Kelly,
I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can relate to your comments. It takes as you know a lot of planning to keep a variety of learning activities going for the students so they will stay engaged after working all day.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I run an Industrial Maintenance course, we have evening classes, so most students have worked all day. I try to stick to 20 minute lecture, use youtube, powerpoint and straight lecture for contant delivery. I stick to break schedules so the students can get to our cafeteria, and I follow this with hands-on lab work.
Elizabeth,
This is what I call "connecting the dots". The more connection you can create between the content being offered and the application of such content the greater student engagement is going to be. Also, you are increasing the value of the course to the students with this approach because they see how they are going to make applications of content when they are in the workplace.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
For me, the most effective way to keep students engaged in class is to have them a part of the lecture, discussion, or activity. I find that when a student isn't involved they tend to either space off and think about other things which leads them to NOT retaining a lot of information. I always try to interact with each student in class but we do have small class sizes to make that possible.
I try to give them hands on about situations I have been in pertaining to the field. I also try to be a bit humurous to keep their attention level at its peak
Paul,
Yes, they do. The more senses involved the greater the retention of the content as well as the development of skills. You are right on track with this approach. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Technical students need to see demonstrations and "touch" the hardware. They do not sit well through long lectures, so I have to break up my lecture by bringing in some examples of what the lecture is about. They really enjoy getting out of their seats to study what I have brought into the class room. They tend to stay more focused when you break up the lecture this way.
Kale,
This is a great way to get students engaged. Seeing what previous students have done sets the bar for them and increases their motivation because they know they are going to learn how to do these projects in the coming course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to have projects or samples of past students work so my students can see what they will be able to accomplish during the course. This also sets a benchmark of the quality that is expected from them.
Using real life scenarios or case studies keeps the students engaged and helps them to apply the knowledge that they have learned hopefully cementing it and increasing their knowledge base.
To keep students engaged during lecture, I usually tell them about something I experianced relating to the subject.
Robert,
As you know students really perk up when stories from the field are shared. These stories serve to reinforce the value of the content being shared and this increases student motivation and engagement.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I also try to stay animated while lecturing while periodically using anecdotes or experiences from the field.
To keep the students interested,I try to include some hands on group activities for them even when I have a class that is mostly lecture.
Kodee,
Students like it when their instructors being passion and enthusiasm to the classroom or lab. You are doing such and getting the reward of engaged students. Keep up this good effort!
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
To keep students engaged during lectures I remain very animated while trying to present the material. I also will use real experience stories from the field to break up a long lecture.
