I like to talk about funny things that have happened to me in the past.stuff that really makes you shake your head and ask yourself how in the world did that just happen.people like hearing these stories and it helps the over all mood in class.
Manuel,
Humor is a powerful teaching tool and from your comments it seems that you have found a good way to bring it into your lectures and keep your students engaged. This is what makes learning fun for your students as you mention.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
to keep the students attention in the classroom, I add a little comedy inside the lecture to make them laugh. this will tell me if they are paying attention to the lecture they will laugh if not they will not. Also if they laugh they learning will be more enjoyable.
Nelia,
Student learners like change of pace and variety in their instructional interactions. The more instructors can offer these two the more engagement there is going to be as the class progresses.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
A variety of teaching strategies will keep the the students focused and interested in the topic the instructor is presenting. Each strategy must meet the different learning styles of the students
Jodi,
This is a very good way to keep students engaged for the duration of the class. Students welcome a change of pace and variety in their learning so the more you can use these approaches the more your students will be focused.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Mini-lectures with hands-on applications would help with keeping them engaged. Breaking up the class into different learning styles so that the students do not become bored or unengaged.
Kim,
This is such a great way to get all students involved and feeling comfortable in the class. Your change of pace and instructional variety help to keep the attention of the students and enhance their engagement.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In order to keep students engaged in my accounting classroom is to do mini-lectures then go over problems in small groups of 4 or less. It maintains the interest of the students. The small groups allows for different insight and effective learning. As an instructor, my objective is to guide learners to a better understanding of a given topic that is meaningful to the learner. My classes are student-centered and designed to stimulate the learner’s knowledge and diversified experiences.
Kim Riley
Elaine,
I teach in the evenings from 4 until 10 pm so I can relate to your efforts in your longer classes. You are offering variety and change of pace and that is what will keep the students engaged for the duration of the time. Your class sounds like fun.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach a 5 1/2 hour course and find humor a most valuable tool too keep their attention! We take short breaks every hour or hour and a half, and we change topics after the breaks, or at least change from lecturing to hands on or group projects etc. Variety and humor make it fun! In the piano class, I also give them some short periods of time to just noodle and practice freely on the keyboards and reset their brains.
Dave,
Students like to have variety and change of pace in their instruction. You are doing both with your approach and this is what will keep your students engaged. I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I have 6 hours to program for and try to keep students focused for learning. It takes a lot of activities and planning but the pay off is well worth it when my students move onto the next level successfully.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Theresa,
Field trips are great for the reason you list. I have my students out in the field observing and shadowing professionals in their field so they can make a connection between the courses they are taking and how the information they gain will be used in the workplace.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My classes are four hours. I do break a couple times but I like to intertwine a PowerPoint, a computer activity, a video, a hands-on exercise, or some other type of activity between lectures. If you've been teaching many years, you'll know when to "change up." That is part of the "Art of Teaching" or as one of my college professors would say, "It's more Science than an art!" :-)
In our course studies I find that field trips are very beneficial to the students. They get a first hand look at design/furniture and are able to visualize their designs better knowing what the end product will look like
Seth,
Yes, it does because it brings value to the course content. Using current events to reinforce what is being taught helps to make the content come alive for students and shows how it is relevant to their career preparation.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Keeping relevant and topical with the conversation helps relate to your audience.
Francis,
You have a very good understanding of how to change the pace of the class and offer variety in your delivery. This is how you will keep the focus of your students. I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can relate to the challenges of longer classes and keeping students engaged. I am worn out at the end of class because these classes require a lot of planning and activity if they are going to be successful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Patrick,
Like how you involve your students throughout the class sessions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My classes run around 4 hours. I schedule several rest breaks. Along with those breaks, I have a change in activity. A class may start with my lecture/demonstration of some math principle. As this course has mentioned, there is a limit to how long anyone can pay attention to lectures so we have periods where the students work on problems involving the latest material. I can circulate among them to see how they have grasped the ideas and correct errors.
