Hi Brad,
How do you assign the students to do the chapter content? Do they do a lecture for a certain number of minutes? Do you use the a team of students to present the contents of the entire chapter or does one student present the entire chapter?
Thanks for your input in advance.
Gary
I really like the idea of mini lectures. Sometimes I have to cover so much information in such a short amount of time, but breaking it up in small increments may help the students to retain the information better.
I use a process that has the student presenting the chapter content to the class and an open discussion/debate process
The instructors who I admire, and have learned the most from generally do keep their teaching to about 15 minute "chunks". Sometimes lecture, sometimes an activity, sometimes a demo, groupwork, game or other thing. Always different, so that, even though this it may have been an 8 hour workshop everyone was fully engaged at all times, learned new teaching strategies, was never bored and learned a ton - all while having fun.
Ask them lots of questions.
Ask them to solve problems themselves.
Get them to work with other students
I think getting the student engaged in what will be taught throughout the course from the very beginning is essential to engagement. In addition, getting students to think about and then articulate their preferred learning style is critical. By outlining the objectives of the school, any accrediting bodies and then us as instructors we have told the student what is important to us, if we then ask them what is most important to them, they become more invested in each class, project and assignment that follows because they helped develop it from the first class. Even those who may be in the minority of how they want the class to be delivered and what parts of the class should have more emphasis, the fact that they had a chance to voice their opinion keeps them more engaged and motivated than if we don't ask for their input.
I do this sometimes myself. My problem is I have to remember that the students don't always know what I am talking about and I have to remind myself of that. I will get to far ahead of the subject. I let them know that I do this and please stop me. They will too.
I believe a good strategy for keeping students engaged is in a learning focused environment becasue it emphasizes effort, continuous improvements and understanding. In this environment the teacher will emphasize mastering the content and will design activities to increase the learning. Mistakes are okay, it’s all part of the process.
A good example of a learning focused environment would be in a science lab. The students are required to test different methods to find out the results of the experiments the teacher gives. I have a learning focused environment, especially in my computer applications classes. When teaching spread sheets, concept maps, and word processing, there are a lot of different factors that kids can learn when we approach our tasks like a learning lab, the kids gain more, learn a lot and have fun.
Hi Crystal,
Welcome to the profession of teaching. I wish you much success in your new career. I have been a teacher for many years and can say it has been a great career for me. I get to impact the lives of students while educating them about a field I love, plus I get paid to do it. What's not to like?
Thanks.
Gary
Hi Carla,
Good strategy for checking to see if they are getting the material plus they get to bring to class something that they are excited about and want to discuss. This really helps to keep them engaged.
Gary
Hi Michelle,
First I have a private talk with the student and tell him/her how much I appreciate their insight and questions but in all fairness I have to include all of the other students in the discussions and Q&A sessions. I then suggest they limit their questions to a certain number say 3 per class session. This generally works because I have reinforced their knowledge (be it true or not) and so they back off with the questions.
If this doesn't work I ask him/her to write down their questions in advance so I can respond to them throughout the class. If they forget and start to ask questions I only have to give them a glance and point to the question cards.
I have also told such students that they have three or five questions to ask they must use them wisely because I will not call on them once they have reached their limit.
So here are three ways to help you out with this situation. If you have any more questions or if I can be of help let me know and I will be glad to respond.
Thanks.
Gary
Pacing can be difficult as my classes have 25 contact hours per week. It is also dependant on the class "personality".
Hi Dr. Meers,
I am a new instructor as well. Your comments to Lorraine are very helpful.
When we finish a chapter, I tell all the students to go home & read over their notes, & choose something from the chapter that really impressed/excited them. Then the next day, they come to class & share their perspective with each other. This lets me know if they are "getting" the info, & it also initiates a lot of further discussion.
I find in mathematics the best way to keep students engaged in learning is to show them where or why they are learning the material. In most cases it is required to accomplish higher levels of mathematics. I often tell some of my fundamental mathematics students I can teach them to do some problems in calculus but they won't understant what is used for. The process is easy but the previous knowledge is important to understand what they are doing at a higher level. I keep the students engaged by having them do hands on calculations. I am checking after a mini lesson to see if they can do the problems.
Stopping from time to time allows the student time to reflect on the topic. Asking questions to see how much to student retains the material and to test their understanding therof.
Lecturer should present the topic in a upbeat manner using props, diagrams,examples related to the topic being presented
I have a student relay their experience for the day, relating to the subject being covered. That student is to choose another student to give feedback, or input relating to the experience. All the students listen, because they may have to respond, so they have to listen, evaluate and give their input to the problem. This process goes around to include all the students in the class.
Strategies for keeping students engaged in learnig would be, asking for feedback, return demonstrations, debates, role playing and other means of participation. This will allow the student the opportunity to be a part of the assignment and create critical thinking.
Every now and then I have a student who thinks to be smarter than everyone else and asks the most questions even if they're not related to the subject. How do you address this behavior without appearing uncaring or too soft?
