Boooooooooring lectures
lectures should be interesting and interactive. If not we are realy just talking to walls; especially at 7 am
Hi Lawrence,
It sounds like you do as much as you can to keep the lecture exciting. I have learned that even adult learners like small prizes. Sometimes I take in a bag of Smartie Candy and give each student a Smartie. I allow them to eat the candy in class as I am teaching.
Patricia Scales
I teach at the same facility as Mr. Robar and students are tired and quickly fall asleep whether its 6 in the morning or 12:30 in the morning when our night class ends. While the boring lecture is sometimes a necessity, I try to keep students active by asking a lot of open ended questions during the lecture. Most of our lecture has a power point that students follow in their books. During this time I also add my comments and explanations in writing on the board.
I'm never surprised to turn around and see everyone taking notes. Doing Q&A with a nerf-ball where students ask questions and throw the ball to who should answer is a good "Pep-up" and giving small rewards (candy, pens, pencil toppers from the Dollar store) always keeps my students going.
Hi Harold,
Active learning and enthusiasm are a must this early in the morning. The instructor has to be in FULL gear to get the students going.
Patricia Scales
Hello, Our classes start at 5:55AM. It is challenging to keep lecture interesting and interactive at that time of the morning, I usually have our most energetic instructors teach at this time. Getting students immediately involved in Lab projects is the key.
Hi Virginia,
Trying playing games to add spice to the course. Students love it when learning is made fun!
Patricia Scales
Thanks,I like the idea of the pre-test. Some lectures just cannot be spiced up with hands on or even stories. HIPAA as an example. But the pre-test would at least let me know if they are getting the material and they can earn points for right answers.
Hi Philip,
You are right! You have to give all students the same amount of energy and enthusiasm, regardless as to the time of the course. ALL students deserve the same level of teaching from an instructor!
Patricia Scales
In my case, it isn't as much a matter of the information being boring, but mathematics is a subject that most would like to avoid at all costs. I have used a mixture of approaches that have been referenced in these discussions; using personal experiences, connected the material with how it is used in the "real world", having the students answering questions frequently, and using humor whenever possible. However, of all of the tricks of the trade, the one aspect that I feel is the most important is the energy and enthusiasm that we have in front of the classroom. If students don't see and feel the enthusiasm, passion, and energy from their instructor, they will not see the need to be interested in the material. It does not matter if the class I am teaching starts at 8:00 AM, a 2:00 - 4:00 class after teaching the last 6 hours straight through, or the 8:00 - 10:00 PM class, the energy, passion, and enthusiasm has to be there for all students.
Hi Paul,
Absolutely! Instrustors must be great entertainers in the classroom!
Patricia Scales
I start at 6:00 a.m. and the students are almost trying to stay asleep. I think of class almost like acting in a show. Every audience is entitled to my best performance. I know the information sometimes drags, but if they see you are having a good time with it, even after many, many "performances" they can at least try to relate.
Hi Lisa,
I love it! I like to share a positive quote for the day to get students in the right frame of mind to learn and to be open to new horizons.
Patricia Scales
One thing I do to get the students "warmed" up is share a quote of the day from a famous person that applies to our lesson. I tell them they should be thinking about this quote/person as we move through the lecture. It helps for the long courses!
Hi Errik,
Enthusiasm definitely begins with the instructor. Excitement is contagious.
Patricia Scales
I agree that the lecture needs to be energized to keep the students attention and that the instructor should enter at a high energy level. We know that most students will lose their attention span at about 10 minutes so it may be beneficial to plan your lectures to account for this and outline when to interject activities to keep the students alert and interactive.
I teach science classes and the information can seem dry. I find that if I can relate the information to everyday life, the students are more interested. Of course, this is difficult to do with some topics and sometimes the 'relatedness' is a stretch!
Hi Clifton,
Wow, this is early! I know you really have to be energized and filled with excitement yourself in order to get your students motivated.
Patricia Scales
in my class my class startsd @ 6:15am and you have to have alot of stories as they apply to the lesson.
Hi Matthew,
I too follow the same practices as you do! Early arrival is key in order to get energized for your students.
Patricia Scales
Agreed. 7:00am is early to start a class. Most of the city may still be asleep then. Getting to work early is a plus to providing a good lecture. Get there early to not only wake up but to also prep yourself for your day. Mondays seem to be the toughest. I always arrive at least 45 minutes early to get my coffee, set up the room and mentally prepare. In return my lectures are entergetic and lively.
