Especially in a long class (3+ hours) I find it is ok to allow moments of lag, to allow them to disengage, relax, make a joke and get off topic for a moment. This is one way students 1. cope with lots of information and 2. connect with each other. (Especially in group work) That being said, when I go off track with them and contribute the conversation, it is then easier for me to reengage because I know the direction they are heading.
Having worked as an instructor with indivivals who are emotionally & behavioraly challenged, with young adults from jail environments, nursing students, EMT-P students, nursing students, & nurses, there are common threads that tie/link common themes with regard to re-directing & refocusing individuals. Positive reinforcement & praise for efforts made in combination with providing goal centered emphasis on given achademic or vocational training gives students a greater sense of achievement & purpose. Reengaging off-task students can be met with non-confrontational questions directed towards the individual, by using small groups to review & or research material, & by infussing the material with energy & potential relevance to their life goals.
Involve students in the discussion. When my students are disengaged, it is usually because I have been doing too much talking and not enough listening or asking questions.
I don't think there is any "sure fire" method to keep off-task students on task. Students become off task due to reasons other than the lecture or classroom presentation. They could be ill, fatigued, or simply preoccupied with a personal problem. Saying that, however, I do believe the instructor can provide a lot of incentive for students to stay on task. This would involve an interesting lecture presentation, PowerPoint slides to assist with note preparation, videos, demonstrations, and relating the classroom material to real-world experiences. I think a "hands on" direct experience goes a long way towards minimizing students becoming off task, however, some classes prevent this. Classes promoting skills training is best designed for a direct experience, whereas classes where an imparting of information is the focus, this is more difficult. What I have found in the information imparting classes, the following "techniques" to be effective: an interesting and humorous lecture style where the instructor can tie the information to real-world experiences, PowerPoint slides to help organize the presentation of material and to assist the students with notetaking, videos that highlight the information, and discussion. In fact, I have found discussion to be the most effective. I often employ a "popgun" style of questioning to keep everyone involved in the discussion and to ensure that those students who like to "drift off" cannot have an opportunity to do so. If a student is off-task, it is obvious when they do not answer the question correctly and I often look for those kind of students. So to conclude, I have found that the most beneficial technique to keep students on-task is lively classroom discussion, where everyone is involved
Reengaging off-task students first takes discovering what has made them go off task. I have had classes before where I have literally just dismissed the class because no one was on task, and I judged that it was a case of holidayitis. LOL! If I realize that it's a case of the majority of students not understanding the task, then I will stop whatever is happening and review the task and material in a different manner and see whether I can get the task restarted. I will also introduce a different task if necessary. Luckily, this is not an issue in an online class, which is where all my teaching currently takes place.
I like your suggestion of role-playing. Students like to perform real-world activities, and students who act as the "customer" to those role-playing activities tend to give more of a challenge than I as an instructor would :)
Hi Jeol:
This is a good idea. Another technique may be just walking around the students in closer proximity while lecturing.
Regards, Barry
Hi Rosemary:
Another technique that sometimes works is having the instructor walk around in closer proximity to the student group.
Regards, Barry
There are times when students are not engaging because of being shy, tired, or lack interest in the topic. One way to get students engaging is through hands on project in class and later a presentation or feedback on the project.
One way I found that can help in reengaging off-task students is to get them involved in the present lecture. I do this by asking questions. This requires the student to pay attention to what is going on. If the student realizes that they may be called upon to talk they will pay more attention to the lecture.
Hi Emily:
That sounds like a great, effective method. Another idea is to have the instructor walk around the class and put themselves in closer proximity to the student.
Regards, Barry
Hi Nancy:
All excellent ideas. Another idea might also include having the instructor walk around the class and put themselves in closer proximity to the students.
Regards, Barry
I often get them back on-task by posing a group brainstorm question, which pairs or groups take no more than 10 minutes to discuss, that they then report back to the class for open discussion.
Hi Rosemarie:
That's a fun way to get them back on track. And I like how you suggest to do that in a non-intimidating way.
Another technique that might work well is to walk around while lecturing, and be in closer proximity to the student.
Regards, Barry
Hi Melissa:
That's a grat idea. Another approach is moving through the class while teaching and just being in closer proximity to the student.
Regards, Barry
Hi Robert:
Another good technique (if possible) is to have the instructor walk around the class while lecturing, and just bring themselves in closer proximity to the student.
Regards, Barry
Hi Shantae:
Another idea is (if possible) having the instructor walk around while lecturing and be in a closer proximity to the students.
Regards, Barry
I too think it is critical to talk about real-life experiences and share the topic in that realm to make it appilicable for them!
I have a group of students who are notorious for drifting off to do their own thing and ignore the instructors. I have been trying to get them to help teach others and do show and tell or visit other classes with relevant material. It seems to work.
I make sure there are a lot of components and parts to hand around, so the students can have a lot of "Hands-On" during lecture. I've also found that asking questions can engage the students, especially if the information I'm trying to get from them refers back to material I've already presented. Since a lot of my lectures build on previous lectures, this keeps them thinking, and helps to reinforce that information, as well.
