Moving around the classroom
Moving or walking around the classroom can also be an effective tool. By keeping everyone's attention on you while you are walking around will keep students interested about the subject and no sleeping in the classroom. also by doing this, it will allow you to concentrate on voice delivery throughout the class.
Hi Paul,
This is a good approach to classroom management plus by moving around you are showing the students that you "own" the room. Many instructors stay in one place during lectures and labs so the students know that they can control the rest of the classroom since they are the only ones that will be seeing what is going on.
Gary
This is an effective technique, especially in a computer-based classroom. My students all have a 21 to 27 in monitor in front of them - a huge temptation to check out their favorite social sites. By moving around the room, including the back of the room, they are less likely to get distracted during lectures.
Hi Nushin,
Right you are. When you move around the classroom you are giving your students mental breaks because as they look up and move their eyes their brains are given mini-breaks which are enough to give the students time to reengage in the learning process.
Gary
Moving around the classroom while teaching or discussing a subject will make a subject more interactive. Not only students have to follow the instructor, but the instructor gets to get a different view and angle of students - a more one on one view. The subject can be also turned into a livelier subject based on the pace of the movement.
The student table in my class are set up in a U shape. During a lecture I will roll in my chair back and forth between students to ask or answer questions. This keeps me at there eye level and gives a more involved group atmotsphere
I feel that moving around helps break up the sitting and staring during lecture. Your voice tones will change as you walk around the room. It helps you and the students stay on track. I puposely scatter visual aids around the room and walk to them to support the lecture. This gives the students a small, constant state change because they are always having to change their seating position to see what I am talking about.
I believe in any and all strategies that help keep a lecture from becoming stagnet. Moving around helps keep the attention of students while keeping them guessing on were you will physically be next. This serves as a good deterant for those students who like to catch a little nap during lecture.
Phil
Moving around either by walking or changing position while seated or standing are great strategies for "capturing" student's attention especially using eye contact, body language and voice tones too. Timing is critical when one starts walking or moving..I do this when I need to emphasize a more difficult topic to get everyone's atention and participation!!
We use round tables here at our campus, which I really like. I move around the classroom constantly, and I use it as a tool to observe who is taking notes, as a deterrent, so to speak, to nodding off, and it seems to work well for me as far as being able to "pull" the entire class along, especially during some of the more challenging lectures.
If you move around the class room I think most students try to keep with you and pay attention much better.
Walking around the classroom and engaging the students is a definte delievery method. I would call it "CWA" (coaching by walking around). It is a nessacery componet in the delievery method. You grab your students attention, you demand eye contact which is nessacary. You can tell if your students thoroghly understand the material that is being taught. Besides, without the CWA students may nod off, become less motivated to come to class, and last but not least. Your legs may grow restless from just sitting or standing in on place! :0)
i would say that moving around is defintely needed. it is just as important as state changes and voice changes. not only will it help the students stay engaged in the topic, but it also gives us a way to see how the students are doing. if they have some notes to copy down or some answers to fill in, it gives you a way to see the progress without having to ask a particular student a question and embarrass them if they don't have or know the answer.
I believe that but walking around you are able to better assess the students progress by looking for that "deer in the headlights" look on them and then asking what they are thinking about.
I agree moving around the class keeps the students minds moving with you and helps keep them awake and also keeps your eye contact with all the students, makes them aware that you are trying to conect with them on a personal level .
