Staying On Schedule
Hello,
When planning out my lessons for a class I can often carry the same plan into my class each time I teach it. Often this works out just fine, but occasionally I run into a problem that can throw the plan off.
Class size. Some classes can be much smaller than other and I find myself blazing through the material in half the time I normally would (less questions, better skilled students, etc...). While I try to have a contingency plan in place when this happens even that can fall short and I almost feel bad by 'assigning extra work' because they are a small class or if part of the class decided not to show up.
Is there a good approach to handling this phase of planning without feeling like the students who did make it to class are not being punished?
Thank you,
Doug Hamilton
Dodi,
I use the a lot in my classes for the reasons you state. The validate what I am teaching in my classes and help to motivate the students in their efforts.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
When you have extra time that is always a great time to have a guest speaker come into the class. I love having guest speakers but, don't have the extra time as often as I would like. They always have great information to add to the lesson.
One strategy that has been received well is to assign case study leadership to the more advanced students, when I need to make a second pass at a concept or process with some students. This worked in a Human Resources Mgmnt. course that I taught, so I've extended to other upper level courses that I teach.
I also use case studies to fill in the time when my class is smaller. It gives the students a chance to apply concepts from the class to real life scenerios. I often feel guilty that I cannot use this method with my larger classes.
Richard,
You have a good feel for how to manage learning differences within your classes. This is often challenging but it sounds like you have worked through the steps to the point you can keep all of your students engaged and learning.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Over the time I have been teaching I have developed additional material/activities that I think of as my reserve info. Every class is different and it helps to have some extra's to add in when a class is ahead of the normal routine.
Flexibility is extremely important, and I think it has been verified in this discussion. While keeping on track so one set of students don't fall behind or another surge forward leaving their peers in the dust, it's imperative we have some tricks up our sleeves to fill in the allotted time frame. My classes are long - five hours - and filling that time can be a challenge in itself. But, by relating real-world situations and then assigning projects that fit those situations, providing time to research and create, I feel the students get a much more well-rounded grasp on the whys and hows of the industry the want to become a part of.
Katie,
Good plan for dealing with both class sizes. You might want to develop some problem solving or case study situations for your smaller classes so when they are ahead you can get them working on the case studies. My students really like these because it helps them to see course application and relevance.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I am finding that in my larger class, we always seem to be behind schedule because we spend more time on certain skills, but in my smaller class, we are constantly ahead of schedule. When we get ahead of the schedule, I don't seem to have any tricks up my sleeve for activities when we are ahead of schedule. I also don't seem to know how to get my larger class back on track with the schedule. I have finally seemed to find a balance in the schedule and in the larger class, I try to stop off track discussions. In my smaller class, I try to promote discussions.
Gilbert,
It is a balancing act for sure when you have such a diverse student group. This is where instructional planning as well as flexibility is so important. We instructors have to stay on course but we have to be able to make changes in our lessons as dictated by time and schedule.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Dr.Gary,
It took me quite sometime to learn and adapt a firm approach of Staying on Schedule. At first it was difficult because of the divergent academic abilities of the student population, with me attempting to remedy areas not understood by some students during class time, which at some point was time-consuming and the more academically inclined ones were kept back. Inorder to prevent disgruntled students, I continued with the planned format, and kept supplemental sessions after class for the ones who were not comfortable with a topic which was presented.
I also encounter this -- especially with a small class size. I do like to engage the students with educational games. In addition, telling them about my experiences in the professional setting shows them that what I am teaching them applies in the "real world". They really enjoy that. It gives them a break from the coursework and provides a valuable life lesson at the same time.
I agree--students are always interested in what I've done related to what's being taught. I also ask them what their goals are, and how what we are doing might relate to the type of job that they might have when they get into the
"real" world. I always remind them, though, that whatever jobs they are working at as they are in school are, indeed, the real world, and that what we are learning often applies to what they're currently doing--we need to help students make that connection.
In this situation I find that using the material to play a game may help extend the class time and help with voids. If carried out in a organized manner the students will like the break from traditional lecture and enjoy the fact the reveiw of the material for their benefit.
I feel this is why you have to stay on your original schedule but there is always room for change even if you stay on pace. You never know the learning level that each class may have.
Doug,
I can appreciate your situation. I have been there many times. What I have done with success is to create a number of case studies and role playing situations that I can use with the students to reinforce the information that has been given and there is extra time. This approach helps the students to apply the content but it isn't seen as just extra work being piled on.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Michael,
Students do like to hear stories about what their instructor did when he/she was in the field. This brings both application and relevance to the content as a result.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree. you almost have to become a master story teller. In the beginning for me I found that even though I talked fast I had a ton of information I wanted to present to back up my lecture. since there wasnt always time I try and think of the smaller classes as being lucky enough to get MORE information not more work
This can happen to me as well, mainly because my class size can vary greatly from session to session. If I know I'm headed into a smaller class size, or if it seems like we are just flying through the material, I mentally take a step back, take a deep breath, and I actively try to go into greater detail on every topic we discuss. Obviously, this requires a close eye on the clock because it can be easy to go too far and run over on time.
