Hi Shannon,
Great techniques to utilize to hold students attention. I like to be as energetic as possible to trigger attention as well.
Patricia Scales
Hi Bruce,
I agree! Our students have a lot going on, and we must do our due diligence to keep them interested in the subject matter. A lot of hands-on activities when possible will help serve well to keep students attentive.
Patricia Scales
I have a 4 credit/4 hour class once per week. The content is dense therefore I break it up to acknowledge the variety of learning styles within the class. There is weekly lecture, discussion groups, field trips and hands on activities including use of several mediums. Instead of power point, I use information guides which I hand out for each lecture. It helps the students know what to focus on for the tests. Next term I will use a few guest lecturers to change up the routine - anything to retain the students interest. Also, I ask them how they prefer to learn and try to incorporate their ideas.
One way I make sure to keep students' attention is by randomly selecting students to answer questions. Another way is to have students call upon other students to either read out loud next, or to answer the next question. I will also walk around the room during lecture, or stand in the front of the room and remain quiet until everyone is paying attention. Usually students notice when there has been a change in what I am doing and that will prompt others to follow along.
This is a tough one for Career College students and Adult learners in general. Most of them work, have children and/or both... being sleepy during class or drifting into their world of what still needs to be done today is very common. My approach is first to recognise it - then get it out there so they know I do indeed recognise the issues and understand "their" willingness to spend 4 hours per day attempting to improve their life. I attempt to be the best I can be each time I enter the classroom - as the preceeding slides informed moving toward the cneter of the inattention and drawing them into the discussion most often helps. Giving them something to pay attention to is a constant challenge but doable.
Hi Bruce,
I like to ask students opinionated questions where there is no right/wrong answer to capture their attention. I do not like to put students on blast by not knowing the right answer.
Patricia Scales
Hi Austin,
I fully understand. I like to engage students with hands-on activities to hold their attention.
Patricia Scales
Capturing students requires student interaction. I find that focusing in on students at random keeps thier attention focused. It helps keep them intrested to some degree for fear of being called on.
I feel that asking students specific questions to get them engaged is useful but can cause emabrassment if they are unsure or do not wish to be put on the spot. I like to enusre that the student will be able to answer the question asked.
Hi Lea,
Students love having fun while learning. Students retain more when learning is made fun.
Patricia Scales
I like to let the students interact in the lecture and let everyone answer. I like to play alot of interactive learning games with them like jeapordy or if they can't answer they can call a friend or the audience etc. It gets their attention and makes it fun for them.
I teach 4 hour classes and this becomes a problem, if I were to just lecture for the entire 4 hours. Instead, I typically break up the class in to 8 half hour increments, with 4 of those increments being the lecture. the other time is filled with small group activities, individual homework, and whole group activities.
give them a wow factor. tell a joke or something to capture their attention.
By breaking the class into small groups will cause the inattentive student to participate in a group discussion.
i have seen students dose off in class , which is not surprising , i have to engage them by using the board for example then shifting to video, then having them open the text book to do an exercise together in class, this will occupy them , or i may ask a question , the one who answers gets extra credit for the next days quiz, these are all ways to engage them in class.
When students are talking and not paying attention to the lecture, I would move to the area where they are sitting. This usually will cause them to stop talking and focus on me. I will then move away from that area and later ask those inattentive students questions on what was being discussed. This is my way of letting them know that they have to be attentive in class.
I am not opposed to calling on students specifically to answer a question that one of the other students has asked.
I might say, "That's a good question, Suzie Q. What do class members think of this question? Then I might ask for the inattentive person by name: How about you John? What do you think about the question Suzie Q asked about culture as a way of transmitting meaning?"
This brings day dreamers back to class.
I try to break things up with short videos that are relevant to the topic. I am also an adjunct instructor and I work in the field on a daily basis so I am fortunate to be able to us recent personal examples to illustrate points I try to make in class. In fact, it is not uncommon for me to encounter a situation at work and think to myself that I need to make sure I bring this up in class the next time we meet.
That being said, I teach Criminal Justice Courses and work as a police officer, so I have a front row seat to the greatest show on earth and intersting examples are not hard to come by.
Classes at my institution are four hours long, so capturing and keeping student attention is quite a challenge. Breaking the course up into various kinds of activities is paramount. Group work is a must, and group work is punctuated with lecture, presentation, powerpoints, short writing assignents about class content. If I see a lull in the action, a break might be called for so students can stretch out and walk around before we reconvene. In short, contantly varying class activities is for me the best way to keep the student engaged.
Ask them specifically a direct question.
Ask them is they see a need for the job skill you are presenting and explain their answer.
Ask them how you can make the job skill apply to their specific situation.
Focus on their outward behavior with I messages which are
When you do this behavior, I feel this and offer them a chance to explain their behavior which may have nothing to do with you.
Work out a solution to the possible misconceptions and propose any possible solutions.
