Hello,
There are quite a few schools looking for teachers who have "real" world experience. However, speakers can always be brought in, and teachers should take students on field trips.
Hello,
I like to ask students about their interests, so I can keep them engaged. I like the idea of finding someone in their field.
Hello,
I think it is important to know the students names. Call on inattentive students by name and try to engage them in the class.
Also, it is important to develop good communication with students. Make eye contact - not staring - but recognition. Talk to them before class or after class. Students find it difficult to be rude to someone they like.
Hi Timothy,
Students must feel that they are important. Students need to know that we care about their success, and we will help them in every way possible to be successful, but they must pull their share of the weight.
Patricia
I review my lecture,demonstration, and presentation of both: so I can keep it interesting to the young and older students. I found out by walking back and forth through the students as I lecture asking question or discussions on the topic keeps them focus. Explaining to the student how this product will be used in the industry. Breaking them into groups, letting one student take the lead position then rotating that position. I also involve them with my demonstration making them feel as they are a very important part of the class.
Hello Patricia and all,
With adult learners, providing examples from the work place/experiences when responding to discussion questions is a requirement. In addition to providing examples, I require the student to cite from the text or a scholarly article to support their opinions. Adult learners want to learn and when they can apply the lesson to their workplace, their attention is easy to maintain. Best practices, benchmarking through the sharing process not only keeps their attention, but this is also a motivating factor to prompt participation. Comments such as: "I didn't realize that I could have resolved the problem in a different manner - I liked your example - your example showed me a better way or a different way to tackle a similar issue" – show that our students are attentive and are assessing other ways/perhaps better ways to accomplish a task.
Hi Holly,
Show and tell is a sure way to capture students attention. I am certain your students really become eager to learn after being shown the different instruments. Show and tell is such an effective teaching method.
Patricia
Walking around the room, breaking into small groups, calling on individuals.
I teach Surgical Technology so we have lots of show and tell. I start a lecture with an instrument or surgical supply and have them guess what it is used for. As the lecture goes on, they learn the real use.
Hi Kimberly,
Students seem to have a real interest in hands-on activities. Students really become engaged whenever they have to do something, especially if technology is involved.
Patricia
Hi Holly,
What else do you do to capture students attention? Of course, questioning them constantly keeps them focused, but I am sure you use other tactics as well.
Patricia
I constantly question my students.
I like to capture the students attention by always relating it back to real life. I find that when you talk to students about things that they may encounter out in their field of study they are more interested. I also like to introduce hands on things for them to do.
I try to make it a point to do some amount of direct questioning throughout the class, usually for this exact reason. If there's a particularly innatentive student, one that just can't seem to pay attention, I try to direct him or her with the help of other students' replies to questions. Occasionally, I'm pleasantly surprised to see how the innatentive student will eventually transition into becoming an important contributor to class discussions.
Hi Bruce,
It is also a good practice to make mention of great ways you have excelled in your career. I have found that students are captured by the success stories as well.
Patricia
You can engaged them in conversation by getting their feedback on what ws just discussed
I like to tell them a story relevant to the lecture of a personal sitiuation (usually on the humorous side) when I was "new in the field".
I do the same but make it into a situation that they might relate to. I propose a problem or instance that I dealt with and present 2 possible outcomes, one that was done and one that wasn't and ask them which was the better approach. In addition, I will occasionally break them into groups and apply a situation for them to think through on how they would handle and work through it.
i like to find out what interest the student then i approach my lesson with a Similar concept this works somtime when i can use a Scenario that will match their interest.if not i like to be really animated and loud.
I always use real world examples of mistakes I've made throughout my career, in regards to a given subject in the class. I've noticed, by doing this throughout the semester, I capture those students that never were attentive, or recapture those students that drifted off course.
