Dave,
One component of "disasters" is the loss of control. To minimize that effect is to "practice for the plan" by periodically inserting a non-scheduled event into the daily mix as a sort of practice drill.
Barry Westling
The importance of a backup plan cannot be overstated. A classroom change or lab location change can throw off your plans but if you have that backup p[an you are set. You can handle the change with no problem.
Charles,
Yeah, we all have had unpredictable days like this, just underscoring the need to have good backup plans. And they don't have to go to waste; sometimes what I've planned as back up was substituted for the regular lesson, and the plan is always received well.
Barry Westling
The idea of an instructional back-up plan is great.
While taking a new class I was once caught unprepared without a back-up plan. Some of the instructional material was late to arrive from the publishers.
I had to prolong the course introduction and distribution of the syllabus. It was very tough for me. But we managed.
Samara,
Great! When we can get students to actively participate in lesson matters, that's usually a good thing, even if they get off task a bit. To me, that's a part of the creative, thinking, opinion aspect of learning.
Barry Westling
I teach sociology. There are many concepts, theories, and case studies that hit close to home for many of my students. Consequently, I prefer to lecture for only about 5-15 minutes at a time. My class is 110 minutes and my lecture is broken up into segments of 25 minutes, with 15 minutes allotted for lecture and 10 minutes allotted for discussion. Depending upon how quickly I finish my lecture, I'll open up discussion on the segment I just taught. If there is no engaging discussion, I will move onto another topic. I can always tell when I strike a cord, the whole class is in an uproar rearing to talk. Frequently, there is at least on lecture topic that I must wrap up because of the peak in interest before the class is willing to let it go. Of course, someone brings up the topic again (very creatively) in the next segment, but I'm adept at focusing the discussion back on topic at hand once I give them about five more minutes to vent on the most interesting topic.
ROBIN,
I don't think you could ever go wrong with a practical story, situation, circumstance, or humorous event. Students like stories and will nearly always perk up and pay attention.
Barry Westling
I like to use stories as back up plans....stories of real life experiences with the topic at hand. This tends to draw the students in again and keeps them focused with real world application of the knowledge content.
Ashley,
I think if material is related to the course, and students find it interesting, it will be well received.
Barry Westling
In a cost control class, I've used additional examples in the form of case studies that replicate real life cost situations in the industry.
Farzana,
Sounds like an effective activity, and students should not feel like they wasting their time.
Barry Westling
If I see my students are bored,I stop and put them in small groups,and have each group come up with 4-5 questions from that lecture and previous lecture.that way I see them engaging back.
Jason,
This is also a good example of the benefits that ample preparation can provide. It's also important to be sensitive to the pulse of the class, their degree of participation and apparent understanding. Too many times the instructor just barrels along assuming students are following each teaching point. Frequent checking for understanding better assures the class is "getting it", and if not, that's a cue to the instructor to back up and review before moving on.
Barry Westling
I look at my schedule for the section in question and do a quick dry run of my powerpoint slides. As I go through my slides I refer to the responses of students in prior terms regarding various topics in those slides and create possible breaks in my lectures. I then make notes or "bookmarks" on my personal hard copy as to where the students may run into trouble. Depending on the amount of time it takes me to reach those "bookmarks" I can then refer back to my schedule, mentally, and modify it as needed. For example, if I am lecturing on the heart and my students are having trouble understanding the cardiac cycle and I do not hit my "bookmark" in a reasonable amount of time I know that I can move the affects of ventricular pressure on heart valves to the next lecture period or pick up the slack in lab.
Frank,
Sounds like the voice of experience talking... yes, we've all been there.
Barry Westling
Because some classes do progress faster then others I have found that having a few "fun" reserve assignments that exercise the subject matter is a good way to fill in what could be the dreaded dead time. The draw back is when an substitute instructor is running behind and feels that all the material available for that lesson plan must be covered and races to present the volume of the material instead of ensuring the key learning objectives are met.
Communication is key and being familiar with the class material critical. But we have all pinch-hit at one time or another where there was little preparation time, and that is when you must fall back on your ability to sense how the class is receiving the material, and be able to use your "instructional skills" backup plan.
Melissa,
Some examples of back up plans I use include stories (from the workplace); end of chapter questions and discussion; and practice exercises that reinforce the lesson topic. Stories nearly always grab the attention of students, and also make for an interesting class too.
Barry Westling
Wendy,
Getting students up and about is a sure fire method to get students focused and engaged. Knowledge along with practical application keeps students on track.
Barry Westling
Being a massaage therapy instructor, my backup plan usually involves a demo for students followed by hands on practicing with partners. After lecturing, this is a good way to get them excited about what we are doing. So they don't seem to get to bored or off topic.
I feel that it is important to have backup plans in case of emergencies. I have been teaching on ground for over 5 years and sometimes things happen. I have had to rearrange classrooms, rearrange technology plans, and rearrange lessons due to laryngitis/substitutes. I have plenty of activities and videos, just in case things do not go well. I also find when students get bored to adjust my lessons. This is something that I also do from class to class and term to term. Technology downfalls are sometimes necessary, I have my information located on several different sources (flashdrive, email, work computer, home computer). These backup plans help me in case of problems, and are definitely worth keeping handy.
