Hi Scott- Teaching our students to think critically gives them a skill they will use throughout their lives.
I will sometimes use the who, what why and how approach to qualify information. Other times I will have the associate with what do you know for sure, what can you assume and what do we need to discover.
Hi Mehmooda - Welcome to class! You are using some good techniques to help your students feel more relaxed.
I have used several techniques. Students should feel secure in the process of their learning. One way to do this is to have the students write out a question and submit to instructor. I have written questions on the board which will be on the test. I have provided them with review sheet. I have created games to use during class.
One method is related to a student's question. If a student asks a question that is directly related to our course lecture, I will throw that out to the class to elicit responses from the entire group. If responses are on target, I can then assume that the content of the course has reached the class. If the responses I receive are not on target, then this is an indicator that I need to revisit that particular area for clarification. Once I have done this, as a reinforcement, I will rephrase the original question and give that back to the student who initially asked to confirm that the subject now has been understood.
Starting your questioning with questions that will allow them to draw from personal experience is a great way to "warm-up" your students. Almost everyone likes to talk about themselves.
I have tried using opened ended questioning, but questioning itself, is an area that I have not been very successful. Forming groups with students talking to other students to answer a question has been successful, but starting discussions is hard. I have to work on that.
Joshula
Hi Jared - welcome to ED 103! You are doing a wonderful job of teaching your students to use critical thinking skills - this is something they will use forever - excellent!
The best practice that I have to get students to participate in class discussions is to ask direct questions. I do not give the class the answer but ask the rest of the class if they agree or not. I like to have them explane why they answered the way they did. This often causes debates and causes the students to think about the concepts more and not just memorize the answers.
It usually helps to get to know the class on the first day so you can figure out what kind of questions are suitable for each individual. Involving the student in the question is easy if it has something to do with something they are interested in.
It occurs to me that we are the students and you are asking questions. Lots of responses, so it looks like you nearly answered your own question just by asking it. Ahh the circle of learning.
Praise works good in almost all aspects of learning and can't be stated enough for me!
That is awesome. Very clever. I'm glad I decided to read through some more responses after I already made a submission. Thank you, your sharing will positively effect my classroom.
Asking questions in the context of real world experiences works well. They can be experiences common to all, or experiences common to the field in which the course content is in.
Before my lecture I plan out a few students that I want to make sure and have participate during the lecture, by letting them assist during the demo. then while I demo/ and lecture they are usually more comfortable and will answer questions even if they are shy.Helping with the demo in front of their classmates gives them confidence.Also my planning out ahead of time who to focus means that by the end of the semester everyone has had a chance /plus other students are still participating as well.
Hi Gary - I like the Nerf idea. It gets everyone involved in a fun way.
In my classroom we play a little game.
I have a nerf ball, I introduce a topic for review, and give them one thing about it. I then toss the ball to a student who adds another point or fact to the topic, then they are out and they toss the ball to another student, who adds another point or fact, they are then out and they toss the ball to another student, until all students are out, then I will finsih any additional information necessary to complete the topic.
Hi Joshua - this also will give your students confidence as they tackle new material.
I try to ask questions that the students may know from previous classes so the can also reflect on those classes to spur their memory
Hello Susan,
I like to start by asking students about their previous day/night. This gets them engaged in small talk and conversation as they are not intimidated by it. I truly think that students retention gets better when they are talking and doing instead of just watching and listening.
Next, I like to ask questions about the class...how did they like yesterdays lesson, did they use information from the class yet, what would make today better, ect...
Then, I start on the lesson, a review from yesterday, sometimes very similar to future test information...this tells me how well they can recall, and how well they understood the lesson.
Introducing new information can be fun....sometimes, when introducing new information, I ask loaded questions. This means the answer is in the question....for example, "Which way does the "out washer" face OUT?", or "What color is the GREEN front injector wire?". At first, some are confused, but after the second or third question, they get it and then they got it. I am always amazed at the number of people that can recite my loaded questions weeks or months after they were in my class! It always makes my day!
