I teach a business management course where students learn about the four functions of management (planning, organizing, leading and controlling) and their importance.
I used to present this in a purely lecture format, but I realized it was not very effective.
This past time, I had students complete several team-building activities where they had to design a house, build a model, etc without speaking or planning. This was a challenge for them. Then, we had them spend 5 minutes planning beforehand and completed the same tasks. THis activity was a hit because students got to work together, build teamwork, and discuss the content in a fun way. They loved this activity! I hope I can continue to be creative.. it was such a hit. I admit, I lecture a lot.
Sometimes I put an outline on the board and ask questions to help fill in the details.
Hi Anthony,
I like how you pull your students and humor into your lectures. No one likes boredom.
Patricia Scales
During my lectures, I will use power points to have students follow along. During the lecture I will stop and tell real life stories that are either mine or of other instructors or even real events. I also ask the students to bring up their own past experiences to get them involved in the discussion. This keeps them alert and most want to bring up experiences they have had. Once one student begins, others will also. It helps bring the main points across and get students involved by becoming more inquisitive. It also helps by not making the lecture as boring as some can be. Humor works well when lecturing also.
Holly,
It sounds like you do a fine job based on what you have to work with. To help speedup the lecture you many want to try guided notes for the students.
Patricia Scales
I have tried to engage my students in discussions during a lecture class by including questions within my lecture and then guiding the discussion to get them to think critically about the material and apply the concepts to a real life situation. These discussions sometimes run long and we will run out of time to cover all the material planned for a particular lecture. After almost two years I still have some difficulty in gaging how much the students can absorbe during 1 lecture class. My classes run for 4 hours and don't end until 10pm. I find that about half way thru the night many are starting to fall asleep, not because they are bored but that they are just tired because they worked all day, and haven't eaten. Students are encouraged to eat during their breaks but are not allowed to eat in the classroom. I find that I do more lecture type classes simply because of the quantity of material that I am required to cover. I would really love to be able to do more with my students. The class I teach is a part time nursing class that meets 2 days a week for 4 hours. I cannot take them on field trips simply due to the time we meet, 6-10pm, when most clinics are closed. We do meet on Saturdays for clinical, but those are clinical hours and we are not allowed to use them for field trips, or other educational outings.
Hi Victor,
Application is a great form of learning.
Patricia Scales
Hi Kenneth,
I concur! There is nothing like doing it to ensure you know how to do it.
Patricia Scales
I have started using training aids that come apart with my lectures and have seen better understanding from my students when they can take something apart and see the theory at work.
I think students learn more when they get hands on experince.
Hi Arlene,
Our students do a lot better when information is condensed for a better understanding.
Patricia Scales
During lecture the format is often important. Long paragraphs are difficult for student to retain. Bullet points or even diagrams are good. I try to "chunk" information into smaller bits of information and repeat often looking for comprehension from the students
Hi John,
This is real learning taking place. Students can apply what they learned in the classroom in the lab setting, and I know they make great employees as well.
Patricia Scales
Hi Caro,
This is a good activity to break the monotony of lecturing all the time. The more activties to go along with the lecture, the better.
Patricia Scales
Hi Patricia,
As an automotive instructor, i will usually bring into the classroom any pass arounds to help identitfy and create a topic or conversation piece as it goes around class. This helps with what we are discussing and also raises more questions about it. Then take them out to students vehicles and have them identify the same parts or systems on there own vehicles.
I will usually take a lecture and put some pass arounds to go around the room to let students see and feel what we are discussing. This in turn does bring up a lot of discussion on the particular section we are covering.
Cardiovascular Pharmacology is typically a subject that is presented in pure lecture format. I may devise an activity where students create index cards with the names of medications on one side and their primary actions on the other side. After creating the cards, I would have them sort the medications into categories and then as a group, we would discuss why or why not the medication belongs in that category.
Hi Lance,
I agree! Students remember more/better when they can actually get involved in doing.
Patricia Scales
Hi Jon,
I have found that most students enjoy demonstrating their knowledge using the board. Students really can learn a lot from each other.
Patricia Scales
Hi Suzanne,
I like how you get your students involved in the lecture. I especially like your guides notes so that your students will have something to reference.
Patricia Scales
