Hi Christopher,
Right you are about the change of pace after a lecture period. The break could be a Q&A session, small group work, demonstration, etc. Anything that lets the students reset their thinking and concentration. This way you can keep the class moving forward and not waste their time but keep their focus.
Gary
I think we accomodate them. A break in the lecture does not mean a coffee and donut break though. A change in pace by doing an exercise can be just as effective. As the material noted, thier attention spans are only about 15 minutes by nature.
It is helpful to collaborate with my peers and exchange ideas on course content and instruction styles. Students vary in their learning styles and it can be easy to fall into the trap of teaching to your own style. Collaboration reminds us that we are all different.
Hi Michael,
My response has been to give them just that. I have lectures prepared that last 15-20 minutes and then I do an activity, discussion, case study, etc. Then back to the content with additions lecture. Since I teach from 4 until 10 p.m. I have to keep changing pace to keep the students engaged and awake. It is hard work but I have my course paced to the point that I can offer them variety in sufficient amounts that keep them focused on the course content while making applications to their career plans.
Gary
You bring up an excellent point! I teach in an online environment and we are constantly trying to come up with new ways to keep students attention. I find that it helps to remind them that they are paying good money for information and if they want fun, it's cheaper to go to a movie! But in all seriousness, it comes down to active learning. Time seems to go more quickly and retention is improved when students are engaged in the subject mentally/physically.
I think students today are television nerds. They want 15 minutes of instruction and a commercial. How do we deal with this?
I believe that instructors learn from others and observing others in the classroom we learn a great deal. Educational deliveries have changed over the years and knowing the technological systems is very important in the teaching field.
Hi Elizabeth,
Great ideas for getting involved in your professional development. These types of activities and organizations really help to expand your knowledge base as well as increasing your network of professionals.
Gary
I use polls, discussion issues with notes shown in the content area of the chat and mini-quizzes embedded in the PowerPoint. The students seem to interact more with me, and with each other, when they see opportunities to participate.
Getting them to Chats are tough...but I post messages announcing what I'll be discussing ahead of time, I give them the PowerPoint only version of the Chat after it is over, andI promote the use of the Chats as a student improvement tool in my comments to their graded tasks.
I feel that I can expand my instructional abilities by staying current with technology changes in the field, assessing my strong and weak points as an instructor and working towards improving the weaker ones.
My school offers many faculty development opportunities, such as the CEE/Maxknowledge partnership. I also find opportunities to discuss best practices with my peers. I am currently considering membership with the a professional writing orgnization. They offer many resources to help instructors to develop students writing skills in all types of writing genres.
Hi Dawn,
I understand completely. This is where I find myself. With some much out there I want to make sure I select the technology and medial that is right for my students and class. Takes time and effort but each time I teach the course it gets more refined.
Gary
One of my weak areas is learning to use the technology available to me as I teach online. I'd specifically like to:
1. Improve my use of power point presentations
2. Find ways of increasing student participation during online lectures.
How do other online instructors get students to participate during a Chat/lecture?
I have found giving the same information in as many different ways as possible can finally get through to some but not all of my students. I list the same announcements or suggestions in at least three different places in my online classroom.
I like to look at everything in a classroom but some students seem to only visit certain parts of the classroom. Some students seem to look at just enough in the classroom to complete an assignment.
Be persistent with your emails and announcements-- you will reach some of them!
I agree with you. I find learning the new technology to teach online the hardest part of my job. I 'know' my subject, but using even the simplest technology (for example power point presentations) was a huge learning curve in the beginning. I'm always feeling a bit behind some of my students in the use of technology.
I have also had students ask a question I can't answer. I like the idea of asking them to look for the answer. I give suggestions on where to look to get them started. My father was a teacher and he always told me the greatest gift you can give your students is to teach them how to find the answer for themselves.
I'm always looking for suggestions/ideas on motivating the student to look for the answer on their own. You don't want to over whelm them but you don't want to spoon feed them either.
Hi Lorri,
Right you are. With learners like this we instructors have to prepare even more so we can integrate media, activities and interaction into our classes. I have found that the time goes fast when the class is in session as a result of all of the different activities that are being used with the students.
Gary
Students of today are expert multitaskers. The tradition of lectures only will only distance the student - their average attention span is literally approximately 10-12 minutes. If you utilize a variety of ways to present the material (pre-testing, i-Clickers or interactive questions paraphrasing what was just covered during the past few minutes, videostreaming from websites that reinforces the content that was presented, walking through the student body while you are talking asking specific groups or individuals for feedback, etc.) there is a greater chance that the students will retain and actually enjoy the "lecture".
Visual aids are good as the students seem to respond to these better even if the picture is in the textbook. I can highlight different things by pointing to them and discussing them while everyone can actually see them. In this day and age it is important, I think, to keep students active as they seem to get bored quickly.
Hi Thomas,
This is a good approach because it gives you an idea of how other instructors approach the classroom. As you say you might not have that person's flair but you can get ideas from watching them. Then you can take those ideas and translate them into your own instructional delivery.
Gary
