turning a lesson into a story
One class that is very unpopular to teach is Operating System Concepts. Its a very dry subject that can be difficult to get students to engage in.
So how did I get the students to engage in the class topics? I taught the majority of the class not as a laundry-list of facts, but as a series of stories; the story of why the first digital computer was made is an exciting one if told properly and given some context.
After teaching Operating Systems several times I eventually turned most of the classwork into stories or interactive group discussions, and these classes have had some of my best student participation.
some times i use story to make the class more interesting
Hi Diana,
I know you have stories that will engage students for years to come. I enjoy hearing stories and seeing pictures of places like where you worked. Bringing real life experiences like this helps to make it real for the students. Keep up the great work.
Gary
I spent 3 years in Uganda teaching nursing. The stories and the photos are an invaluable part of my teaching.
I am relatively new to the college I instruct at, but this technique has allowed me to stay excited about even the most mundane materials. I teach in the Security and Investigations department and am an investogator by trade. I can usually find some anecdotal story or situation where the information at hand is important to understand/know. I usually go over the material, ask a few questions to see how well the class understands it, then I talk about the personal story that involves the information.
Students appear to catch on quickly and are listening to the story while trying to apply the information they were just given.
I get to the point where the current information is relivant, then ask questions to see if the class is able to apply the information. I have learned a lot from the different points of view and though processes during this part; if I learn something new I immediatly express it and congradulate the person making the suggestion(s).
I am also one to admit when I have really made a mistake; after I get the class to apply the information, I will let them know what I did correctly or how I made a mistake by not knowing or applying the information at hand.
While comical to the students it also helps them to see why the information is important after application in the classroom as well. It also serves to keep less than exciting materials from being disregarded.
Hi Niecy,
Sounds like you have great rapport with your students. This is so important in keeping students in school. If they feel that connection they will keep engaged in school. From the sound of your comments I bet you have some great stories to tell. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I am known as "The STORY QUEEN" around my campus. I enjoy telling my students stories about, HOW I'M JUST LIKE THEM. They laugh and make comments like, "Really Miss", "For real"? I often use myself as an example of "if I can make it, so can you. I'm going to do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure you reach your goal."
I agree that stories can be a good tool.
I also teach my finance course by opening up with a story that has happened in my career or something that was in the news. The excitement of a real financial issue draws their attention and allows me to relate the points of the lesson to the story that I told earlier.
Any idea's on how to make Pharmacology more interesting in class? All my power points are just as dry and uncolorful as the reading assignments, and with no audio in class or color diagams it's hard to get my point accrossed.
Turning a lesson into a story is very important especially in the field of healthcare. Many times when lecturing my students, I introduce them to stories of personal experiences that I have had in the medical field.The better picture you can paint of "real life" the better for the student. Students can only be taught so much out of the textbooks that are required. Much of their information needs to be fed to them by their instructors who have experiences it all before. Holding a student's interest is very important in the job of retention. If you are not providing the students with a "take away" from each and every class, they will stop coming to school, period.
Bonnie
That technique works well with many topics. Especially with the ones that are a little tougher to captivate the audience with. One of my favorites is when talking about the starter circuit in a vehicle, I ontroduce the topic by telling a story about the malfunction of the starter circuit my grandmother's truck, resulting in the car "Driving itself" through the barn and totaling it for the 7th time! (Nobody was in it of course)
