Another thing to keep students interested is to get them involved in either the conversation or have them directly participate in the class or project. The biggest complaint that I received on early evaluations is that the students did not have enough hands on learning.
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for those excellent methods on how you can rev students up when they are in low cycles. You have a way of appealing to a wide variety of student interests to keep them engaged.
Gary
Hi Randy,
Good points about changing the pace of your classes. Keep in mind that the average adult learner can only stay focused for about 15 minutes at a time. They need change and you can do that with mini-lectures, demos, discussions, and case studies. Good job.
Gary
I find that you have to be able to shift with the ebb and flow of your students. If they are in a low cycle ie., Monday morning blues, you can't fall into that trap.Raise the level of energy and intensity with a different angle and the converse is also true. Sometimes you have to reel them back in. It is always good to use a variety of approaches for the same topic. It gives your students a broader base of knowledge and it puts them on a wider road to success. In music theory, for example, there are several different names for any one specific event. French, German, Italian, and even English etc. Give them as many as you can. You are just adding depth to their pallet. More colors, more definition and creativity in their painting.
