Keeping the students awake
I have found that this can be tough sometimes to keep the students awake and listening to a lecture. I now use a coffee maker and make the discussions a little briefer to help keep them awake
Yes, I agree with the change in volume. I also teach in settings that are early and late. And I also find that if I have students that are coming to me after having 1 or more classes before me, they need change. I make up games that fallow what the lecture is going over. Kind of like quizzes, but interactive.
I have found both Maria's and Rufus' strategies to work with very well. Creativity, student participation and unpredictability are great methods for keeping students engaged and awake.
Pam, I agree with you on your approach on students stawing awake. I will sometimes give them an earlier break and let the students get away from the class setting for a few minutes. I would rather give the students an extra break or two and be able to comprehend the lesson plan of the day instead of not getting it at all. Some of my students work full time and then come to school for four and a half hours. This seems to work for me.
Hi Maria,
Good strategy for keeping students engaged. By making the content real and relevant it is easier to keep them awake and focused on the content.
Gary
I agree that if students are falling asleep in class, the instructors need to ask themselves why that is. Is it the material? Is it the presentation style? One thing that I have found helpful in keeping students engaged and awake is to ask questions throughout my lecture. I put the lecture in terms and stories they can relate to and ask for stories of their own to relate back to the class. Students enjoy learning from other peers and they tend to listen more to what other students are saying.
Hi Rufus,
I like this method well for certain of my classes. It really does keep the students engaged. As you say the discussions can take a life of their own so you have to work to keep control of the class flow and content.
Gary
I teach both early and late classes and have found that using a Socratic style keeps even the least motivated student engaged. As I lecture, I constantly move about the classroom and continually vary the volume of my voice. I require students to answer open end questions throughout the lecture that stimulates discussions. The greatest problem I have with this method is stopping the discussion and covering all the material that is required during each class period.
Hi Pamela,
A sense of understanding is important when it comes to adult education. By helping them get settled into the course, be it early morning or late evening you are giving them a chance to refresh their minds and bodies just a bit before engaging in the learning process. This helps them to be more effective learners because they have had a chance to clear out their brains a bit.
Gary
It sounds like an am or pm class, either very early or very late.. I have found myself in situations, especially when most of the students work full time, where people at the end of the night or very early in the morning are just going through the motions of being in school. I like to give the students some down time and just hang out and chat and joke around for a while.. Eventually, once they get going, I can gradually steer them to the lesson of the day.
I find this very difficult when you have a long lecture to present and you know that you have to get through it because it is part of your criculum. I find that sometimes I like to break up the mundane by breaking the class in small discussion groups to discuss the topics at hand. Or if I notice they are really tired and look like they are about to fall asleep I have them get up and do something similar to the "seventh inning stretch."
The question is, "Why are the students falling asleep?" I believe an instructor must ask this fundamental question, in order to actually resolve the issue.
Hi Timothy,
Way to go in being reactive to the needs of your students. The idea of you providing the opportunity to get coffee shows that you want your students to be engaged in learning even though they may be a bit sleepy.
Gary
