Not Enough Work for the Allotted Time
When developing lesson plans for the quarter start, I am certain to incorporate enough activities, assignments, labs, etc. to consume the entire class time and some so that students do not get bored. Every fifteen to twenty minutes, I try to change up and do something different unless the lecture or discussion requires more time. This approach seems to keep the students interested and engaged in the subject matter.
Hi Bruce:
This is a tough subject, especially for technical lesson plans that are necessary for the student to advance to other courses.
One technique that may work well is to divide up the students into groups, and have each group research one section of the subject matter, then have each group present to the whole class.
Regards, Barry
Hi Daniel:
This is a tough subject, especially for technical lesson plans that are necessary for the student to advance to other courses.
One technique that may work well is to divide up the students into groups, and have each group research one section of the subject matter, then have each group present to the whole class.
Regards, Barry
Hi Jamie:
You make a good point - in addition to changin up the activity every 20 minutes or so, we are also more sure to teach in a variety of ways and maximize the possibility of addressing as many learning styles as we can.
Regards, Barry
Hi Aldgenette:
The nice thing about changing up the activities in the way you are describing is that it is sure to help keep the energy of the class up and prevent boredom.
Regards, Barry
As I work on course curriculum, I making sure to incorporate more activities and hands-on labs to keep the students engaged for the entire class. I am not a fan of busy work, as it would irritate me in a classroom setting. But I do feel it is vital to keep the students fully engaged in class with helpful activities to stimulate learning.
I also find the increase in activities beneficial in reaching more students, due to the visual nature of the activities. Many students learn better by completing hands-on activities rather then just listening to a lecture.
It is definitly mandatory to have a few activities in your pocket that only take 15-20 minutes for those classes that get through a lesson in record breaking time. Just as important is being flexible enough to cut out some of these "quick hitters", as I call them, even if they would be valuable to the student's overall experience in my class.
Nothing assures preparedness like a back-up plan. Although I've discovered that during the rare occasion I do run out of primary subject matter, I can easily consume the classes' attention (and time, in a positive way,) with an on-the-job scenario/story. Detailed descriptions of a particular job, task, or incident, told with genuine enthusiasm seens to grasp my students attention and really give them a vivid mental picture of "real world" scenarios they may encounter themselves in the near future. The change of pace also seems to be welcomed. Soon the questions start flying and so does time.
I agree that planning a variety of things to do in the session time is a great technique. If you can change it up every 20 minutes or so, it is easier to keep the students' attention. I don't really have a hard time planning enough to do. I try to make the students as excited about the subject matter as I am.
