Retention is an issue, and what happens in the classroom is a critical factor influencing a student's decision to stay or go. The classroom environment may be hurting your students' view of the quality of your programs. In this course, you will learn tips and techniques to deal with environmental influences such as your role as the instructor, the classroom, the interactive activities, the support materials, and the sequence of instruction as well as other subtle influences. You will learn to view the environment from the student's perspective to increase your teaching effectiveness and student retention.

Module 1: The Instructor

• Balance the role of teacher, facilitator and learner in an accelerated learning classroom.
• Ensure that every experience the learner has will be safe and non-judgmental, allowing them to experiment to learn more completely.
• Resist the temptation to try to be the expert on all things related to the topic being taught through strong facilitation and questioning techniques.
• Choose words that encourage learning and avoid words that shut down learning.
• Apply a toolbox of techniques to deal with difficult students so that their learning as well as the learning of their peers is not interrupted.

Module 2: The Classroom

• Use color appropriately in hand-outs, tests, projected images, graphics and student materials.
• Use graphics in hand-outs, tests, project images and student materials to create long-term retention of new learning.
• Adjust seating to encourage the types of communication needed for a specific learning objective.
• Utilize presentation software, charts, white boards, chalkboards and flipcharts appropriately to encourage, rather than distract from learning.
• Use music to increase your learners' ability to focus.

Module 3: Learning Activities

• Balance the time in the classroom to 80% learner 'doing' and 20% instructor 'telling'.
• Choose the best activity for a learning objective.
• Create new games and simulations for any situation by modifying the techniques in your own toolbox.
• Debrief activities adequately to increase the retention of learning.
• Audit your classroom time to the Multiple Intelligences to ensure maximum learning energy in the students.

Module 4: Other Considerations

• Leverage current memory research to ensure that the learning is retained.
• Create appropriate support materials to reinforce the learning objectives.
• Apply the Pygmalion Effect to the learners to drive their success.
• Sequence the learning materials in a way that will best meet the goals of the learning objectives and the energy of the learners.
• Evaluate the success of the class.