Keeping the students attention
I often use things like games, videos, and hands on learning in addition to my lectures. Not everyone is someone who learns through lecture so if I can combine some different formats, I think it may help them to learn better as a whole. What are some ideas you may have to help keep the interest of the students,especially during some of the subjects that may be more difficult to understand?
I use the game method as a review and a study activity in the class room as a way to help enforce the knowledge they have learned.
Carmen,
Well done. Games are a great way to get students involved and give them a break from content sharing. I use them a lot for reviews because the students get very competitive and they get to demonstrate how much they know. Often they know more than they think they do when they come up with answers to one of the questions in the game.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I use games among students and I also interact with students after 15 minutes of lecturing.
I frequently look around the room to see if they seem to be following the material and understanding. Changing the tone of my voice, moving around the room, gesturing with my hands...keeping their attention. I also like to frequently remind them that they are studying for their future profession, and applying what we are talking about to what they will actually be doing in the field. Using examples from my own career always seem to interest them. Youtube videos are an excellent way to show them, rather than just talk about what we are doing. Using humor is good, also. Finally, when I know I am losing them, it's time to get up and stretch or take a break.
You do have to monitor the class as you go and adjust your teaching style/technique throughout the class to keep their interest.
DAVID,
Thank you for these excellent remarks in terms of how to approach the instructional process. We instructors do have a lot of things to consider as we present our content and work to engage our students. By being aware of all of these factors and variables we can focus our attention on our students as humans and how we can help them move closer to their career goals. Teaching is hard work but a lot of fun when you achieve results that says you have made an impact on the lives of your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have found that teaching under the assumption of "everyone has a short attention span" is helpful. While teaching, my brain is divided into several areas. 1-What am I doing? Am I prepared? Do I have tangible devices related to the subject matter to use as "show and tell". Am I making this sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread? Am I moving around? Am I changing my volume level? Am I stopping and calling on individual students to keep them on their toes? Am I relating this to their experiences outside the classroom?
2-Observing the group! How is their posture? Are they with me? Am I changing the momentum every 20 minutes? Is the lighting correct? Is the temperature good? Do they look comfortable and relaxed? Do they seem confident?
3-Observing the individual. Do I move towards any individual I may be losing a bit or who is not as focused as I would like?
4-Am I prepared? Smoke and mirrors! Props! Games! Real life scenarios. Was I able to simplify complex material to put the students at ease? Did I remain on-point?
Teaching is like a Broadway show. Are they getting their money's worth? If I don't leave the stage exhausted, then I need to do some self-reflection.
Judd,
The more you can tie the content to application the more engagement you will have from the students because they see the value of what is being taught.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that while teaching difficult subjects it is easier to use a scenario that persons in the class can relate to eg. an event that occurred in the pass.
Role playing also helps to peak students interest as it gives them a better idea than just reading a text book.
I think you just need to keep what you are teaching as closely related to the big picture as you can. Maybe take a break and go to the lab and take ten minutes to show them exactly how the lesson relates in the real world.
