Renton Technical College
Office of Instructional Improvement
September 2002
Volume 9 No. 1
Phil Savereux is investigating relationship between knowing student learning styles and designing successful learning activities. As part of his Masters' program at Southern
Illinois University, Phil will be working with Karma Forbes to administer the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator to Manufacturing Program students this fall. The results will influence the choice of teaching strategies to correlate with students' styles .
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Send an email to
about his project.
We’ve found a site that discusses preparing yourself, your family and students for the first anniversary of the events of 9/11. This site contains curriculum materials and lesson plans for use with K-12 students, many of which--especially on multiculturism -- are applicable to RTC students. These as well as readings, resources and links are downloadable and reproducible free of charge. Connect to the site .
Wouldn’t it be nice if this headline were true? The reality is that there are underprepared students in every program. Under-prepared students might have trouble taking notes, or knowing how to organize their studies. They might be able to do everything well except for the math in your program. How can you help every student to succeed in your program? You need to be able to intervene early and know where the resources are on campus. By intervening early, there’s time to develop the necessary skills to succeed, and the student’s self-confidence is still in tact. Where can the student get help? If the student has a documented physical or learning disability, call Mike Dahl at ext. 5544.
If the student needs a little extra assistance the Peer Tutor Program might be able to help. The Peer Tutor Program looks for students who need or who can offer additional assistance. The tutors are paid and trained. They can tutor in one-on-one or small group situations. All of the Peer Tutor participants can attend workshops to further develop their skills in note taking, reading, writing, memorization, and test taking. The tutors work with the instructors so that the assistance is focused right where the student needs it. If you are interested in learning more or know of someone who could benefit from participating in this program, call ext 5514 or write peertutor@rtc.ctc.edu
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Students at an Iowa college can forget the quintessential experience of pulling allnighters at the library poring over stacks of books. For one thing, there's no library. For another, there are no books. ... Read the full story at http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,53747,00.html.

Learning gets a big boost and test anxiety gets a swift kick when humor comes into the classroom.
"Engaging the Reluctant Student through Empathy and Humor" by
Laura Harrington first appeared in the August issue of The Teaching Professor. How have you used humor in the classroom? Let us know!
“I guess it had to come to this.” By Liza Porteus. Click on the URL below for the rest of this story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,59330,00.html
Many RTC students enter our programs under-prepared in basic academic skills like math, English, and computing. How do you help these students succeed in your program? If you'd like to discuss methods and tools to help the 'under-prepared student', contact Instructional Improvement for more information. We are available for consultations, classroom visits, curriculum development assistance, and more!
Harvey
Mackay
The mission of the Office of Instructional Improvement is to advance educational strategies, seek to improve the quality of learning environments, and support RTC staff as they prepare a diverse student population for work.