Hi William - I love the idea of writing an interest stimulating question on the board before the start of a lesson! Thanks for sharing! Susan
Hi Denise - Thanks for your post to the forum. I find that learning to use "wait-time" is one of the toughest things for new instructors to learn. I guess it's just that fear of the "awkward silence"! Susan
I like to write a question on the board at the beginning of my lecture that the students will be able to answer by the end of the class. I also prepare "test your understanding" quizzes tha we take in between lecture topics to assess the understanding. If they miss something, we can go over it again.
The waiting time is essential as is possibly re-phrasing the question if there is no response.
Danial, I also like to use questions.It gives you a general assessment of what your students
learned or if they understood.
Hi Karen - Thanks for your post to the forum. Great example of a simple demonstration of a somewhat complex concept! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Stephen - Thanks for your post to the forum. Those are some very interesting topics- your students should have no problem finding relevant articles. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I have used on many times articles from newspapers and journals. They each take a topic and research the article and explain it to the class. It is to be done not in great length but it assures me that everyone will be participating. Since I teach Medical Ethics they are told to look for articles related to stem cell research or genetic engineering.
Participation is 100%
Another way to get students to participate is to use them in demonstrations. For example, I am talking about how e-mail is broken into small chunks called packets. I tear up a letter in small pieces and give a piece to all the students, they are now the receiving servers and have to piece the document back together.
My goal in all my classes is to get everyone involved. I always let my students know that if I call on them to answer a question and they don't know the answer that is OK. I also tell them this is a learning environment and sometimes it takes several incorrect responses to get to the right one.
This makes them feel a little more at ease. This also gives me an idea of who understands the material and who needs a little more clarification of the material.
Asking leading questions about the content, and allowing for open discussion, knowing there may not be a right or wrong answer, always gives the students an opportunity listen and learn from piers, as well a verbalize their thoughts and gain praise from piers.
I have tried generating a variety of questions prior to any lecture. This way it stimulates conversation, role play during lectures and get the students more involved in class content.
Hi Scott - You have some great questioning techniques! Best wishes- Susan
Hi Catherine- Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, we need to give as much positive feedback as possible. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I try to use open ended questions that will help generate discussions. Also praising questions and providing encouraging and optimistic feedback so students are discouraged from asking future questions.
I would redirect questions to allow more students to respond. I would allow five seconds before calling on students. I would ensure I understand the response and reinforce the response of students.
Try to ask questions that are relative to the topic being discussed and at the same time address a current issue. Pick a topic of moderate difficulty so both high and low ability students can make meaningful contributions. Try not to make the topic very controversial so it keeps the learning experience positive and also try to get the students to base their answers on something that they know as part of their unique life experience. Encourage tolerance in dissenting points of view, because everyone has an opinion on any worthwhile topic, but try not to start a classroom arguement. Use humor when appropriate to keep the discussion lively but be careful not to insult the students.
I too try to keep my students involved and interacting with one another to increase participation in discussion of topics.
To avoid this from happening, once there has been a relatively long pause &/or the student shows discomfort, I throw the question out "Can anyone help him out here?" I try hard to impress that the class is probably going to be together throughout the majority of their program here and that relying on one another's strengths and weaknesses, which everyone has, will build a strong support network.
Hi Brent - Thanks for sharing a very effective questioning technique! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
