Losing the role is sometimes alright!!
I teach massage techniques and there have been moments that I felt as though a student wanted to take my spot in front of the class. The student was catching on to everything that I was mentioning...
Since she was doing so well, and the students all looked up to her, I allowed her to recap a few things that I had hoped EVERYONE would grasp by my lecture. It worked wonders!
She was able to stand up and student teach, her peers asked more questions...It was truely a win-win situation for us all. I was able to catch a breath and the student was able to reiderate what I've just lectured on.
Since then, I've compiled a couple of components in all of my classes to have student's present summaries. I often wonder whether or not I should give them advance notice...They all seem to "be awake" in my classes.
Hi Evelyn,
Thank you for sharing this great example of observing a learning strategy and then making it a part of your own instructional delivery. You are fortunate to have had some very good 5th graders in your background. Keep enjoying and learning how to continue your professional development.
Gary
Wonderful job - and quite intuitive of you as an instructor.
As part of my courses I often put aside a few chapters that the students can teach, then follow up with additional information where they lapsed. This OFTEN reinforces material because students DO need to know what they are talking about in order to present to the class, AND it provides opportunities for the class to discuss and explore concepts together cooperatively (presentations are often in groups).
I learned a great lesson when teaching 5th graders my very first year 18 years ago. I had 12 remedial kids and 8 gifted ones among the 32. I was teaching math, and found myself struggling to help them "get it". Then I saw a student whispering to another one, and then noticed a shift in the second students attention - he'd gotten it! But it wasn't my doing, so I asked my class who might have ANOTHER way to explain the concept. Next thing I knew, everyone was on the same page, and I learned a lot!
Hi Tammy,
Using students as presenters is a good idea. This helps them develop skills in communication plus in-depth knowledge about the topic that they will be presenting.
Gary
I'm really glad you brought this up. I've been thinking I'd like to do the same thing but wasn't sure if I should. Sometimes I think my class would learn more if they #1 thought they might have to teach it and #2 if another student was teaching. Thanks for the insight...thinking I'll go ahead and put this idea into practice. My students, I'm sure, will thank you for it :-)
Your subject title was intriguing! That was a great way to use the student's abilities. Even if they aren't a great public speaker, it's a nice change for students to listen to another person's voice, I think, even if the instructor is doing a terrific job of presenting in a dynamic way. Do the students sometimes ask a question about something they are not sure of as they recap the main points? That is another way that they learn from summarizing to the class; they get more awareness of which points they are not understanding as well.
It just goes to show that sometimes student learn best from their peers provided they respect those peers.
Hi Celina,
Great job of using the resources you have in class--your students. Everyone is a winner when you do this. The student(s) that is giving the demonstration or leading the discussion and the students that are listening and observing. Keep up the good work.
Gary
