Immediate use of new topics and real-world examples
I have three points here:
We all already know that the best way to reinforce newly acquired knowledge is to immediately apply it in someway -- whether that be a short in-class project, lab, or assignment. The idea of a 20 minute lecture discussion + 30 minute project + 20 minutes of additional lecture and wrap-up is great if you teach a typical 1 hour class 2-3 times a week for 16 weeks. At one of the schools I teach at, we hold class for 4-4 1/2 hours ONCE a week. I have found it incredibly difficult to maintain the students' attention and keep them excited about the content. I also have taught morning classes (8am) afternoon classes (1pm) and night classes (6pm) -- I've found that each section, depending on when it is held, prefers a different approach to the material.
The morning classes tend to want about 30 minutes of introductory lecture/discussion and then immediately move into a hands-on project, then we wrap up the class with mostly lecture/discussion/demonstration/review. The afternoon classes tend to enjoy breaking up the material into smaller chunks 30 minutes of lecture/discussion, 30 minutes of hands-on, repeat. The night classes tend to like to get all of the lecture/discussion done first, then spend the second half of class with hands-on work. Fortunately, I work in a very hands-on, software based program, so it is very easy to give lots of hands-on mini projects.
My second point was that I always try to bring in real-world examples for my classes. I teach in Audio Production, so I try to bring in real-world recording sessions that I have worked on, and let the students do the same work that I had done (with appropriate copyright clearance of course). One thing that has constantly eluded me is that even after I give them real-world examples, there are still a few that fail to see the relevance as to how this practice is important. I sometimes feel like some students see graduation as the end point, rather than looking past that. Any feedback/experiences are appreciated.
And lastly, I disagree with the author that we should review before a test. I always review the previous week's material at the beginning of the next class; I always make it a point to review at the tail-end of topics before moving on to a new one; but I can't help but feel like I'm just giving them the answer if I review right before a test?
Teresa,
Good point. The more integration of these concepts that students can make into the working memory bank the better. This way they will have the knowledge to apply along with their skill sets to provide quality and targeted care to patients.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In Health Care courses,theories,concepts,
principles are applied in actual clinical
situations.It is the integration of all
information into practice as the basis of
scientific interventions.
I often do a "guest appearance" for other teachers to talk to students about the upcoming job or externship, offering many anecdotes about things that have gone right or wrong. I think that once students understand the practical application, (it helps if it's presented in an engaging manner), it's much easier to help them focus on their studies.
Gashaw,
Students do love to hear these stories. Stories help to reinforce what is being taught as well as give the students a realistic picture of what they can expect when they are in the field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The real world examples are when attentions come back to class and every student is back in class. It helps them visualize doing the work in the real life when the real world examples are added in to the lecture.
Andrew,
Good point. Students need to see the value of being life long learners and how to take advantage of learning opportunities when they are available.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
That is so true that students only look at the graduation and see an end date. When we have tours come threw our school we make it a point to tell potential students that we have never had one student graduate and say man I learned too much! Its always I wish I would have paid better attention in you name it.
Barbara,
Yes, they are. Students really like it when their instructors bring in real world examples. These examples help to make the course content come alive.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Real-world examples are very important, especially when teaching drawing.
Joshua,
Thank you for your perspectives on how to approach working with different types of students at different times of the day. I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can really relate to what the afternoon and evening students want in terms of class structure. Your use of real life examples and stories is a good strategy because they get to see relevancy and application through these stories. Another way to bring these stories into the classroom is through guest speakers. I bring program graduates in and have them share their experiences with the students. Seeing and listening to a graduate really gets the students engaged because it is not just me saying these things which I am suppose to because I am the instructor but it is someone that really uses the course content to be successful in the field.
When teaching the longer sessions classes I plan to offer variety of delivery and change of pace throughout the session. This helps to keep the students engaged because if I just do a long lecture with PowerPoints they check out quickly. So we do learning groups, case studies, problem solving, etc. along with mini-lectures of approximately 20 minutes.
I review before a test in a general way that involves key concepts or topics. The students ask questions about these concepts or topics and I discuss the answers with them. This way they get to refresh their minds about what they have been covering but they do not receive the answers to the test questions because I don't review the test questions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
