Keeping focus
When teaching a class, it is important to keep the attention of your students. Demos of product, the how to and whys are always great. Real life experiences added in keep the class room running also. Being in a tech school must of the students here learn from hands on and touching the product. My students learn from doing a task better than reading a book and that is why I say demos are a good thing.
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for sharing your experience about learning how to be more effective as an instructor by using different strategies like silence to capture student attention. Sharing these types of strategies really help new instructors develop confidence in their teaching because they can try them out and add success to their instructional delivery.
Gary
I've definitely had experience(s) both with students hijacking the class and me carrying on because of my passion about the subject. Teaching in cohort with multiple classes there was one student who is known to be a chatterbox to such a degree that you could always here the rest of the class inwardly groan whenever she began to speak. I had to quickly develop a technique of nicely cutting the student off without dampening their enthusiasm for the course yet deftly moving the discussion along. I may be overly simplistic but I tend to think that such interactions occur for number of reasons. As instructors it's easy to get excited to know that you have a very attentive student - even if they are derailing the course. On the flipside when I get 'carried away' and talk too much initially it was to make sure students were 'getting it' and avoiding the dreaded classroom silence. In teaching for many years now I've become better at instituting pauses and being more comfortable with the silences as students gather their thoughts and arranging the course flow with small groups that allow for more students to participate in the discussion. Surprisingly, even the talkative ones enjoy this.
Hi Craig,
Using these stories help the students to see relevancy and application to what they are studying. Also, stories help to keep the interest of students if the story teller stays focused on the key points of the example and does not ramble.
Gary
I am an instructor at a trade school. I have many years of experience in the trade that I am teaching so I have many stories that relate directly to the subject. I try to use these experiences as much as possible.
I do agree with you taking note is very important for all students, in fact I am asking them to keep it in their notebook for later .
CL
Hi Richard,
I agree with your techniques. I feel it is important for students today, especially the Non-traditional students that are returning to school, to be able to relate to an Instructor and their lectures.
By making the topics realistic and interesting, I feel that students are able to retain the material in a better way.
I agree, note taking is most inportant. I tell my students to take notes of record the lecture to scribe later.
Hi Eric,
The point about your own notes having more value is a good one. By writing or rewriting one's own notes you are involving not only the tactile but also the cognitive and that is key to memory retention.
Gary
I agree. I also encourage them to take notes in their own words, even if they already have written instructions for the task. From my own personal experience, I like to read my own notes better than what someone else wrote.
I think that learing what to put your hands on is as important and that come from talking about it
