Angela,
Sometimes students are disengaged because their mind is preoccupied elsewhere. They may be ill, have sick kids, worried over finances, have difficulties at home, are tired, bored...etc. Overcoming these preoccupations requires a tactic that immerses them in the mission and purpose of their program, sort of a safe place from the outside world while they are attending class. In short, we have to capture their attention, then, there are many engagement and instructional strategies that are effective.
Barry Westling
I often find when I ask a question that it evokes a discussion between students and we get off course,so I have to redirect to get us back on course,by asking how what we are discussing will apply to the subject at hand,and that seems to get us back on course.
Jennifer,
This is a good method. Asking a question or changing the subject can allow the instructor to redirect the discussion back to the topic at hand. Related, sharing a quick story or past situation at work seems to always capture the attention of students. They like stories. Then, the discussion can be redirected back to the original instructor-led discussion.
Barry Westling
One way an off task student can be re-engaged would be to change the topic of conversation. Many times if students become bored or disengaged they are likely to get off task. By changing to another area of discussion or another lesson to learn, then their interest (and attention span) is heightened again.
Mabelle Joy,
Great idea. This would reengage students while making the time productive, effective, and enjoyable. Creative activities like this help students retain the required information.
Barry Westling
I break them into smaller groups and start a contest by using questions related to the topic of the day. I make sure that the rules of the contest are clear. I also give tokens or prizes at the end of the contest.
Richard,
Your proactive approach is a good example on how to keep students engaged. Even so, the next group of students will find other ways to distract and hence, other proactive methods employed by you, their instructor. This exemplifies that all classes are different, and even when procedures and or policies are developed, there will always be a need to be on the alert for students who are not fully engaged.
Barry Westling
Currently I have students who constantly distract the class by talking with each other during lecture. I found that they were talking about the next step, and asking questions to each other. I asked them to writ down their questions and give them to me after lecture for me to answer. I found out that these questions would all be answered during my presentation. To head this off I began to clearly list the specific topics of discussion on the white board to enable them to see the order in which their questions would be answered.
Curtis,
I guess there are levels or disengagement; broad and specific. Broadly, some students may lose the big picture about why they're in school. Specific is like days when they may seem to be distracted from the days lessons. It's more the latter that we have control over, and can intervene by asking them questions, getting them into discussion, or other ways to assure participation. Engaged students retain more of their lesson material and do better overall in their classes.
Barry Westling
keeping some students focused on the end result is sometimes diffucult , I to remind them of the hard work they have already put in and the results of completing their training !
John,
Questioning is a great way to get students back on track. It engages them, provokes thought, and requires they pay attention. Usually just a little nudging along these lines is enough to re-focus off task students.
Barry Westling
If students are having side conversations about the course material I generally try to draw them back into the class with questions. I use their side conversation topic as a starting point for a question session for the whole class. If I have students are truly off-task, it is generally a signal to me that I have exceeded their attention span. In that case I break up the lecture with a story, a quick trip to the lab, or a show and tell with props to be handled.
Wendi ,
Short videos can be great, if they are short. One problem with professionally produced videos is they often provide valuable information but take 25-45 minutes to convey the information. While audible and visual learning are good, static sitting and watching a 30-minute video can lose students while our attempt is to engage them. So, where possible a short 2-5 minute video that demonstrates some point in a discussion is a terrific way to break up the learning into digestible bits using multiple media sources. We want to avoid having the medium be tedium!
Barry Westling
When I notice the class is not engaged and struggling to focus I feel it is my responsibility to change direction and find a better way for them to learn the material. I like to play games, find an educational short video that captures the topic, or have group time.
Kendall ,
I can see where this might be effective for you. I do the equivalent by randomly asking specific students questions as the discussion progresses. Then I'll ask another specific student to respond to the previous classmates answer to my question. Soon the whole class understands they may be called on at any time and need to be "present" in order to be prepared.
Barry Westling
I like to give a quick "pop quiz" in the middle of class. It doesn't necessarily have to be weighted heavily or worth a lot of points. Students can even grade a classmate's quiz at the end, but it wakes them up and gives me a sense of if they understand the material up to that point.
James,
More involvement with senses such as hands on, will only contribute to better student outcomes.
Barry Westling
I like to keep busy, and therefore I strive to keep my students busy as well. I believe that for the most part my students are hands on learners. So I try to have plenty of lab projects for them.
James,
Terrific! Busy work provides a different knid of learning, and it makes more more interesting and enjoyable class sessions too.
Barry Westling
I try to have a number of hands on tasks that I can turn to if things in the lecture seem to be going wrong
