The course that I am instructing is 100 hrs.,
over 20 class days. the last 9 days of class consist of 3 hrs of lab work followed by 2 hrs of time to spend on quizzes that are assigned on the 11th day and are to be completed by day 19. The majority of students pace their time and complete the assignments on the 18th day.
My problem has been those overachievers who complete their assignments early and tend to get bored. My solution for this is in having several additional short quizzes that go more into depth than the course requirements. Since these seem to be my "Gifted Students", they seem to thrive on the new challenge.
There is so much material to cover that there is a need to try and focus on the material that would best benefit the students in their future careers. You should try and base this selection on your own experiences as well as other you know in the field.
Hi Susan:
Content should be based on course objectives and student learning objectives. Bundled in these goals are the media choices, resources available, skills needed (if applicable), and planning and organizing. The end result is a combined and focused effort towards assuring students get all the information they need in a course.
Regards, Barry
Once you are aware of your audience and the types of learners you are working with, the process becomes easier. Alot of books contain everything possible regarding certain subjects and some of the material may not pertain to the actual level of class being taught. So as the instructor it is up to you to go through the book and pull out the things the students need to know according to the syllabus that you are following. You don't want to give them too much because this will confuse them. So, being specific to their needs is very important.
Be prepared with back-up material if you have extra time. Or perhaps the students' attention is fading, or one or 2 are starting to "doze off"! I like to try to have a worksheet ready, or encourage some class participation, draw things on the board, or something similar to change the flow.
I also will occasionally "google" a topic to see what new and interesting information I can find that the students would be interested in reading or a website they can visit.
Hi Lisa:
Many classes are difficult to judge exact time utilization, or depending on the class dynamic, there may be more or fewer questions than planned for.
Reviewing material covered, giving worksheets that supplement the material, or involving student in small group discussions are usually successful and productive use of time if extra time becomes available.
Your method of covering the essentials first to be sure at least this material gets covered is good. I've found not all topics can be separated into components, however. Still, it's a good plann.
Regards, Barry
I also like to be over prepared. Depending on the class size and ability of the students it will determine how much material I can cover. I always have a plan "A" which is the basics. This means that I will cover the essentials that the student needs to know in order to work in their profession as well as providing the necessary projects to better understand the profession. Then I have a plan "B" which still includes the basics but it also includes some of the extras or more difficult material that the students may encounter when they become a more seasoned vertran in their profession. I also like to pull assignments and projects from older books that I have used because some of the previous books provide better instructional material as well as providing them with additional or new ways of learning.
Hi Kristin:
Lab skill is a great way to make for adjustments in time. I don't think students really ever get enough time to really master all the skills their responsible for. I'm a believer in repetition, repetion, and more repetition.
Projects, small group discussions, generally any course work or assignment that requires the student to perform independent work with guided facilitation by the instructor is more meaningful than lectures that simply require passive listening. The more variety we can add the better.
Regards, Barry
My lecture lessons always seem to be sufficient since I have lab time/hands-on time built into every class session and can find opportunities within the lab time to extend the learning if students are grasping concepts quicker than I had anticipated.
I make sure to have additional topics or exercises as an option from the textbook or my own experience for when class time moves quicker than I expect. I also have long-term projects assigned throughout the term where students can work on those if my lecture/lab doesn't seem to fill our time. Working on the projects usually brings new or unexplored topics to the conversation and we are able to cover that information during the class as well.
Kristin
Hi Betty:
Sometimes too much or too little content is planned. This is especially true for new classes and/or new teachers.
Course content is based on Course Objectives (CO's) and Student Learning Outcomes (SLO's). From there, the daily or weekly objective are derived. This is where the nitty-gritty of planning out lesson planning occurs. Smetimes, the best one can do is guesstimate how much time will be needed. A helpful technique is to have a good back up plan to introduce should extra time be avilable near the end of a class.
Regards, Barry
I like to review the acedemic progress of the students coming into my class. I try to learn how they did on pretest that are required for admittance into our college. This is me a idea where to start and what knowledge the students may or may not have.
I like to make sure that I have extras of everything I need or may need. To make sure that the students appreciate the activity and not just see it as busy work to fill the time, I make it something on the same subject but a different approach. Group activities are wonderful and an easy unassuming way for me to pair of strong/weak students.
I like to start with assesments so that I can see just how much the students know. I do this both at the beginning of the term as well as the start of each class. I also utilize notes and experience from previous classes to come up with a sense of how the class typically goes and then I can figure out how much is too much or vice versa.
Hi Linda:
Good balance and variety. The more activities means the student is going to be more strimulated and exposed different learning methods, so is likely to learn and retain more readily. And as you say, you're more likely to reach different leraning styles when a variety of activities are used.
Breaking the class up so not one media or activity occupys too much time also helps.
Regards, Barry
Hi Wanda:
Sound like there's a lot of activity, which is good,a s more activity contribute to better learning and retention.
I make sure my course objectives and student learning outcomes are being covered, then I think about the current state of practice for my profession, and between these, the course content begins to fill out. The next step is to choose the best media and esources to present and deliver the information.
Regards, Barry
I try to provide 2-3 different activities for each topic within the course. These activities are at different learning levels and involve different learning styles. As the course progresses, I am able to use as many or as few of these activities as needed.
Our lesson plans have been written and updated so any instructor can take over the class. The beginning classess are the foundation for the rest of the terms. There are more activities built in to help the class learn the material. These activities include worksheets, quizzes (that don't count for a grade) and hands on activities. We can use any or all of the activities if needed.
Hi Donna:
Yes, and the more variety you can add, the more interesting and enjoyable that class will be. Variety allows more students to participate and become involved and engaged in the lesson.
Regards, Barry
Hi Tracy:
For me, the key is to relate the selection of topics and media for presentation based on course objectives, student learning outcomes, and my specialied knowledge of workforce expectations.
Regards, Barry
I feel like having more than enough is better than risking not having enough course content. After having taught a course reapeatedly, it's not too difficult to stockpile a variety of assignments. Keeping track of them can be frustrating, but effort put into keeping them organized pays off well in time.
The other thing I've been able to take advantage of is tailoring assignments to fit at least a few different situations that may arise. With one class, there might be three different tasks to perform for each section, while other classes that appear more in command of the material may only have one task for each section. Although it's not necessarily the prime reason, I've also found this can help when our class schedule if off time-wise.
