Donna,
These are always fun sessions and they really help students to get engaged in the content. So the more examples they can share the better.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Edwin,
Right you are about the need for real world applications. This is what creates the ROI for the students. They see how what is being taught can be applied to the work they will be doing and this gives them an understanding of the relevance that they are seeking in terms of their studies.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Tim,
This is a great way to offer instruction as it incorporates examples from the field and then has them making applications to the problem. Your example was a relevant as it can be since it occurred just hours before the class. These discussions and the format you use help to make the content come alive and increases student motivation just as you experienced in your course last night.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
While covering the topic, I will ask the students to think of a "real life" experience or patient that we can review and discuss. No HIPPA violations allowed. Just situtational examples, that we can discuss and learn from.
I try to use visual such as power point with lecture, hand out an outline so others can write as they listen the lecture. Provide verbal cues to important key terms, and also provide demonstration of what I try to explain.
Right now I am very frustrated, as my workplace is giving me one day to complete these courses. The worse part they are not putting these courses into action so students are failing and they are blaming the students so the atmosphere is not positive for the students or me at this point.
I have the students in a lecture room for about 2 hours and then in a lab for about the same amount of time. I like to try to incorporate as many different delivery methods as possible. However, sometimes just one method may take the entire class period.
One of the methods I use is to allow the students to work in groups discussing and planning on a solution to a problem. I work in the IT field and teach evening classes. Last night I started the evening with a short “story†of my day at work. Just before leaving work to go to class we were dealing with a potential equipment malfunction that could have been disastrous. The equipment and the failing issue happen to be in the same knowledge area of the subject matter we had been talking about for a couple of class sessions. I explained to the students how the equipment supported our organization and how important it was. I then talked about what was going wrong. I explained what options we had, how we thought about the different options, and how some of our ideas were dismissed. I closed with how everything was brought back on-line and the problem was taken care of.
That did not have anything to do with them work in groups, but it got them thinking of how their education might assist them in the future. Then I broke them into groups and it was a good night. Different people were up at the white board at different times. I floated around the room assisting and reassuring people of their ideas. At the end of the night, with a little guidance, they had some good solutions and I recapped the evening’s activities.
The course content should always be related to the real world. The concept starts with theory of such as thermodynamics (heat),How heat is moved, What is needed to move the heat from one place to another, The mechanical components required in the process, The conditions that effect the movement of heat, Then how to analyze cause and effect to solve problems. The student will need to know why the theory is important to his ability to troubleshoot effectively. A student asked why he needed to know the theory when all he wanted to know how to do is repair a system. I asked how he would know what to repair if he did not know how the system worked and the theory behind it. He then understood the point I was making.
Dennis,
Can't say too much about preparation and the need for it. With preparation like you mention the level of self confidence increases when in the classroom and this is observed by students. This increases their engagement and makes for a good learning environment.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
preparation is the best way to handle this. if you have read the textbook, handouts, lab manuals there should be no surprises. You can anticipate student questions, areas of concern or anxiety and address them before they happen.
Misty,
Instructors need to stay current in their fields if they are going to have any relevancy and/or status with their students. Students will quickly disconnect from the class if they feel an instructor is not offering content that reflects current best practices.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In the Medical feild it is important that we stay current in our curriculum and teaching forums. I implement things like YouTube videos to show examples of respiration, cardiac arrest, ect. Relevant material is detrimental to the success of your program
Matthew,
Where and how do you select course content. Where does the content for the course outlines come from?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Michael,
The key is to do just what you are doing and that is be open to "reading" your students and then making adjustments in your instructional delivery. Each class is different so by being open you will be able to reach each class and increase student engagement.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have been implementing all learning styles in my lecture with an emphasis on visual learning. I have found that pictures related to the topic at hand tends to capture the students' attention. I will continue this style of teaching, but I am always open to change. If my next batch of students have a different preferance in teaching style well then I will adjust depending on their preference.
Bonnie,
This is a powerful approach to learning because it reflect on what the students will be doing when they are out in the workplace. The more connections like this that can be made the better.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Allison,
Great to hear the value you are getting from this module.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Hands On Material, since we are a Medical School, having real life subjects and participants is a great learning tool
I'm a new instructor and I found the information contained in this module to be very helpful. I got a lot of tips on lecture delivery options and accommodating all styles of learning. Thank you.
Leslie,
Yes, they do. Sharing their expertise helps them to connect to the content and increases the value of the content in their minds.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
