Keeping students engaged in the classroom.
Be involved in class. Participate in class discussions and ask questions. Enthusiasm is contagious. Instructors respond and teach better to an alert, attentive, and interested class in just the way a band puts on a better show for an enthusiatic crowd
I find that I get stuedents engaged by showing them real life applications of the concepts being taught. I have them work in small groups to apply the current topic. Also, to help students overcome their anxieties, I make my classroom a safe place. I try to pull out the correct parts of their answers even it was wrong. I encourage them to challenge me and come up with different ways to attack the problem at hand. I am also very patient when it comes to questions from the students. I take my time responding and let them know I am happy they have asked questions.
KAREN,
What are some strategies you are using to get your students engaged and using math principles? Also, how are you getting them through their math anxiety?
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Being new to the college level of instruction I want to find ways to get students talking about mathematics. This I find to sometimes be challenging because there are quite a few people that have math anxiety. I find the smaller the group I have the easier it is to get students to open up about mathematics.
Traci,
After many years of teaching so am I. This is one of the fun parts of being a teacher. We can to be life long learners and use our creativity to impact the lives of others. Keep you great attitude about teaching and always be on the look out for new strategies you can implement with your students and you will do a great job.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Being fairly new to teaching this is something I work very hard on in my classes. I want to find ways to keep in interesting and keep them participating with me as well as the entire class to keep if exciting. I still struggle with certain courses like pharmacology finding ways to make it easier to learn and teach all at the same time. I am a work in progress.
Susan,
I agree. Not only should we engage the students by relating our experiences, but I find it particularly helpful if I also include personal struggles as well. This gives the students a sense of our vulnerability so that they do not feel they are alone. They need to relate to us on many levels to truly achieve engagement.
Amy,
I teach 6 hour blocks as well so I can appreciate your comments regarding how you change the pace of the class to keep students engaged. It is a challenge but well worth the effort when you see learning occurring.
Gary
I try to illustrate each key point with a demonstration or a hands on activity. I don't like to keep my students sitting for long periods of time. Our classes are 6 hours long and the students need a lot of teaching modes to keep them focused.
Jackie,
I agree with you about using active learning strategies in the classroom. I have used "clickers" for exam reviews and the students really are engaged. I think when the instructor is just lecturing, students start to tune them out.
Kelly
Jackie,
You have a very comprehensive approach to your instruction. I commend you for all of your effort to keep students engaged and focused on learning. Many adjuncts don't have the level of commitment that you do. I hope your school appreciates all of your efforts.
Gary
I am an adjunct instructor, so I teach a variety of classes at various campuses. My professional focus for this semester is active learning. Research shows that adults are able to remember and assimilate more if the classroom uses active learning strategies. Therefore, I use whole group, small group, and cooperative learning strategies in the classes I teach. I am also incorporating clickers into my classroom; clickers keep students active and allow the instructor to measure understanding with immediate results. I am also reading a variety of professional periodicals in an effort to incorporate new ideas. I really believe instructors cannot lecture day in and day out and expect students to stay engaged. Incorporating active learning strategies into the course content will engage and motivate students and subject matter retention will increase.
Jackie
Susan,
They sure do. The more of the stories you can weave into your content delivery the more engaged your students will be.
Gary
Student interaction is crucial... the students love to hear "real-world" stories and experiences and love to share their stories... this can open up a lot of dialogue
Trevor,
What you bring to class is what the students will receive and expect. Enthusiasm and excitement are catching just as you say. With this combination you have the setting for some great class sessions.
Gary
Great! the goal is to keep them engaged.
I try to keep students engaged in class by having interesting class discussions and by assigning powerpoint projects where the students can work alone or in groups.
