Glazed Looks
Glazed looks from students will cue the instructor to a great deal of information about whether or not the instructional strategy being employed is working or not. If that happens, switching plans is the way to go.
Catherine,
Good way to break up longer sessions. Variety is a great way to mix up the way lesson material is delivered, jumping back and forth between, lecture, PPT, whiteboard, pair-share, group discussions, etc. The trick is to make frequent change-ups while staying on track with curriculum and within time limits of class.
Barry Westling
When I start seeing the "glaze over" I slow down my presentation and try to go to a You Tube video that is relevant.You Tube as a video for every subject available andI have a list available depending on the subject matter.
Mariam,
These thoughts come to mind (all may not be possible): *Keep the lights on; *Begin with each student presenting a part of the lesson; *Pair-share (small group discussion among 2-3 per group); *As you teach, ask ramdomly selected students to restate the previous few minutes of lecture (if unable, ask another until if after two the correct information hasn't emerged, time for you to review); * Present the most important information in the first part of class; *Save the last portion of class for group discussion. I hope these ideas or varitaions help provide some ideas how to keep you students engaged the whole period.
Barry Westling
The course I teach is 3 hours long so if it is a lecture night I will start to see eyes glazing as soon as the lights dim. This last week I asked one question per slide to try to keep them interacting with me but it is still not enough. This week I am trying to figure out a way to switch things up every few slides and incorporate an activity that forces them up and out of their seats.
Nicolette,
I "check for understanding" continuously throughout the lesson. As I progress along, I'll stop every few minutes, draw a name at random (from a deck of cards with student names on it), ask a question regarding material I discussed in the past few minutes, and wait for an answer. If correct, I praise, then move on. If incorrect, I draw another name. If after two draws a correct answer doesn't emerge, I'll go back and review before I go further (if two or more students can't provide a suitable answer it's likely there are more that need additional review). Generally, most students are going to get most of the material all of the time using this method. Just a simple technique you might want to try. You can also use popcicle sticks, unsharpened pencils - really any item that can be shuffled or shaken to give a ramdomness to questioning. Hope this helps.
Barry Westling
I'm new to being an instructor. When I got glazed looks I asked them if they understood or if I could clear anything up. No one seemed willing to ask any questions but I knew that there were gaps in understanding. How can I make them feel comfortable enough to stop me and ask questions if they're lost?
Michelle,
For me, sometimes passive activities like a video garner attention. Getting up and movingg around, demos, or skill that require some action are also good techniques to get students focused and engaged.
Barry Westling
I teach in the morning so many students aren't even awake yet. I will usually put on a video so that they start focusing.
Marge,
These change-ups are good, even necessary as you've implied. 3 to 4-to 5 hours stretches of time is too long to really learn and retain unless it is broken up into smaller segments of time, with breaks, variety of resources and media, alternating activities, and engaging and interesting delivery methods to keep students focused. The "what's in it for me" perspective is always a great way to keep students on task and on track, because they'll see benefits personal and specific to them. For me, this always an attention grabber.
Barry Westling
In my experience with accelerated programs where each class is 4.5 hours in length, I get a lot of glazed eyes over time. I've worked out a series of ways to mix things up, including small group discussions, peer grading, debates, etc. I've even used short youtube videos. My publisher also offers some great teacher resources including videos of other people lecturing over the same material. It's at least a change of personality for a few minutes. Usually these activities work at reinvigorating the students.
Carolyn,
Great. These are reliable, tried and true methods to reengage students. Somes just a little "jiggle" is all that is needed". Other times, more active "change-ups" are required. In either case, being sensitive to the class feel, and procative taking action can maximize our instructional time for meaningful results.
Barry Westling
Being involved in education actively for 35 years, I readily can see if "lights are on, but nobody is at home." this is the time to pause, break, re-direct class activity, and/or re-direct the method of deliveryof instruction.
Kundukisa,
Sometimes glazed looks can mean different things, such as an "understanding gap", miscommunications about expectations, too much workload, or even distrations about...whatever. As you point out, intervention is needed geared towards identifying why, but more importantly what to do to get students back on track. Sometimes it's just individual students that are zoned out. This can be all the reasons stated, but might also include illness, medications, personal circumstances occupying their focus. Rarely, students are just bored with the topic or are not a good fit for the program. Needless to say, the same action is needed: identification, then intervention. Changing the activity may be a short term answer, but more is needed when the situation calls for it.
Barry Westling
