Preparing lectures
I was recently hired to teach a class I've never taught before in a non-traditional teaching environment. A week before the class began I was given a textbook, a broad scenario and weekly student tasks posted within the course, but no lecturing tools. Within the task list for each section were topic suggestions to base each lecture. Any suggestions or comments on how best to approach lecture preparation are welcome.
I think that this must either be a synchronous environmnent with students all logged in at the same time, possibly with a recording option for lectures to be viewed in some way after the fact by students. Otherwise the 55 min of lecture requirement seems to make no sense.
I think the better questions to ask about this would be: How often do you lecture; how many weeks are there in a term; and how much content are you expected to cover each lecture/week?
My advice without this information would be to have two or three mini lectures about topics you feel to be of special interest to your students. Expand upon what the text says through personal experience and examples, and try to ask questions that connect the dots for the students. Get them to answer the so what questions for you. This seems to work better than just giving them the answers since it just gets lost in all the other information.
This would work even if the students are not watching when you are lecturing. Build in time to ask the rhetorical questions. If no one is there, provide some of the answers your expereince would lead you to expect and address them yourself. This would ensure that the students, even if watching alone at some later time were exposed to differing opinions and an experts opinion on how those opinons fit in with the subject, research, or other relevant factors for that student body.
You could conclude these thought experiment/rhetorical question sessions with a prompt to email you if the students had a perspective that was not addressed in the lecture. This would get them involved; show that you know there are different approaches; and gives you more material to draw from and incorporate the next time you must lecture on the same topics.
Is this an interactive online environment where all of the students are online at the same time as you? Or is this a discussion forum/read-only type of environment? That would also affect your strategies.
Try breaking the content down into units, you can still use the mini lecture theme but you will have to interject them throughout the unit.Then you will meet your lecture time requirement.
Renetta,
The mini lectures work great as an introduction to content, but when you have the students research and present the information it is a good way for the studnets to present information in different ways. It is a great learning opportunity for all involved.
Hi Renetta,
That is what I was afraid of when I made the suggestions. I will try to think of some other alternatives that might work for you.
Gary
Great suggestions Dr. Meers, however, the lecture requirement by the professor is 55 minutes in this particular online environment.
I would like to add that this is an online environment.
Hi Renetta,
Tough assignment! I would take the topics that were given and segment them into class sessions. I would get enough content to do a mini-lecture of approximately 15-20 minutes. This will get the class started. I would assign sections of the topics to the students and have them research and present content around these sections. This way the students are involved in the development process while you are moving the course forward and directing their learning. After the student presentations you can have Q&A and discussion time. Spread the student presentations out over the course and you will be able to cover the class, determine how best to expand your lecture content and still do a good job as an instructor.
Gary
