Over prepare
I always have a "canned presentation in my back pocket." Raising discussions in class can lead to going off topic which sometimes is not a bad thing, but if it gets too far off I try to slow the class and steer them back with some visuals to get them back on track. Of course sometimes if they are off topic but still in the course content I just let it flow.
Daniel,
You raise a good point because I to teach in a three hour block format and I really like it. You can do a lot if you plan in a way that keeps the class moving and the students doing different activities. I teach at night so I have to work even harder to keep my students engaged because they are tired and will drift off if I slow down even the littlest bit.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The course I'm teaching right now is broken into 3 hours sessions which meet twice a week. I find that this format makes it much easier to recover from unexpected detours. A shorter class would naturally have less buffer time available so I'm not sure I would be as successful at navigating the detours if I were working within, say a 90 minute space.
Guy,
Good plan. We all need to have a backup when we are teaching because as you know you never can tell when you are going to need to go to Plan B. As for the discussion you are doing a good job of using common sense with how far you let the discussion go. If there is learning involved and it helps advance the knowledge base of the students then it can continue if not as you say you bring it back to where it needs to be and this benefits everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
