Hi Leigh,
Very nice and creative activity. Gets students thinking, interacting, and participating in their instruction.
Barry Westling
One of my favorite games is called "cabbage ball" students take a question that they believe they will see on the test and write it on a piece of papter. I collect them and wad them into a big ball. We toss the ball around and the person who catches it unwraps the question, if they answer it correctly the get award money that can be used at our campus bookstore. A ton of fun and literally no prep time on my part! Also, its not a problem if questions are repeated because repitition helps to prepare them for the exam!
Games are good, i like to try to get open discussions going also.
Dr. Richard,
Sometimes a good back up plan can be intitiated just to add some variety or reengage students who've lost focus for wahtever reason. Of course, a great use is when there is extra time to fill and the regular lesson is complete, or when things just don't go as planned - that's when the loe bak-up plan or "Plan-B" can be used to ameliorate the situation.
Barry Westling
In my experience, an instuctional backup plan is needed when I incorrectly assume that students have the cummulative or foundational knowledge (acquired in prior courses) that would allow me to effective create new experiences, knowledge, and skills. My backup plan is ensuring that foundational ideas, concepts, and skills need to be refreshed, reviewed, or presented in a different iteration. Accordingly, my backiup plans considers continuity and sequencing. Courses are not a single subject design but correlate subjects and content.
Concurrently, because many students do not grasp a concept in one experience, my backup plan must acknowledge a different and multiple method of delivery.
Hi Libi,
Students like games, especially if they see that it's related to their learning, and it's lowkey with little weight attributed to their grade.
Barry Westling
Hi Amber,
Yes - variety adds to interes, and interewst adds to engagement, and engagement leads to retention, and retention results in learning.
Barry Westling
Hi Kathy,
Good. With back-up plans, we will actually be preparing additional material should there be extra time. Also, sometimes when thing don't (or can't) go as plkanned a good back up plan can be implemented. And if someone needs to cover a class due to illness or the regular teacher is called away, a back up plan can be used for that temporay period of time.
Barry Westling
Hi Olmarys,
Good deal! All great examples. Engaged means involved. Sometimes the reason lose interest is because they don't understand or have other things on their mind. Our purpose is to refocus this group with assistance and get them participating in an activity.
Barry Westling
I use educational games so they don't get really bored.
I like that idea. I will try to create some more opportunity to add variety to course instruction.
I like to have my weekly lessons planned out incase we finish faster or I want to present them with additional information.
Keeping students engaged is important part of managing the students education. Lesson plans need to be written so that they can be extended or compressed as the students needs change.
Teaching each lesson will encounter areas that will require change in method and activies to keep them involved, one way will be to go from lecture to physicial activity, getting them out of there seat and moving will wake them up.They will relate to visual technical activety better than just lecture sitting.
Hi Jackie:
While back-up plans are generally considered something to do in case you run out of primary information to talk about, I think you make a strong point here by describing the use of these activities as a way to change up the energy in the class, something that is often times critical to keep students engaged.
Regards, Barry
Therese,
The nice thing about back up plans is we can plan more lesson than time would be normally available. Then, in case class runs short, and there's extra time, we can pull out that good old back-up plan, and students will think that was planned all along. Another use is if, for whatever reason things can't go as planned, we have something ready to use so that time is not wasted.
Regards, Barry
I always have to make choices on how I think it is best to present information. Consequently, in the back of my mind are alternatives that I did not choose as 'plan A'.
Hi Miriam:
These are great examples. Real world examples (stories) are almost always engaging, interesting, and catch the attention of students.
Having good back up will allow us to bring something different into the lesson if time permits, if studenjts are losing focus, or if what we had planned can't happen for whatever reason. It's like having just a bit more class material available than is needed, but if needed, we're prepared.
Regards, Barry
I have started taking notes as I go through my classes in regards to problem areas, areas where we spend more time, long versus short powerpoint, etc. I also note presentations that worked and those that didn't. For example, I found that students enjoy real-world examples. Videos are a good way to present information also. I try to observe what about the class the students enjoy and what they do not so we can try and fix it.
Hi Noah:
One of my responses to your earlier posts can apply here too. Set the expecations at the beginning of your course. If your time allows, offer tutoring to students who are struggling.
A good back up plan is to divide your students into groups and have them discuss an aspect of your course, then talk about it to the whole group.
Regards, Barry
Hi Ken:
If I may take that idea one step further, I would say why not use back-up plans no matter what? This might be a great way to break up the energy of the class, especially if doing so has the studens work on something that forces them to think in a new way.
Regards, Barry
