I have found that as I present a subject it is helpful to pause and ask them direct questions about how they might apply that knowledge or skill. I can prompt them with a particular scenario if they are having trouble answering :). Then when I ask later 'who has a question?' Most things have already been resolved.
Breaking up my presentation/lecture and inviting them to discuss a portion of the material for a few minutes also helps keep everyone awake in the evening classes.
Kathy
It is very simple we need to make sure our content is now and relevant, if you are teaching an intro to computers class we need to make sure we include new technology, this is what todays student knows and everyone of them has it.
Teresa,
Having taught one student classes no matter how dynamic you are this much contact can become too much of one person. I would develop or secure case studies that cover the essential knowledge the student needs to have for the course. Then I would have her work through a case study and have a discussion where she tells you what she has learned and how she applied the information. This way the venue of delivery will be the case studies and you all aren't setting at a table staring at each other all class period.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach cosmetology. For the theory part I will do a power point. It gets really boring for her. I try to make it fun, but how fun can it be with one person. With this field, I believe group interaction is critical. You cannot get that with one person. I have her five days a week. Some people say its great because she has one on one attention. I personally think it is much better to have a group.
Any suggestions
Teresa,
That is tough. I would much rather have a class of 70, which I currently have than one student. When I have low enrollment classes (2-3 students) I set the class up in a seminar format and we meet to discuss course content based upon individual work that has been completed. Since you teach a technical program this makes the effort harder in that you need to share and he/she needs to acquire certain critical content. You may want to have the student read the material and then have a class session where he/she demonstrates the technical aspects of what was read about.
Since I'm not sure of the technical field you are teaching this is only suggestion. I will be glad to share additional information if you will share some details of the course you are teaching.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree, interactive teaching is the best way to get the class involved and keep them attentive. Interactive learning can also help to absorb the material that is taught much more effectively.
I try to do alot of games and activities to keep it fun. However this quarter I have a class with one student. I think its hard to teach one student. It is a technical program. any suggestions
Ricardo,
Not sure I can really address this question because I haven't had it occur with my learning group format. As I have it set up every class member had an assigned role so he/she contributes to fulfill the part of the case study or problem solving situation we are working on. In introduce competition with some of the case studies and the students really like that and everyone joins in.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I haven't found this method effective. My impression: there is no common goal for an efficient group interaction, time is wasted and often a "follow the leader" attitude sets in.
How do you handle these problems?
I think using visual aids, asking questions and keeping them involved in the teaching process is key.
I like to start new topics with a related story from their field of study. The wierder the situation, the more they pay attention. Then I attach the story, in some way, to the lesson. The students seem to enjoy hearing the stories, and they seem to do a better job in class.
Tom,
So true and so frustrating. When I have offered special sections for students to review just like you are doing the top students join the session and the bubbles don't. Then I hear from the bubbles when they don't do well. I keep looking for new and creative ways to engage them and I do get success but I haven't found the "magic" fixer for these students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This has been a frustration for me. The best turnout that I seem to get is when I offer up answers to tests or quizzes as a reward for attending (and then hand them out randomly throughout the chat / call).
But, even then, my audience tends to be the students who are more engaged, not those "bubble" students who probably need it the most.
Tom
Tom,
Don't have a specific answer to your question because it is an ongoing challenge for me as well. I reach out to the students in a number of different ways as we get ready to have a live chat or conference call so they are reminded to be in attendance but it seems that like with all situations the motivated and engaged students are on the chats or calls and the students that are on the bubble in terms of success in the course are not there. I follow up with them but it is not the same as if they had sit in on the actual sessions. I just keep working at this with progress being slowly.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As mentioned, I teach online classes. One thing that our college strongly suggests, that I struggle with, is facilitating an a-synchronous event (ex: live chat, conference call, etc.). This is something that I constantly struggle with. I have a difficult time getting students to show up (I am sure this is a combination between busy schedules and desire). I also have a difficult time deciding on topics to cover. Have you seen these types of events work? If so, what has made them successful?
Tom Elegante
Discussing relevant topics is a necessary part of maintaining student engagement. Also, dealing with the students on their level, giving relevant examples of things that they understand and experience on a daily basis.
I have found that it is very important to help the student understand how the material is relevant to their career aspirations. If students can not see the correlation between the class topics and their own personal goals it becomes difficult to keep them engaged.
Tom,
Ongoing communication with all students is one strategy that is effective. It is easy to withdraw as you know in an online setting. By forming discussion groups or learning communities you can get all students interacting with the other members of their group to complete a project. Reminders and follow ups help as well.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach online classes (it has been several years since I have taught in-person). One thing that I like to try to do is engage students in discussion forums (like this). But keeping students engaged in online courses has always been a difficult task.
From your experience (or from posts submitted by other students) what ways of keeping students engaged in online courses work? And, which ones don't work?
Tom Elegante
Laura,
Thank you for sharing your experience with the mini-lecture format. This is a very effective strategy to keep students engaged.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Steven,
Learners like to have a change of pace in the delivery of content as well as variety in content. When both are offered then engagement is going to be enhanced.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
