Keeping students engaged
Keeping students engaged is important part of managing the students education. Lesson plans need to be written so that they can be extended or compressed as the students needs change.
Teaching each lesson will encounter areas that will require change in method and activies to keep them involved, one way will be to go from lecture to physicial activity, getting them out of there seat and moving will wake them up.They will relate to visual technical activety better than just lecture sitting.
Irma,
I agree. I think also sometimes a student can get lost while in a group setting and not willing (embarrassed) to say something, so this does have it's cautions. That said, to evaluate, we need to observe or measure.
Barry Westling
Barry, by doing group activites I can keep my students engaged. This is also a good way to evaluate if my students understand the courses content.
Amber,
Humor is a good "attention and focus" engagement activity. Of course we don't want a stage show with a headline comedian, but something humorous that has happened in the workplace can be a great seansoning to an otherwise ordinary meal of same-old, same-old.
Barry Westling
Sometimes I find that just doing the averge lecture/pp/and handouts can be boring to the students. In some classes I find that humor can go a long way to keep the class interested and ready for more.
Wes,
I find that often it doesn't much to re-engae students. As they get easily distracted, so they can become relatively attracted to what's going on in class. Sometimes, just asking a question, standing next to a person, or getting them do some activity is enough to reengage students.
Barry Westling
Engagement can usually trump a students' lack of interest. In many career colleges, there is not room for a Plan B so the obligation falls onto the instructor's shoulders to re-engage the students without straying off of the lesson plans. Finding creative ways to draw the students back into the training is a very important skill to possess.
Carole,
Super! Everyone is most interested in "numero uno" more than anything else (in the sense of classroom learning). Personalized instruction will always be a successful strategy.
Barry Westling
Great comment about 'what's in it for me?' Relating the topic to the students is a way to 'wake them up.' I've found that when I say 'an educated person should know this,' they perk up...
I agree I am trying to apply this to my cirriculum
afework,
Often students lose interest even when the teacher is enthusiastic and delivers great lessons. Ways to overcome disengaged students may be simple such as circulating around the room while lecturing, standing next to a student, asking a student a question, or pausing and asking a number of students a number of questions (it's good to call them out by name rather than to ask only the ones who raise thier hands). Other times more active measures are needed, such as changing activities, doing small group study or discussion, doing a demonstration, or going to a lab session. Keeping students interests and focused is our goal.
Barry Westling
this happens when I lecture in a way students like. This happens if I really know my students emotion, behavior, knowledge, interest and wish.
Kenny,
Great! I agree. Something simple that just sort of rests the mind for a moment, and recharges it for resuming the real lesson.
Barry Westling
I think that you need to every 10-15 minutes give the students a mental break. This can be done by doing something simple as having them stand up and then sit back down, offering a funny story or picture, or having them do a quick group activity to work on soft skills.
Hi Elizabeth,
Short and sweet! But it's a good approach to check for understanding and keep students focused.
Barry Westling
Step 1 - Explain
Step 2 - Show
Step 3 - Student must explain & demonstrate.
Hi Jennifer,
Sounds like a good strategy. What's good, too, is that students come to class and know what to expect. This can be helpful when they are studying and preparing for the class. The more knowledge a student has about a teachers expectations, I think they will just do better.
Barry Westling
I make sure that I begin each class presenting the new information. Then, we spend the rest of the class applying the knowledge with partners and groups.
Hi Justin,
This has worked for me too. Not every topic can be taught this way, but by gradually intermixing fact, hands-on application repeatedly, the class learns the information along with immediate application as we progress. It would be nice if evry topic could be presented this way.
Barry Westling
Tactile learning is the best way to keep the students involved in the class. I will introduce a project and then go in steps introducing the lesson that pertains to that project rather than flood the students with information all at once. I have to organize the projects and lessons to coincide but it's worth it once I see how well the class flows.
