Overview The learning environment consists of all of the factors that can enhance or de-tract from the student’s ability to learn. The student is at the center of the total experience; how well the other components mesh together will enhance the learning experience. Teaching methods, materials, other students, physical con-ditions and the instructor are all important. Even the testing methods have changed. They now seek to encourage more critical thinking. Real estate instructors are crucial to the learning experience. An enthusiastic and challenging and encouraging instructor can help the learner overcome ad-verse physical conditions, other students and their own barriers to success. In-structors are challenged to present materials that reach some of the students most of the time. Students in real estate classes in the 21st century do not look the same as they did fifteen to twenty years ago. In fact, many of them were not even born when some instructors started to teach prelicensing. The younger generation comes to the classroom with very different expectations from those of the baby boomers, as do the many participants for whom English is not their mother tongue. To-day, many come in to the classroom with disabilities that might have prevented their participation only two decades ago.

Course Objectives Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

List at least four different types of students encountered in today’s classrooms

Differentiate between preparing for entry level and advanced level classes

Accommodate different learning styles

Identify the value of interactive segments

Describe the four parts of an effective course

Summarize the value of giving feedback to the class as well as receiv-ing constructive comments



Getting Started Whether we instruct independently or work within a school environment, we should be aware that each activity and interaction with students creates a cli-mate that may or may not encourage future business together.

Importance of Mission Statement Like any other business, instructors as independent contractors should consider their motives for teaching real estate and formulate those motives into a mission statement. This statement becomes a commitment to their students and helps to build rapport that will draw students to attending future classes.

Setting the Stage An instructor has approximately five minutes or less to fire up their students. Review the student’s responsibility: take notes, ask questions, share ideas, pick up business, learn what to do or what not to do. Review the ground rules for the class early: cell phones, pages, laptops, news-papers, locate restrooms, indicate lunch times and other breaks. Highlight the seminar activities by going through the outline, touching briefly on the high-lights and indicate activities. Students appreciate the overview and after sharing it, the instructor will more likely stay on track…no surprises and hopefully, future enrollments.

Activity: Fair Housing Quiz Our real estate classes should be geared to the student level. Lecture works for beginners because they don’t know enough to work on their own. Beginners need an energetic, cheerful instructor who can provide lots of encouragement. By the time that students reach continuing education, we can presume that they know the basics and we can gear up to modifying behavior and work towards application. CE classes require an instructor with more knowledge and experi-ence. The quiz on the next page is most likely too difficult for beginning students, but this is a good point from which to discuss recall versus comprehension versus application.

Take a few minutes to complete the quiz on the next page.



FAIR HOUSING QUIZ: Common Myths and Violations 1. T F Licensees who work in areas where there are few minorities shouldn’t

worry, because they won’t have a problem with complying with far housing laws.

2. T F A housing provider must act with discriminatory intent before being held liable under the Fair Housing Act.

3. T F Although a rental policy may be non-discriminatory on its face, it may still constitute a violation of the Fair Housing Act if it has an adverse effect on a protected class.

4. T F It is relatively easy for licensees to tell if they are being tested.

5. T F Testers have to answer truthfully if they are asked if they are testers.

6. T F A housing discrimination complaint can only be filed by an individual who is renting or buying a dwelling.

7. T F Federal fair housing laws only protect minorities.

8. T F A real estate licensee is merely a liaison between renters/buyers and a property owner and cannot be held liable for any of the owner’s dis-criminatory policies that the licensee may be asked to communicate.

9. T F The principal broker of the firm can be found liable for an agent’s ac-tions, even if the broker was unaware of the events leading to the viola-tion of the Fair Housing Act.

10. T F Serving coffee to one prospect that happens to be white and not serving coffee to a prospect who is Hispanic is a violation of the Fair Housing Act, in and of itself.

11. T F A housing provider may impose an occupancy standard of two persons per bedroom irrespective of the size of the apartment.

12. T F A landlord may prevent children under the age of eighteen from using the pool unless accompanied by a parent.

13. T F The Fair Housing Act allows owners to refuse to sell to families with minor children in an adult development that meets the law’s “senior adult 55 and older” provision.

14. T F A listing agent may advertise a home by specifying: “Seniors Wel-come” or “Near the Catholic Church.”

15. T F Display advertising that doesn’t include the equal housing logo or slo-gan is okay as long as the Publisher’s Notice is included in the lead page of the classifieds.

16. T F Licensee must disclose, as a material fact, that the house next door to the listing is a group home for mentally retarded teenagers.

18. T F Oral statements indicating a discriminatory preference, limitation or bias in the sale or rental of a dwelling are legally protected under free speech and therefore exempt from coverage under the Fair Housing Act.

19. T F Owners who don’t use real estate brokers may discriminate in the sale or lease of their property without exception.

20. T F It is okay for a licensee to choose properties for prospects based on their race, national origin or familial status because the licensee thinks they will be more comfortable in a neighborhood where there are more peo-ple like them.

Most fair housing violations are committed by those who have been licensed for some time. They can recall definitions but not make a real-life application.



Item Writing Asking the student, “Do you understand?” rarely elicits an adequate response since most adult learners are not apt to admit that they did not follow the line of thought. Therefore, instructors must employ a wide range of tools to gather in-formation about understanding and retention within the classroom setting, not waiting until the final exam. Of course, lots of responses are required to vali-date a question, but even without a statistical background, real estate instructors can use more of the following in their classes to assist learners clarify their un-derstanding of concepts and to check for retention.

Types of Questions Questions that are simple for some students may be perceived as complex and difficult for others. For change of pace and for meeting varying levels of com-petency, instructors should prepare a variety of methods to check for compre-hension and application.

Fill-in-the-Blanks These are most useful for students who have very little background in the sub-ject matter and/or are tactual learners who like writing down important infor-mation. To assist in looking up the correct response, the sentences should re-semble those in the book; the “answer” should be a key word.

Matching, Flash Cards and Lists Flash cards are useful tools to assist in learning new terms and meanings. The definitions should be as brief as possible. Students can work together in pairs to test their retention of important new terminology. Keep matching exercises simple. Have the student write the key word or term. Avoid drawing lines or using letters to indicate the correct match.

True/False True/false tests are often ridiculed. However, students who learn how to re-spond to true/false statements are better equipped to handle testing by multiple choice responses. For better learning, the statements should be labeled so that the student is able to change one or two words to make a wrong statement true.

Multiple Choice A multiple choice question is nothing more than three true statements or three false statements. The vast majority of testing is done by multiple choice so stu-dents and their instructors must learn to deal with the fact.

Short-Answer or Essay Of course, short-answer or essay questions require that the student display not only information-gathering skills but also critical thinking. Correcting these responses is more difficult for the instructor even as they require more skills from the test-taker.

Item-Writing Rules Item-writing is a skill that can be learned. Most universities have published guidelines to assist their instructors, and many of these are posted on-line. Hun-dreds of articles are freely available at the on-line journal Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation (PARE) written by volunteers. (http://pareonline.net/)



Avoid Bias Unless the question is related to fair housing issues, avoid any reference to any protected classes: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, handicap, receipt of public assistance, age, and marital status. The question should not raise emotional issues with the test-taker. Be cautious in using names for exactly that reason. Other issues to avoid include the following:

♦ Economic or social status

♦ Stereotyping

♦ Regional differences

♦ Philosophy or values

♦ Esoteric or exotic examples

Style Checklist Pay special attention to correctly using grammar and try to be consistent. Well-written items will be all of the following:

♦ Clear and complete

♦ Logical and smooth-flowing

♦ Consistent Pattern (i.e., arrange numbers in ascending or descend-ing order)

♦ Measure one specific skill

♦ Tests understanding and comprehension

♦ Only one right answer

♦ No mistakes or typographical errors

Elements of Multiple Choice Item Writing Students must become familiar with answering multiple choice questions if they are to pass half of the state license exam. After reading the material, listen-ing to the instructor and memorizing certain facts and lists, the only way to get better is to do more multiple choice items for practice. An excellent discussion “Multiple-choice Item Writing Do’s and Don’ts” by Robert Fray is found at http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=4&n=11. The three components of a multiple-choice item are the stem, plausible distrac-ters, and the key, the correct response. Instructors can assign writing an item to their students; the challenge sharpens the students’ comprehension. The student should be able to provide an answer after reading the well-written stem, and before looking at the responses. Avoid “Which of the following is true?” You may as well just write “?”. Avoid “all of the above,” since any of the answers are correct. It is just as well to avoid “none of the above” except now and then for a math question. Avoid all unnecessary questions and articles, such as repeating “the” and “a” and “an” three or four times. Double check that grammar is consistent, and es-pecially that the distracters are spelled correctly.



Application: Write a Multiple Choice Question Using the multiple choice questions from the Fair Housing Quiz on page 3, write a multiple choice item that tests for application. The stem should be clear and complete with plausible distracters and only one correct key.

Teaching Critical Thinking The challenge for any instructor who is preparing candidates for any essay or simulation-type exam is how to teach critical thinking. A simulation exam tests for information gathering skills in addition to decision-making skills. According to Bonnie Potts, American Institutes for Research (retrieved from http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=4&n=3), instructors can promote critical thinking skills by the following:

♦ More interaction among students with more group work

♦ Use open-ended questions that do not have a “right” answer, to en-courage unusual thinking without regard to the “correctness” of the response

♦ Encouraging thoughtful decision-making skills instead of “snap” judgments

♦ Promote application of concept to other aspects of the learner’s experiences

In several issues of Real Estate Educators Association’s (REEA) JOURNAL (Winter 2006, Spring 2007, Summer 2007), Joe Hoyle, an instructor with many teaching awards, wrote a series of articles “29 Steps to Excellence: A Personal Journey Toward Becoming a Great Teacher,” edited by Evan Butterfield. Hoyle raised several different important teaching issues.

The 50/50 Rule Hoyle asked if so many educators and research agree that student interaction is the best way to promote comprehension, why do instructors continue to do so most of the talking? He suggests moving towards the 50/50 rule: the instructor talks for only half the time and the rest of the time, the students engage in con-versation via interactive segments. Have someone quietly use a stop watch.



Best Practices Club Learn from other instructors! Sharing best practices is the point of this seminar and the reason that so many join the Real Estate Educators Association (REEA) and attend its annual conferences. One of the requirements to renew the DREI (Distinguished Real Estate Instructor) is to sit through the equivalent of 10 hours of class per year. Being a student on a regular basis encourages every instructor…to either copy the instructor or to vow NEVER to use that technique in class.

Different Levels of Questions Hoyle discussed three different levels of asking questions of students with each indicating a different level of comprehension and retention. (Summer 2007, pages 45+)

Recall The lowest level of question simply asks for recall. Students who have read the material, taken notes, and learned the meaning of the notes should be able to answer this question.

What are the protected classes under Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Federal Fair Housing Act)?

Comprehension The second level of questioning requires that the student apply the classroom knowledge to a specific situation.

Your broker wants you to distribute a brochure to homeowners in Ridgewood, a predominantly white neighborhood in your town. The brochures feature your company’s past success in selling homes, plus a page of stock photos of various ethnic minorities and the cap-tion, “The Changing Face of Ridgewood?” Should you distribute the brochure? Why or why not? Please be specific with regard to any applicable laws.

Application The highest level of question requires the student to take the classroom knowl-edge and to apply it to “arrive at reasonable resolutions for complex situations.”

Many landlords and property managers are increasingly concerned about immigration, terrorism and security issues. What would be your advice regarding what approach they could legally take to screen applicants in these times of heightened awareness, or is there really nothing they can do? Anything they should avoid? Do any laws need to be changed to accommodate this situation?

Few instructors would lecture in such depth as to provide his or her answers to the third question. The students who disagreed with the instructor’s conclusions would certainly complain about bias, brainwashing, etc. On the other hand, four to six students could easily raise the same issues within small groups. The other students would hear and could challenge the other points of view.

Application: Compose Answers In your small group, provide answers to the preceding three questions.



Application: Responding to a Floor Call Pretend that you are writing a simulation exam. What questions should the li-censee ask or not ask? Should he discuss agency relationships? If so, at what time?

The broker only permitted a part time agent to answer phone calls af-ter 5 p.m., when very few people were calling in anyway. One late af-ternoon, this agent answered the call to hear: “I am calling from Port-land, OR, and have called more than a dozen agents in your town to-day. Everyone tells me that the property that I want isn’t on the mar-ket.” After listening to the caller detail his requirements, the agent re-alized that the other agents in town were absolutely correct: there was nothing like that on the market.

Diversity in the Classroom Real estate students today reflect the changes in American society. As instruc-tors, we are challenged to meet the student on the student’s terms. To do that, we should begin to recognize the various groups that are coming in to our class-rooms. While not every student fits neatly into the following patterns, enough of them do so that instructors should consider modifying instructional design. This seminar will focus on the following four groups of students.

English as a Second Language (ESL) Very few real estate instructors are skilled in a second or third language. So, it is unlikely that any of us have any idea of how difficult it is to work in a new language. ESL students struggle with a new vocabulary, and understanding slang and acronyms. While the written word is similar, pronunciations are not. Textbooks may not be as relevant as using an actual purchase agreement or a lease. English isn’t always English. Enunciation is critical! There is Indian English, Australian English, American English, etc.



Exercise: Articulation Practice Read the passage below out loud. Make each word clearly distinguishable from every other word. If you stumble, slow down a bit. The objective here is to be able to read the passage out loud in 90 seconds (1-1/2 minutes) without stum-bling, mumbling, or slurring.

Once upon a time there lived in the San Fernando Valley a boy by the name of Theophilus Thistle who was a successful thistle sifter. Next door to the thistle sifter, Theophilus, lived another boy, Peter Piper, the pick-led pepper picker. Unfortunately, Theophilus Thistle often thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb and Peter, while picking peppers, often got pickled himself. One afternoon, after picking a peck of pickled peppers and becoming quite pickled, Peter wandered down to the beach of Santa Monica (to do a little surfing) and there he met the girl of this story. Now for the sake of simplicity, we shall call the girl "She"! She sold sea shells by the seashore and Peter, the pickled pepper picker, often purchased the sea shells and they became quite good friends. As time passed, their friendship grew and they were finally married. Peter Piper picked Theophilus Thistle to be his best man. Theophilus Thistle said he gladly would. The day of the wedding…Woe! Theophilus Thistle, who was really a very successful thistle sifter, thrust three thousand thistles through the thick of his thumb. But Peter, who wasn't pickled, and She, who wasn't selling sea shells, got married anyway. And they lived happily ever more.

Multicultural Backgrounds Much of the original research was done by G.H. Hofstede, psychologist work-ing with 100,000 IBM employees in 50 countries in the late 1960s and early 1970s. According to the website http://www.geert-hofstede.com/, subse-quent research validates his original findings. Hofstede analyzes cul-tures/countries into five different categories:

Power Distance: the degree to which a society accepts and expects inequality

Individualism as opposed to Collectivism: The degree to which a par-ticular society values independence from even familial constraints as opposed to a society that values extended family protection in return for undivided loyalty

Masculinity as opposed to femininity: The degree to which assertive-ness and competitiveness is valued versus modest, caring and sharing.

Avoiding uncertainty: The ability of an individual or society to toler-ate unstructured situations and diverse opinions.

Long Term Orientation: Comparing the values of thrift and persever-ance as opposed to respect for tradition, social obligations, and protect-ing “face.”

Using this background information, instructors can [possibly] use different teaching techniques to better reach these learners. Hofstede’s website offers an interesting tool. Type in USA and the country from which your student comes, and you can receive an analysis of the similarities and differences in thinking and relating.

Hispanic originally meant those from the European Iberian peninsula (Spain & Portugal) who spoke Span-ish as their “mother tongue” Latino usually meant the indigenous people of the Americas (Mexico, Central & South America) speaking Spanish because of “colonization”



Students of Varying Age Groups Students enter the classroom with various previous experiences in the class-room. Of course, not all fit into the following patterns, but enough do so that instructors should probably analyze the activities that may or may not be effec-tive for the older student versus the younger student. William Strauss and Neil Howe have studied and tracked various generations. They have written four books, the last of which is Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, published in 2000. They have tracked and named genera-tions every twenty years: adaptive, idealistic, reactive, and civic. Additionally, Carmen Multhauf emailed to REEAline that the Generational Housing Council published “Generational Housing: Myth or Mastery?” The book is available from www.GeneralionalHousingSpecialist.com. She wrote a great introductory article “Gen X Makes Its Mark” in the Winter 2006 REEA JOURNAL.

Silent Generation Born between 1925 and 1942, this generation has been seen as pragmatic, self-effacing, advocates of the public good, quiet and generally comfortable and happiest with conformity: in government and in the classroom. In 2007, most have retired from traditional employment. Many are still active in real estate and real estate education.

Baby Boomers Baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, still hold more than 40 percent of all jobs. While competitive, they work well in teams. They also seek personal development which may be why they are entering the real estate world in re-tirement. Generally, they respond well to a traditional, instructor-led classroom. Debbie Long wrote teaching “The Older Real Estate Student” in REEA JOURNAL Vol. 1, No. 1. Because the fast pace of accelerated classes are stressful to the older student, she suggests the instructor allow time for the stu-dent to respond, to vary the pace, to include more small group work, amplifica-tion of voice and media, lots of light, large fonts on overheads, etc. Many of the students require lots of encouragement and lots of practice taking tests.

Generation X Gen Xers, born between 1965 and 1978, represent about 40 percent of the workforce. Many grew up in single parent households and after school, re-turned to empty homes, i.e., latch-key kids. Often having to fend for them-selves, they are generally quite self-reliant. Words used to describe them in-clude skeptical, pessimistic, and cynical. However, they value time and are willing to trade “climbing the ladder” for time with their families. Comfortable with technology, this group responds well to short, focus-based, technology-based learning with lot of media.

Millennial (Generation Y) Born between 1980 and 1998, the Millennial’s are just now entering the work force of which they represent about 10 percent. They grew up entirely on cell phones, laptops, and remote controls and are used to multi-tasking: listening to their instructor, playing a video game, IM-ing a friend and checking their email. As a result, they, more than the others, can respond to rapidly changing envi-ronments. While determined and intelligent, they are often viewed as purpose-less when they postpone major decisions, such as career-building.



Students with Disabilities Students enter our classrooms with disabilities, some that can be seen, and oth-ers that are not obvious. Disabilities may include “mobility, visual, or hearing impairments; speech impairments; chronic illnesses such as AIDS, diabetes, and lupus; seizure disorders; head injuries; painful conditions such as back inju-ries and carpal tunnel syndrome; psychological disabilities such as bipolar dis-order and severe anxiety or depression; attention deficit disorder; and learning disabilities.” The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that real estate schools be accessible and instructors must provide services. While the instructor/school has responsibilities, so does the student. The challenge is to meet the learning requirements AND the needs of the student. Sheila Bell in “People with Disabilities: the Largest Minority Subgroup,” REEA JOURNAL, Summer, 2005, lists four things to remember:

Use appropriate language.

Use appropriate interaction

Show proper respect

Ask what services are required

Discussion: Personal Experiences Identify situations that you have encountered in your own classroom based on age disparities, disabilities, ESL and/or cultural differences. Did you have a positive or negative outcome? What would you now do again, or differently?



Meeting Needs of Every Student People learn in a variety of ways, so relying on only one method of teaching is inappropriate in the classroom. The instructor should plan to approach the ma-terial to meet the needs of all of the students some of the time, most of the time.

Learning Styles By and large, people learn in one of four ways:

Tactile/Tactual, 12%: Learns by performing, often rewrites class notes; likes to work at his/her own pace

Auditory, 22%: Must be hearing, may prefer listening to music, espe-cially during math, story-telling, audio tapes, reading out loud, listening to themselves

Kinesthetic, 20%: Hands on approach; learns through trial and error; project oriented, needs to move around, may study while walking

Visual, 45%: Must see what they are to learn; graphics, overheads, vis-ual images; requires written handouts and user-friendly texts, takes notes in class, creates mental images

Retention Pyramid Studies indicate about five percent of lecture material is actually remembered. Instructors must employ other techniques IF they are to maximize student com-prehension and learning. The National Training Laboratories, Bethel, ME cre-ated the Retention Pyramid to illustrate:

10% What is read

20% What is heard

30% What is seen

50% What is heard and seen

70% What they say

90% What they say and do Visuals projected on a screen meet the needs of the first three, thus increasing retention to 50 percent. Providing an opportunity for discussion, particularly in small groups, will boost retention to 70 percent and homework/quizzes/role playing kicks it up to 90 percent.

Getting to Know Your Students The best teaching methods are based on those appropriate for student levels. The prelicense course is entry level. Continuing education is utilized to present new material, but most frequently, its purpose is to reinforce or change current behavior; it requires higher level material and instruction.



Entry-Level A prelicense student attends class for a variety of reasons besides preparing for a new career and passing the real estate exam; they may also be “wanna be” investors, consumers planning to buy or sell, even some who are thinking about going back to school, and some who have nothing better to do. Generally, we can assume that the student has chosen to be in the class. However, from time to time, a person is in the class because of the Real Estate Commission.

Higher-Level We consider continuing education as higher level courses. The students have their licenses and usually some form of practical experience. They appear for many reasons, some expectations of which are easier to meet than others: re-quired by the state, want to learn something new, looking for referrals, and for networking opportunities. It’s important to identify special backgrounds and needs before rolling out a prepared presentation. Often, the intent of the class is to modify behavior or to introduce new material to be applied in the real world.

Teaching Methods For years, real estate education consisted solely of lecture. Prelicense require-ments moved from 30 hours to 45 to 60 to 90 or more hours. Presumably, the increase in classroom hours was to better prepare the student for real life appli-cation. In reality, the additional time is often used for instructor war stories.

Lectures When the instructor gives information, the intent is for the student to under-stand something. Lecture is the quickest way to impart that information and it can easily be supplemented by articles, computerized instruction, audio tapes, etc. This website is geared to improving lectures at a medical university: www.reproline.jhu.edu/English/6read/6training/lecture/delivering_lecture.htm. The points are just as relevant for real estate instructors.

Characteristics of Effective and Ineffective Lectures

Characteristics of the Effective Lecture

Characteristics of the Ineffective Lecture

Educator-student interaction 100% educator talk, with limited or no interaction

Two-way communication One-way communication Educator-student questions Few if any questions (educator or stu-

dent) Shared responsibility for active learning

Student depends on educator for all information

Small group, problem-solving activi-ties

No student activities

Variety of supporting media No supporting media Limited note taking required (stu-dents have copies of lecture notes)

Extensive note taking required



Use Variety to Boost Retention A variety of other exercises assist learners in building vocabulary, particularly in prelicense: fill-in-the-blanks, flash cards, and matching. Overcome “test anxiety” with regular, non-binding true/false quizzes and explain that multiple choice questions are really just four true/false statements.

Interactive Segments Students should have basic knowledge by the time that students arrive for post license and/or continuing education so lecture should be kept to a minimum. Interactive segments include field trips, discussion, town halls, task groups, role playing, simulation/games and panel discussion. Students who are allowed to experiment gain skills that they can apply to real world experiences. Case studies, demonstrations, drills, worksheets, videos, etc. are highly effective. At the highest level, instructors can assist students in ana-lyzing situations to help them modify their values and priorities. Role playing, detailed case studies, self-analysis and structured games can be used.

When to Use Interactive Segments Interactive segments cannot be used in every group. They are most effective in smaller classes and in the following situations:

Loosen up the group

Wake up after lunch

Include non-participatory students

Uneven backgrounds

Change environment Interactive segments are difficult to manage in very large groups. Avoid using them when you need to control the group, need to achieve a specific outcome.

Rules for Interactive Segments Have a specific outcome for the interactivity and maintain control of the time and noise level. Give clear, concise instructions. Allow time for summaries and avoid re-teaching the material.



Discussion: When to Use What Pretend that you are advising a prelicense instructor who is instructing students from a variety of backgrounds. In the past, this instructor lectured for 30 hours and the students studied outside of class. Today, though, the class must be 60 to 90 hours of time. What can a prelicense instructor include to enhance the learn-ing experience for the following types of students?

English as Second Language

Students from a culture that values independence

Students from a culture that places the group over the individual

Students in their 60s

Students in their 20s

Deaf or hard-of-hearing student

Student in a wheelchair

Others?

Stimulating Learning Incredibly, the best presentations and the most wonderful instructor can fail.

Breaks Studies show that people can stay focused approximately 50 to 60 minutes, so plan both interactivity and breaks accordingly. Be very punctual both in giving the breaks and in drawing students back into the classroom.

Pep Talks All students, but especially beginning students, need pep talks! Pep talks should include a summary of efforts and may certainly include motivational stories. Instructors should plan for a variety delivered at different times during the day.

Non-Verbal and Verbal Communication Students respond more to instructors who are lively and who move around the room. Appropriate gestures can enhance the learning experience, especially for beginning students. Instructors should avoid touching students. Be aware of protected classes: race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, disability, marital status, age, receipt of public assistance. Avoid any words that could be considered off-color and keep your politics out of the classroom.

Humor in the Classroom Humor can build rapport and encourage participation. Instructors should avoid slapstick comedy, canned jokes and anything that could be construed as off-color. Any joke should have relevance to the topic at hand.



Mnemonics Mnemonics is a fancy word for memory hooks. As an example, to remember how to spell mnemonic, chant this sentence: Monkey Nut Eating Means Old Nutshells in Carpet. Whole websites are devoted to mnemonics, especially for medical students! Here are two: www.fun-with-words.com/index.html.

Discussion: Mnemonics Share real estate mnemonics and point out any potential problems being sensi-tive to diversity issues.

Tying the Pieces Together To best facilitate retention, all aspects of the courses should be coordinated. The outline provides the way that we write, the learning objectives the way that we teach, and quizzes and exams are the way that we evaluate. The Internet provides a vast array of information. Be careful to respect copy-right law, and to give credit when credit is due. Provide copies of the visuals so that the student can focus on the presentation as opposed to trying to take notes from the visuals. The handouts should provide space for additional notes and should be related to the learning objectives.

Outlines The outline reinforces the learning objectives. Topics and class size may sug-gest certain organizational alternatives: chronological, topical, problem-solving, etc. The outline should indicate a logical flow. Basic English 101: If you have an A, then you must have a B; if a 1, then also a 2. The outline may change as you develop the learning objectives and visuals or if you have to emphasize a specific topic.

Learning Objectives A good lesson plan consists of learning objectives and teaching methodologies. Learning objectives must be observable, progressive and measurable. For ap-propriate verbs, see Appendix, page 3 & 4. Also, write the objectives in a spreadsheet so that you can easily modify the times, Appendix page 5. Learning objectives also suggest the teaching method. Well-written learning objectives also determine the visual as well as possible quiz and exam questions as well as the teaching method. If you cannot make a slide or write a question from the learning objective, then you probably should reconsider the learning objective.



Measuring Progress Build in times to check for misunderstandings and to reorient class. Depending on the topic, plan to “evaluate” at least every one to two hours, but use a variety of techniques, such as short quizzes, games, small group discussions, role plays, even asking the students to write exam questions and rationales. Even in longer classes such as 60 to 90 hour prelicense classes, it is unlikely that students will spend a lot of time studying outside class, so build homework into the class.

Visuals If the topic is important enough to support a learning objective, it should have its own slide or visual. Pictures, or even printed words, allow the mind to proc-ess with little effort, and sometimes a picture is more useful than listening to words. According to Doug Malouf, a DREI in Australia, research has shown that presenters using graphics are seen as better prepared, more professional, more persuasive, more credible and more interesting. With today’s easy-to-use word processing and presentation software, it is easy to take student materials directly from the slides/transparencies and to move material from one course to another. Instructor notes travel with the slide.

Student Handouts Requirements for student handouts vary from state to state, from accepting a detailed outline to expecting that the course provider provide written informa-tion in addition to the visuals. This workbook is an example of the latter. In any case, leave enough space for students to take additional notes; who knows, someone may actually keep your handout for reference!

Instructor Notes Write your notes for every slide/transparency in “notes page.” The notes will transfer when you copy the slide and move it to another presentation.

Three Levels Try to include three levels of information for nearly every slide/transparency:

Basic: definitions, simple explanations, and recall

Intermediate: application, describe how it works in the real world

Advanced: little known facts, analysis

Preplan Presentation Make sure that you include the serious message first, and think carefully about any ancillary stories. Write them down so that you use the same story at the same place every time to avoid repetition. Every ancillary story should have a direct correlation to the topic at hand. Finish what you start: if you say “three points,” then give three points.



Update Existing Courses Usually, existing courses can be updated with additional interactive segments, more current information and a “face lift” to the handouts.

Gaining Feedback Classes need feedback from their instructors. Don’t hesitate to compliment a class and to acknowledge challenges posed by the class. Indicate possible changes. Take notes from your students. Recently, one Kansas student shared her “tie down” comment in gaining a reasonable asking price, and the class cheered and we all wrote it down. In fact, it is good enough to share with you:

Is your primary goal to liquidate this asset before it becomes a liability and get on with your life, OR is your primary goal to make the most profit on the sale of this property?

Gain feedback from every student, especially the prelicense students. Many instructors use an 800 number. Cheer for successful exam-taking and assist those who fail. Studies show that generally students will continue to fail unless they change their studying before sitting for the retake exam.

Super Instructors, Powerful Presentations Simple additions to many courses can turn an ordinary or dull presentation into an exciting one: for the participants and for the instructor. We may not all be superstars, but we can be better than what we are.

Documents

2011 REEA CDW Spodek 2011... · 2011. 5. 24. · 2011 REEA Conference Course Development Workshop 2 ©Marie S. Spodek, GRI, DREI [email protected] 718.310.7217 Overview The learning