Lecture
I have a difficult time coming up with enough to lecture on. I know the information but seem to have trouble relaying it to the students. How do you get more comfortable with lecture and putting everything you want to say into words?
Good Question. Set Goals for the lecture, what are you trying to accomplish. Then list all the topics that pertain and develop threads that tie it together, soon you will be looking for ways to try to condense the material.
Hi Rich,
Thanks for sharing your own experience with lecture length. This information will be of value to new instructors as they are planning their delivery methods and time spans.
Gary
I agree with this as well. I have tried doing lecture for most of the class, and then exercises at the end. However, I always seem to lose more students to daydreaming when doing that. In response, I have tried to break up every 20 or so minutes of lecture with a small exercise.
Hi Krista,
Thank you for sharing this strategy for preparing as an instructor. By using both approaches you can cover the different aspects of the field by answering questions and adding information. I like what you said about confidence because an instructor that is confident in his/her abilities reflects it to the students.
Keep up the good work.
Gary
You really have to practice. For some it comes easy. I was in the military so standing in front of a class is cake. However, being prepared for what the students might ask or having confidence that my information was coming across clearly was another story.
Here was something I did to help me (still do on certain topics).
By grouping my topics I was able to lecture and give meaning to it. I also put myself in the students postion and asked myself "what would I ask if I was a student listening to this". I would then go and find the answers (If I was not sure or didn't know). I then used this information in 2 ways:
1. I had the answers if the students asked (sometimes they don't). This made me feel good about myself because I had the knowledge and could convey it. It made the students comfortable because I knew the topic.
2. I would use the information and say "Did you ever stop to think about", Do you know what might happen if", or "When I first learned this information I asked myself ___________. Did anyone else get curious".
Both methods showed the students I cared and reminded them that I was a student once. By taking the time to do this I had more lecture material if I needed(it even helped me word things differently). It showed the students I took time to prepare and it made the atmosphere more inviting (which relaxed me and allowed me to lecture more clearly and smoothly)
I totally agree with your methods of teaching. My night students usually work during the day and they need all the diversity I can give them. It really keeps their attention and they retain more information.
I agree with the answer of practice, practice practice; however, I also know that's not really helpful or comforting to you right now. Try this: in your lecture notes, on a point that you planned to cover, instead of just "telling" the students, ask the students a question about it. Often, this will start a discussion. This keeps them engaged, and you won't find yourself running out of lecture before class is done.
I've found that when prepaing for lecture I can jot down notes or different ideas to talk about for certain chapters it helps allow me to have plenty to talk about.
Hi Tovia,
There is no magic way of doing this. It rests with your preparation and instructional delivery choice. I would recommend that you plan out a class session with 15-20 minute lecture followed by an activity, then lecture, then small group, then lecture and then discussion. By breaking this up into the segments the time will go quickly, the students will stay engaged and you will have plenty of material to cover the class.
Gary
Practice, practice, practic, is the best way to become comfortable with the lecture process, and relaying information. You must take time to prepare for class instuction, this also includes time to reflect on personal personal experiences to give working examples of the lecture material. Also, think of some fun activities to break up the monotony of a long lecture to ensure the information is being processed.
