I feel changing the class up from time to time works well to engage students. Having group assignments in class that are discussed afterwards is a great way to change from the traditional lecture.
Michael,
Right. If we can keep students interested (by segmenting their instructional time) they are bound to be more engaged, more interested, and as you suggest, retention of needed information is more likely.
Barry Westling
That's very logical. I've read statistics that claim that genuine focus can last only about 15 minutes or so. I do indeed give the students regular opportunities to shift their focus, sort of "cleaning their palates" as it were. It has the dual benefit of giving their brains a break and nudging them toward recalling the material they just absorbed. I find retention goes up significantly.
John,
Review is good. It does help keep attention and for those who for wahtever reason are unclear about lesson material, all will benefit by clarification or reinforcement of needed information.
Barry Westling
Reviewing previously covered material by either asking the specific student(s) who are not engaged or a classmate or group of classmates near them a question often will "nudge" them to pay more attention to what's going on in the class at that time.
David,
These are great methods to break up the intensity of focused study and also, healthy. I don't think we should sit for long periods. And increased blood flow helps stimulate thinking and retention of essential information.
Barry Westling
When I have students engaging in off-task activities I will often first take a break and encourage them to walk around for a few minutes. Because I have them in class for eight hours I try that approach first. We will try to break up the day with them either doing some hands on training or completing a special project in a specific time frame in small groups.
Chanda,
Right, this is effective. If coupled with questioning (as you say), studenjts often feel like the atmosphere is a bit more intimate, and begin to feel that the expectation is to pay attention because they may be asked a question.
Barry Westling
Claire,
I like group discussions to address this situation. If I am not ready to move on, I can transition for a brief period, then move back to where I was in the lesson. Circulating around the room is another good way just to keep the attention span a bit more alert.
Barry Westling
I have found just getting close to the student and standing there is enough to refocus he or she. If that doesn't work asking the student a very simple question about whatever is being discussed usisally does the trick also.
Stop talking and get them involved in a task.
Group tasks or discussions often work well if one person in the group has been designated as the group leader who will report results back to the class.
When giving out assignments, even in-class discussions, always be perfectly clear as to the objectives and deliverables and the time frame involved. Move around the room and guide activities to keep them on track but don't take over.
Variety is key to keeping students engaged. Also involving the students by giving them tasks to do (meaninful tasks, not busy work).
Erica,
Frequent breaks is good, as studies have shown the brain can seriously concentrate on only a few concepts at a time and will begin to lose effectiveness after about 30 minutes. If not able to take a break, we can "chunk", which simply is changing either the way we are presenting material, or changing the topic a little bit, with return to the former method later on (in the same period). These "chunks" of information help keep attention, variety, interest, and may make the class a little bit more enjoyable.
Barry Westling
At the campus I teach at we give our students a 10 min break on the hour, every hour. Other ways I plan to keep students engaged next mod is to plan activities around the body work I will be teaching, and to continue to find activities to keep them fresh on muscles, origin and insertion and actions.
Nicole,
Frustration just seems to be part of the learning process for many students. In the best sense, some frustration is good as it provides some motivation to want to do better. In your example, frustration can overtake reason and consume the emotions. I think allowing students to share their feelings privately with the instructor can add a lot to keeping over the top frustration to a minimum.
Barry Westling
It depends on the situation and whats reasoning behind the disruption in class. Ive had a student that said after a test "this is BS" very loud and upset. I immediately asked her to join me in the hallway away from the rest of the class.I cannot have that sort of out-of-control disruption in my classroom. It brings down the overall moral of the classroom.
Michael,
This works for me too...most of the time. It has backfired when students feel embittered about how much they're paying, and feel like the last 30 minutes was a waste of time (thier view). But it's a good motivator, and a great way to put participation in class in to perspective.
Barry Westling
I like to express to the students how much their training is costing them. I break it down to the hourly cost and most are quickly reengaged.
lisa,
Questions, discussions, and active ingagement (writing ideas on flip charts, white board, leading a discussion) are examples of ways to reingage distracted students. Sometimes, just simple tasks can reinvigorate students, such as circulating about the room, teach for 10-minutes, ask questions for 5-minutes. This last suggestion puts students on notice they're likely to be called on and therefore, need to pay attention in order to respond appropriately.
Barry Westling
I might switch teaching methods. Maybe start asking them questions and getting them engaged in conversation about what they are supposed to be learning.
April,
Disingagement can happen for a lot of reasons: unprepared, do not understand, tired, bored, have fallen behind, illness, or distracted by other thoughts. In all cases (except possibly illness), we can reingage by simple to aggresive methods. Just circulating about the room keeps students a bit more attentive. Asking questions frequently also keeps students attentive. Sometimes, it's necessary to change the activity in order to keep interest. That can occur with a plan to return to that activity later on in the class period. Sort of back and forth, which is a form of variety. Getting students actively involved is probably the best way to keep students engaged, and there dozens of ways to achieve that depending on the class, the topic, and the level of instruction required.
Barry Westling
