Keeping something in your "backpocket"
Most of us know the flow of a class that we have taught numerous times. What happens though if you start a new subject for the first time? I find it helpfull to plan learning activities that will be useful in making my students interested in the topic, fun, and engaging. These may or may not be used depending on timing of the class schedule. Remembering this should make the creation of what's in your back pocket an activity that reenforces class discussions but are not a replacement for what would considered to be a necessity to the course syllabus.
Andrea,
This is a great idea. I agree, that it is important to get students involved with provided resources, that will benefit their fellow-classmates. In many cases, some of their recommendations can be useful for the instructor, in future courses.
Tremayne Simpson
I love finding new resources to engage my students and to add variety to the usual lecture/lab scenario. There are a lot of wonderful interviews with well-known designers and I use clips of them to introduce students both to the thought-leaders in our field and to reinforce some concept that we are covering that day. I have also taken pictures of various gallery shows and events that I've attended and have taken students on a "virtual field trip" to show examples of design and typography that are relevant to what we are studying. Sometimes I have even found some cool, interactive websites and I show the students something just for fun to break up the class time a bit and get them recharged. Often this will turn into an opportunity for them to show me something cool and interesting that they've found on the web and we all get a chance to know each other a little better and have some fun learning about a relevant topic together.
I agree that the students are very responsive to this type of review environment. It also helps pinpoint any areas that we need to review a little further.
We have set up Jeopardy game board in our courses utilizing review questions from the lectures and breaking the students up in groups. They absolutely love it!
We also keep links available related to the discussion topics to show related videos when time allows.This really engages our visual lerarners to open discussions.
Kathleen,
This sounds like an effective review activity. Also, using a completely, random system to select a student to participate, eliminates the perception that they have been "singled out". I'm sure that all students come to the class prepared to review, due to the possibility of being called upon.
Tremayne Simpson
I always try to keep these "supplemental" items activity-based. We often do a round robin type review where I gather all the students in a big circle around the perimeter of the room. From there, I stand in the middle and throw out a topic that we've recently covered and ask "what can you tell me about X?" I randomly pick a student to start with based on some random factor (closest birthday to the current date, 7th alphabetical name on the roster if it is the 7th class day, etc) and have them tell us one thing about the subject that they know, then invite the other students in class to add to the discussion. I try to keep my eye on those staying quiet and specifically ask them follow-up questions to draw them into the discussion. It doesn't "feel" like a lesson to the students, but it helps reinforce material and usually quiz grades go up in the long run.
Geraldine,
I feel that student interaction is an important key to creating a viable learning environoment. All of the activities that you have discuss, involve student engagement, which provides an enhanced experience for your students.
Tremayne Simpson
I also feel that it is very important to have some activities and extra projects to present to your students. I have been teaching for 12 years now and I am always looking for new activities to keep this young generation engaged in the lesson of the day. We as a team of educators came up with some great ideas to present to our students.
These can be used as Ice Breakers before the lesson of the day or at the end when you finished your presentation a little too early.
1. Have a printed sample copy of the questions on the upcoming written test to give to the students then Play a"family feud"type game and everyone will have a chance to answer the questions.
2. Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 people and give each of the groups 10 minutes total to look up a topic on their smart phones and they have to write a 2 minute presentation about the topic and present to the whole group.
I have tried both scenarios and the students were very responsive and they liked the fact that I changed the format of the day.
I love lab activities keeps students busy while learning hands on.
Kevin,
I agree. Class interaction is a unpredictable entity of time. I create discussion questions as my "backpocket" activity, in order to stimulate student participation, on occasions when they are not interacting on a consistant basis.
Tremayne Simpson
I agree. I tthink it is important to keep something in your back pocket just in case you finish your lecture early. your really never know how much time class interation will take.
joel,
It is a great idea to keep these items available for each class session. Also, the items may be helpful in situations where a students asks for more clarity regarding a certain topic or asks for additional examples, during lecture.
Tremayne Simpson
I always maintain a file of topics, activities and even currentr events to start off classroom interaction. To borrow a term "edutainment" as a descriptor of what class contents needs to be defined as, is critical in the classroom. DVD clips, current events discussions, newsclips are just a few of the items I use
It is very important to have something extra to engage your students with. As an educator we all have real life experience that we can share with our students. These bits of wisdom are great ways to bring the classroom to the students in a more vivid way. Every likes a good story
victor,
Pop culture references are always good to use during a class discussion. Sometimes the mere mention of a pop culture reference can spark the interest of students that may not normally participate in the lecture.
Tremayne Simpson
That is a good connection peace in a lesson plan. Have a discussion on the surface of a subject and to draw students in maybe bring up public events , television shows or personal experiance,this gets the class comfort level to where every one gets in on the subject with enthusiasam .
Kenneth,
You have presented an excellent point. Professional development should be used to strengthen the instructor's identified areas of improvement and should be directly or indirectly, implemented into the course lesson plans.
Tremayne Simpson
I find by doing a personal assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses you can identify the kinds of instruction that will work for you. Also by performing an activity that reinfoces the task at hand helps to keep the teacher focused and we can evaluate the student at the same time. Over time it becomes almost seemless to the student that you modified what you needed to in or0der to keep on track.
Jason,
I agree, in some circumstances the discussion can get a little "off track". However, if the instructor can find ways to transition it back to the original topic it could produce great student participation and engage students that usually do not contribute to classroom discussions.
Tremayne Simpson
The back & forth conversation on topic is a great way to help expand knowledge and fill time. Unfortunately, it sometimes becomes off topic, and then time becomes wasted.
