Immediate use of new topics and real-world examples

Public

Discussion:

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?

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?

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