Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Educating Students Today - Discussion #1

After you have completed the assigned readings in The Joy of Teaching, prepare some remarks about at least 2 of the questions below ... and in response to the fellow participants in this class.

To REPLY to the question or to another participant's post, just hit the REPLY Button under the question or the post.

51 comments:

  1. Why is it important to get to know your students (learners)?

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  2. In what ways are classrooms today (undergraduate and professional schools) diverse?

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  3. How has the relationships between learners and teachers been harmed ... and enhanced ... in the Internet/Digital age?

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  4. I think one of the most important reasons to get to know your students is so you can maximize their learning. After all isn't that the point of teaching? As the book chapters point out, getting to know to know students helps you better gauge what they "need" from you in terms of teaching or examination style. It also gives you additional opportunities to influence outside the classroom which I think has the potential to be very rewarding for the teacher as well.

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  5. Classrooms in higher education have grown more diverse in terms of the background and life stage of the students. In the modern era, undergraduate classrooms are made up of students who recently graduated from high school, those who took time off before returning to their studies and those who have started a career and made the decision to further training in their field or train in a completely different field. Opportunities to “go back to school” have increased over time and receiving continued education all in all is encouraged by our society. The level of diversity, in terms of background experience, appears to be even greater in professional schools, where a number of students may be seeking a second or third degree. This diversity enriches the classroom environment as each student’s past experience shapes the way they approach the material being taught and encourages the development of new ideas.

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  6. Reflecting on my own experience as a learner, the teachers who spent the time and effort to get to know some of the students stuck out in a better light in my mind. A learner who is able to see their teacher as another individual, namely an individual that cares about the learner (and his or her success), forms the basis for a trusting and respectful relationship. With trust and respect, the teacher is better able to help the student learn as the student is more likely to pay attention to the teacher's advice or didactic lecture.

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  7. More and more classrooms today are beginning to integrate novel technology into the learning environment. It's possible today to have class with multiple individuals across the country or national borders thanks to the use of online discussion boards or meeting software. Teachers and learners can communicate assignment changes or completions instantaneously via Facebook, Twitter, or other internet-ready software.

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  8. Getting to know your students is the first step towards developing a successful teaching environment (successful from both the learner and educator perspective). By understanding the learners on a macro or cultural level, an educator is able to identify their expectations and academic preparation allowing for a smooth entry into the start of the semester. Furthermore, when students feel understood, it allows for the development of a trusting relationship between the educator and learners which can foster an open dialogue with a meaningful exchange of ideas. Not only do students feel comfortable expressing themselves, the teacher is better able to get their message through to the students.

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  9. For every relationship enhancement afforded by technology, there seems to be a corresponding negative. For example, technology greatly increases ones accessibility. This allows students to reach their educator 24/7 for help with the subject matter. The student can receive a quick response and move forward with studying or completing an assignment. One negative associated with accessibility is that students may come to expect a speedy response at all hours of the day and become frustrated when their email goes unanswered for hours or days (leading to resentment). A second benefit of technology is that it provides a forum for students to express ideas that they would otherwise not
    share in a face-to-face setting. By sharing their thoughts the student contributes to their own education, but the educator also benefits from learning from the student’s views. Conversely, the internet gives students the opportunity to share rude or negative comments which do nothing but disrupt the relationship between the student and teacher and weaken the learning environment.

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  10. Good point Allison. If a teacher/preceptor knows her/his learners well, she/he can make adjustments in the learning environment (e.g the assignments, instructional methods, frequency of feedback, etc) to better meet the learner's needs. Cultural differences influence expectations and norms of behavior about how students "should" relate to the teacher/preceptor.

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  11. I'm glad you mention "life stage" in your post, Sharon. I hope others will talk a bit more about how people at different life stages are different in terms of their expectations and learning needs.

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  12. Undergraduate schools, I believe, are filled with students who have just graduated high school and still may not know what they want to be "when they grow up" or don't know yet what they want to major in; whereas, in professional schools, you have the furnished learners who have gone through undergrad and understood the structure of post-high school education. Professional school classrooms may filled with more mature individual than what one would find in undergraduate classrooms. Chapter 2 in "The Joy of Teaching" states another diverse quality really nicely - I don't know the exact words, but the idea was that working-class individuals don't just accept anything that the teacher says and are more likely than middle-class background individuals to "test" the teacher and the material. This is bound to make a classroom interesting and diverse.

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  13. The Internet Age has caused communication to be easy, quick, and ideal. I actually don't think the relationship between learners and teachers has been harmed because of the Internet Age. As Chapter 9 in "The Joy of Teaching" states, the teacher could break potential barriers of the Internet Age and of big classrooms by keeping their office doors open and by possibly passing around a sign-up sheet of when students could go to the teacher's office just to chit-chat and get to know one another. I believe that the Internet Age could harm these relationships if the teacher does not take an interest in getting to know his/her students or keeping his/her office door open.

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  14. Life experience shapes who we are. It only follows that it would change expectations and learning needs. To tie to the question above about the digital age, I think it is important to recognize that some of the students taking the opportunity to go back to school may not have been in the classroom for a decade or more. For someone in their late 30's the last time they were in the classroom presentations may have still been on transparencies and there were no online assignments. Now everything is online which may require an adjustment to thrive in such an environment. My brother-in-law recently went back for a graduate degree and he said the changes in technology and the resulting increase in pace was the hardest part.

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  15. Hmmm ... but what about the students who live 2500 miles away ... an open door policy really doesn't help build the relationship in that case. Moreover, written communication (via email or chat or discussion boards) is different than face-to-face communication - don't you think? Not saying its better or worse, but different.

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  16. I agree. In that case, how about short phone conversations? It may be an option

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  17. Classrooms today, specifically in professional schools, are definitely much more diverse now than in the past. In my pharmacy school class, my classmates ranged from students who had just finished their undergraduate degree and then decided to pursue a PharmD to students who had a PhD or a BSPharm from another country hoping to get their PharmD. Like Sharon had mentioned below, there are more "older" students who are going back to school for an opportunity to change their career.

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  18. In order for a teacher to maximize the student's learning experience, they should be familiar with the student's goals. These goals vary for each student as well as for each type of learning experience. For example, a student's objectives may vary between a required versus an elective course. In an elective course, the student may have chosen to learn about a specific topic and the teacher can use this to their advantage in the delivery of course material, as the student is already motivated to participate in the learning experience. In contrast, for a required course the student's objectives may be to meet competencies as a prerequisite for the curriculum and the same level of interest in the subject matter may not be present. The teacher should understand the student's goals, however the opportunity for making the information relatable beyond the learner's objectives still exists.
    Furthermore, the dynamic between teacher and learner should be a dynamic one. Through continuous feedback, whether formal or informal, the student can connect with the teacher and this can help build trust, as stated in previous posts, helping make the student an active participant in the learning process.

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  19. Watching the “Monkey Business Illusion” really got me thinking about the importance of knowing your students. How will an educator know if his/her students have failed to grasp intended concepts during a class, course or lecture? Knowing students allows an educator to pick up cues such body language, and this may help shape future lectures or address issues affecting the class or students

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  20. The internet is a remarkable tool and depending how it is used can either enhance or harm the relationship between teachers and students. Chapter 1 in “The Joy of Teaching” elaborated on the five characteristics of a good teacher: enthusiasm, clarity, organization, stimulating, and caring. The internet allows a teacher present ideas with clarity, discussion boards and forums stimulates the intellectually curiosity of students and using emails makes teachers accessible to students. Educators who fail to incorporate the internet in their teaching are doing a great disservice to their students.

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  21. Watching the “Monkey Business Illusion” really got me thinking about the importance of knowing your students. How will an educator know if his/her students have failed to grasp intended concepts during a class, course or lecture? Knowing students allows an educator to pick up cues such body language, and this may help shape future lectures or address issues affecting the class or students

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  22. The internet is a remarkable tool and depending how it is used can either enhance or harm the relationship between teachers and students. Chapter 1 in “The Joy of Teaching” elaborated on the five characteristics of a good teacher: enthusiasm, clarity, organization, stimulating, and caring. The internet allows a teacher present ideas with clarity, discussion boards and forums stimulates the intellectually curiosity of students and using emails makes teachers accessible to students. Educators who fail to incorporate the internet in their teaching will be doing a great disservice to their students.

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  23. I agree with Allison’s comment that there are both positives and negatives of technology. Her comment that students today require a speedy response reminds me of how much this generation desires instant gratification and how easily frustrated a student can become if an answer to a question is not instantly evident or available. We have been trained as a society that if you need an answer, you can find it in seconds with no delay and if a professor does not quickly respond to inquiries, say via email, students can be left unsatisfied and with a negative impression of the teacher. As educators, we may need to adapt our teaching style to this change. We could perhaps provide students with resources that they could use themselves to find the answers that they seek which would allow them the instant gratification that they desire as well as empower them to learn independently.

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  24. I think that understanding your students’ level of engagement and motivation is very important to being successful as a teacher. In professional school, the motivation for why the students are present is usually obvious: all have the end goal of graduating and starting work in the profession for which they are trained. Having the same end goal, however, does not mean that all students have the same level of interest or engagement in the subject that you are teaching. Everyone comes from a different background, may have a different interest area in that profession, and also will have different learning styles. I think it is important not to make assumptions about your students’ knowledge base or interest level, and as the “The Joy of Teaching” mentions, perhaps you should hand out a feedback form to make sure that you and your students understand each other. This is especially true if you are teaching a subject that is likely out of your students’ comfort zone. For example, in pharmacy school, most students are used to the sciences which tend to be more “black-and-white.” If you are teaching a law course, you should anticipate that the subjectivity of law may be difficult for these students to grasp and may require more time and effort than if you were teaching to law students. An early assessment of the students’ understanding would help to avoid confusion and frustration for both the students and the teacher.

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  25. It seems to be more common with schools of pharmacy to have satellite campuses. I was first exposed to this at UNC and we also used the internet and video technology to be able to connect with learners on other campuses. This type of technology is also being used in business to be able to contact coworkers and collaborators in other cities or other nations. A possible answer to the open door policy via the internet is to have office hours using this technology. The professor can either sit in a room capable of this technology or from the computer in their office. Using this technology in the classroom at UNC was an adjustment, mostly since many of us never used this technology before. I do believe that it will bridge the gap once we become more familiar and comfortable with its use. An advantage of this technology in the internet age is being able to bring different learners together. Chapter 2 of the Joy of Teaching does discuss the benefits of bringing non-traditional students into the classroom. The ability to connect with students from different campuses allows us to bring variety into the classroom by including different types of learners whether they be non-traditional or from different cultural or geographic locations.

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  26. I agree, I liked the example teaching strategy outlined in Chapter 9 that suggested building in lectures that were TBD in case you needed to alter your course plan. This of course inherently requires the teacher to understand where their students are in the process of learning throughout that course which requires the teacher to in some way reach out to their students. My best experiences in school were the classroom experiences where the teacher was easy to communicate with and not the "talking head" at the front of the classroom that was there to convey information and hand out grades.

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  27. Diversity in higher level education can partially be attributed to the increasingly competitive job market. In the past, a bachelor's or master's degree was sufficient for finding a well-placed job with a reasonable income. However, as a bachelor's degree is now more commonplace, more people are choosing to further their education in either their field, or completely starting anew in a career that may be more financially lucrative. Also, in the past people did not generally change careers or even jobs throughout their lifetime, however today horizontal mobility is frequently encountered in the marketplace. Within professional and graduate classrooms there are many “second career” students who bring with them a variety of experiences and wisdom that they can impart on others in the class, including the instructor, and vice versa. This diversity enables everyone to benefit from a multitude of perspectives that perhaps they would not have been exposed to otherwise.

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  28. I agree with Katie’s point. Understanding the students’ level of engagement and motivation is a large part of being a successful teacher. For the most part, classrooms are made up of students with different backgrounds and are likely at different stages in their life and/or academic career. Both of these factors play a vital role in the preconceptions of each student. I like the idea in Chapter 2 of Joy of Teaching where the author suggests beginning class by asking “What comes to your mind when I say….” This gives both the teacher and the class an idea of what the baseline knowledge is regarding a certain topic. In addition, the learning styles of the students are important for success. For example, if student “A” learns better through visual diagrams and hands on activities, but the teacher leading the classroom simply lectures and only provides written text as the teaching material, then this will greatly impact the success of student” A” in this class. Furthermore, some students prefer working in groups while others prefer working alone. Being aware of the learning styles within the classroom and also being able to adapt and accommodate these styles can be challenging, but in the end will help both the learner and the teacher be successful.

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  29. The concept of satellite campuses and schools using video technology to connect with students many miles away as mentioned above by Kim Is a very new concept for me. The university I attended was in a small rural town of Ohio and we were not associated with any satellite campuses. I honestly wasn’t aware that schools used video technology to enable students many miles away to watch and learn from the same professors on the main campus. My university also didn’t utilize video recorded lectures very often because it was expected we would attend all lectures. Those rare times when we did have to watch lectures online, I found it frustrating and didn’t really enjoy it. This is all likely due to the fact that I wasn’t exposed to video recorded lectures very often and was accustomed to attending class and learning with the professor lecturing to me in person. Therefore, I could see how this aspect of technology could be harmful to a classroom in certain circumstances. For example, if I attended an undergraduate college which only provided lectures in person and then went to a graduate school which largely relied on video technology it would be a difficult adjustment. However, I think nowadays it is expected that technology will play a large role in the classroom and students need to be aware of this prior to attending class.

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  30. I've had similar experiences as well with teachers that were easy to communicate with. Based on this, it appears that the most successful teacher-learner relationships are created when the learning process is viewed as that of a dynamic nature. It is important that teachers receive and provide feedback from their learners in order to ensure that goals are being met on both sides. In an environment where there are many learners, this feedback may be direct, such as a poll or evaluation. In contrast, in situations where there is an opportunity for individual feedback, the learning process can be adapted based on the free exchange of ideas.

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  31. In the modern diverse and multicultural classroom, it is important that a variety of learning tools are utilized in order to ensure that people from different backgrounds feel comfortable enough to participate in the learning experience and with one another. It is rare in our society for all students in a classroom to be from the same cultural background, therefore the teacher is charged with delivering course material in a culturally sensitive manner. It is essential that lines of communication be kept open to avoid intimidation and to encourage participation from all learners. It is equally important to create a safe learning environment so that students can ask questions or make mistakes, and in essence, learn, without fear of social alienation or ridicule from others.

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  32. I agree with the comment about there being both positives and negatives to the introduction of technology to the learning process. In addition to expecting a speedy reply, many students believe all answers can be given through email. In the example provided in “The Joy of Teaching” when the student went to ask for help after receiving a low grade on her exam, the teacher was able to sit down and explain additional concepts that were not the student’s original questions. While email does provide a quick turn around and a quick answer, it might not always allow the student and teacher to figure out the origin of the student’s confusion. Also, while it is great that technology is allowing more students to obtain degrees via distance education, I also believe this can be a negative. Real-time video conferencing provides the impression of being in the same classroom; however, the experiences on the two campuses are very different. For pharmacy school, satellite campuses might not offer the same extra-curricular activities (or as many) as the main campus. This may appeal to some students; however, a great deal of learning can occur outside of lectures and through community service activities sponsored by various organizations. Despite the negatives, there are a lot of positives that have come with the internet and digital age. Incorporating videos into lectures help keep students engage; discussion boards allow for class topics to continue outside of allotted class time; and video recordings help review material (especially for the professors that talk too soft, too fast, or are hard to understand).

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  33. I think understanding learning styles or background knowledge is helpful to ensure teachers are effectively planning lectures; however, developing relationships and knowing your students interests and motivations can also help facilitate learning. As the book talked about hosting office hours off-campus, I thought this was a great idea. Meeting at a coffee shop can help professors learn more about their students academically and personally. It would provide the atmosphere to not only answer school-related questions, but also learn what really drives the student. Knowing his/her motivation can help tailor future learning sessions. Also, having informal office hours may make the teacher seem more approachable to ask questions when students are having troubles understanding what is going on class.

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  34. I agree with Kim that technology increases diversity in the types of
    learners teachers can reach. As for the teacher-learner relationship,
    while technology increases the quantity of interactions between a
    teacher and learners, it poses a challenge in terms of quality of that
    relationship. Utilizing video chat for office hours, as Kim suggested, is
    a great idea that I think is underutilized, even at our own pharmacy
    school. However, I still think that in-person interactions are best.
    Stuart you must also think they are an integral component as well? I
    imagine that is why we start this course off with a live-session? Everyone: Consider,
    if all other things being equal, a distance campus and a traditional
    campus student both asked you for a letter of reference. Who would you
    feel like you knew better? A student you video-chatted with or one who
    you built a relationship with in person? Teachers of different
    generations might answer this question differently.
    One way to
    engage distance students more is to hold at least one office hour at the
    distance campus. The student also has responsibility to build a
    relationship, but this provides them an opportunity to meet the teacher
    in person. Technology can also be used to build relationships; as a
    teacher you can work on a paper or project with a distance student thanks to the internet/digital age. Twitter can be used to interact with students outside the classroom. Discussion boards can provide students who prefer to write vs talk a chance to engage.
    I also agree with Allison and Katie's perspective that accessibility to more interactions with the teacher can lead to impatience and a lack of independent thought and learning by the student. As a teacher, I think it is important to set up boundaries and clearly communicate when you will answer emails and that you expect the student to describe their thought process and resources used when they send you a question.

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  35. A learner's "life stage" or developmental stage has a large impact on their motivation for learning and learning needs. A majority of learners in professional schools will be in one of the three developmental stages of adulthood: the young adult stage, the middle aged adult stage, and the older adult stage. While adults in each developmental stage will have varying needs and strengths (largely based on their age) there are certain similarities between adults in each stage. In general the adult learner is assumed to be self- directed, has a growing reservoir of experience that serves as a foundation for learning, and their perspective on application of knowledge changes from future (childhood and adolescent) to immediate. Meaning that many adult learners will expect learning to be problem centered rather than subject centered.

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  36. I think classrooms today are more diverse with regards to student's economic backgrounds. I was talking to an older pharmacist in his 70's just before he retired last year and he said his tuition was less than $1000 per semester for his BS Pharm degree. He said back in his day there were no student loans, if you couldn't afford school up front you didn't go. Nowadays with tuition being so expensive almost no one would be able to afford the cost of a Pharm.D. degree upfront. I think student loans have opened up higher education to those who are not as well off financially.

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  37. I think it's important to get to know your students because that way you can become familiar with their learning styles and possibly change/tweak your teaching style to match their learning style. I say "possibly" because it may not always be practical to cater to all learning styles if the class is in a huge lecture hall-style environment. But this appraoch would certainly work in a smaller classroom setting.

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  38. As I was thinking more about this question, I started to realize that there is probably a significant portion of the population who may actually find that their relationship with their teachers (and classmates) has actually been enhanced significantly by the Internet/Digital age. I recently read a book titled "Quiet: The Power of Introverts" which suggests that the internet/digital age has helped to bring people with more introverted personalities "out of their shells" by taking the emphasis off of face-to-face meetings or speaking up in front of an entire class. The anonymity of the internet can empower people to express ideas that they might never share with a group. People who feel that it is easier for them to express themselves in writing may also feel more comfortable and may be more inclined to participate. This discussion board is a good example of that enhancement. How many of us would have raised our hands in class to make these comments? Or even if we raised our hands, would the comments have been as well thought out or as insightful? The discussion boards allows people to read through other's comments, simmer on the topic a little bit, and then formulate their own opinion/idea. We can now take 3-4 days to develop our ideas collectively as a group rather than rushing to have everyone get their opinion out within a 1-2 hour class period.

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  39. Ellie - insightful response. Agree! Some learners really thrive in an online environment ... while others feel very disconnected. Indeed, the discussion format we're using in this class over the next two weeks will likely appeal to some of you (who like to "simmer" and articulate their thoughts in writing). But there are others who likely find this format very time consuming, tedious, and busy work. The real work of learning, for them, is talking about it and sharing their ideas in a face paced dialogue.

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  40. At University of Maryland School of Pharmacy we have a remote campus at Shady Grove. The expansion from the Baltimore Campus allowed more students with the desire to learn pharmacy to be able to attend UMD. There are many disadvantages to recorded lectures, but if you look at the overall picture, many people who want an education in pharmacy are now able to obtain it. Though I preferred to attend classes live, many others have families and full-time jobs that would have hindered them from pursuing a new career path in the past. In this way, I think remote technology has impacted society in a positive fashion. Another issue that I have discussed with my parents who are both pharmacists is that of personal responsibility. They feel as if personal responsibility has been taken away from pharmacy schools implementing this technology due to the fact that regular attendance in class is not mandatory. However, through my experience, I feel as if there is more personal responsibility with online and recorded classes. This may seem strange, but when classes are recorded, you are responsible for learning the material in a timely fashion; nobody forces you to attend class or even watch the lectures. In this way, it becomes the sole responsibility of the student to learn material that has been provided to him or her.

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  41. This is a very interesting point that I think is incredibly important. I took a class last semester called Cultural Competency and Medical Spanish. A large portion of the class was dedicated to learning about the Hispanic cultures and differences between individuals from different Spanish-speaking countries. While this is not directly related to the teacher-student interaction, it is very similar in that you have a pharmacist-patient interaction. In order to educate anyone from a culture different from your own, it is imperative to develop a relationship with them prior to counseling. Taking time to ask questions and beliefs about their disease states or medications/alternative treatments can help the pharmacist and patient to work together. A perfect example that we encountered in class was in regards to a patient with diabetes who presented to the hospital for neuropathies. When he was asked about his own beliefs, he mentioned that he prayed and used candles. By incorporating prayer and candles into an insulin regimen, the patient became much more successful in controlling his diabetes. Hence, it is very important to understand that there are many cultural differences, and they cannot be ignored, but instead should be addressed.

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  42. I think that cultural diversity among students, pharmacists, and educators makes a large difference in terms of education today. Many years ago, cultural diversity in the pharmacy profession was minimal. Now, people from all different backgrounds and countries work together in pharmacy. I believe that this is a huge asset for the profession of pharmacy; from my experience, I have been able to learn from educators and other students alike who have different cultural backgrounds. I am sure that others have experienced similar feelings in regard to cultural diversity. Let me know what you all feel about how this can affect learning and the classroom today?

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  43. As a self-identified introvert for the majority of my life, I completely agree with your response. Although I am slowly learning to "come out of my shell" and alleviate the anxiety that previously accompanied presentations, class discussions, etc., I can appreciate the freedom and anonymity offered by the age of the Internet. I am the type of person that has always felt more comfortable with written, rather than oral, communication. I have always been more inclined to participate and contribute my thoughts and opinions through an essay or written document – the idea of having to participate in a class discussion used to be terrifying! As I have grown beyond that anxious state, I can now appreciate face-to-face encounters and see the value that can come out of such discussions. Tone can be misinterpreted through writing (especially through emails), and the loss of non-verbal communication can be
    detrimental to expression of ideas. I believe that the key to maintaining a strong teacher-learner relationship is balancing Internet and electronic resources with traditional learning
    activities. Offering multiple modes of communication may help those students who do not feel comfortable with certain interactions to excel in others (e.g. discussion board plus small group discussions). Creating this balance should accommodate diverse learning styles, personalities, and even age groups.

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  44. It is important to get to know your students (learners), because the role of the learner/teacher is ever-changing. We have all started out as learners who were instructed step-by-step at some point in our lives. With the knowledge we gain along each step of the way, we may slowly assume the role of the teacher; however, this may not be a clear-cut or defined transition. As a PGY1 resident, I have found myself rotating between the role of learner and teacher, preceptor and “preceptee." Without an understanding of the students you work with, it is difficult to tailor teaching strategies and share experiences. By understanding your students, you may open up additional learning opportunities for both parties involved. Being receptive to different learning styles, interests, and skills allows for a more comfortable and beneficial learning environment.

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  45. I agree that college and graduate school are more accessible now and contribute to diversity in the classroom. However, low income students are still 28% less likely to finish college than those in higher income brackets. (According to the Gates Foundation-this is a project they are working on.) Some of this may be that financial aid doesn't cover enough for these students, some of whom are truly independent of their parents and may have dependents. However, there are many other, less tangible, factors. In college I read a book called Lives on the Boundary by Mike Rose, and it provided a lot of insight to the challenges these students face being in a college environment. Without teacher engagement and support, these students are less likely to make it through. They are capable intellectually, but have many obstacles to face, including feelings of not belonging and being inadequate. Yet, they have an important perspective to contribute to the learning environment. This is another reason to get to know our learners- so that we can engage them and help them overcome these barriers to succeed.

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  46. I have had the same experiences as Sam. Whenever I was a learner in a class with a teacher that I knew or had a strong relationship with, it always felt that I ended up knowing the material better in that class compared to the classes were the relationship wasn't as strong. Additionally as a learner, I would find myself working harder since I knew the teacher thus I didn't want to disappoint them by delivering subpar work.

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  47. I do appreciate the opportunities afforded by distance learning via the online classes and videoconferencing. Since Shady Grove has been created, grades of Shady Grove students have actually been similar to Baltimore students if not better, at least the class of 2013 (my graduating class) had that result in some classes. The lack of difference in grading could be proof of the benefit of distance learning.
    Yet, I believe, education is more than merely grades. I would be interested in the results of actual and perceived relationships with professors. We could possibly look at the quality and depth of information provided in letters of recommendation by professors. I believe the relationship between the learner and professor has been enhanced by allowing more learners to receive the education in a non-traditional, flexible manner. If teachers are there to lecture and answer questions, then yes, the digital age allows for more efficient and quicker communication. But one of the benefits of building a relationship with a teacher is the networking and mentoring. In our age, networking is primarily face-to-face. Digital communication can only portray a person's personality, strengths, and weaknesses in a one dimensional fashion.

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  48. One of the first lessons in public speaking including large and small group presentations is to know your audience. It is important to understand the learners baseline knowledge, which is why we have pre-requisites and high-stakes examinations in order to move through the curriculum. This is important to ensure the content level is equally comprehendible yet challenging. Another dimension of understanding your students is their goals of the learning experience. Teachers determine the learning objectives, yet some of the best preceptors I have had always make a point to ask me as the learner what I would like to gain from the experience. There any many things to learn but only a limited time to absorb. Getting to know your learner allows the opportunity to maximize the time and make the experience memorable. Just like the activity in last week's class in which we thought of three memorable lessons. Teachers should strive for experiences that illicit emotions, thus building a relationship is essential to gain that perspective.

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  49. Why is it important to get to know your students (learners)?

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  50. In what ways are classrooms today (undergraduate and professional degree programs) diverse?

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  51. How have the relationships between learners and teachers been enhanced .... and harmed ... in the Internet/digital age?

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