cutting it short
Many times my lectures may run a little over into the next class meeting or short based on questions. is there a way to avoid this?
Brad,
Actually this can be a good thing. If you are covering the material and feel your students are responding well during your lectures then I would add discussion groups, case studies and problem solving situations. This way your students will have the opportunity to apply the content that has just been covered.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have the opposite problem. my lectures seem to end very early. I am covering all the information, how do I avoid going to fast? should I simply ask the class? can I run into problems by doing that? maybe they think I am going to fast but don't want to admit it because they want to get out of class early.
Thanks for sharing that information I agree it's not good to run out of content when the class gets ahead.Overplanning sounds like a good idea.
Jennifer,
You must be flexible just as you mention because as we all know each class takes a personality of its' own each time it meets.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Sometimes it is hard to avoid especially when you have a good lecture and it results in a lot of Q&A. The best thing to do is stick to the plan and pick it up the next day.
Andrew,
This is a good strategy to have as we educators need to always have options available so we can react to changing situations in our classrooms.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I tend to overplan, but rank what is most important to optional. That way, as the class gets behind or ahead, I know where to go with my lesson. Having extra optional content comes in very handy in case a class catches on to something quickly. Not a good scenario to run out of content and seem unprepared for the rest of class.
Kimberly,
Been there many times in teaching classes. I have several students that haven't gotten the concepts down yet but we don't have time to stay at that point until they do get them down. When this happens I talk with the students individually and set up a plan for them so they can get the concepts and/or skills by the next class meeting or I will meet them a few minutes before class to review with them. I try to carve out a little time where ever I can to keep them moving forward.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
When in a lab environment that is dependent on the students comprehension of a concept, inevitably there will be one or two students who take longer to understand an exercise. Students learn at different speeds and it is difficult to stick to the lesson plan and keep moving forward when some students are not ready to move on. If my lesson plan allows for discretionary time, I have drills I can go to for the students who "got it" quicker allowing the other students to work on the concept longer. My dilemma is when there is no extra time.
Aaron,
This is a good practice to follow. There needs to be time allocated to cover things that don't fit into the regular lesson planned for that day, such as a current event that impacts their field or an expanded discussion.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I try to budget "buffer time". I can use it when I run short for questions, follow-up & review, or a few bonus area's of discussion or exercises I wish we had more time for outside of the scripted syllabus. Or of course on the other side I don't loose time or run over on the lecture day's when we do run long.
Rafael,
Yes, lay out a clear and concise lesson plan for that day's class. Break the content into segments of approximately 15 minutes each. This way you can control the delivery of content while still allowing the students to ask questions and have interaction with each other. If you run short of content have two or three problem solving/case studies ready to use. This way you can flow from the content you just completed right into the problem/case study where you are showing them application. The students will appreciate this connection and you will be able to end the class right on time.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
