You can very your teaching method. You can change things up if you notice that they look lost or bored. Offer them a visual presentation or interject with a personal story that applies to the topic.
Jim,
You have a very good instructional plan laid out. I know this approach is going to attract and hold the attention of your students. Also, with this approach you are going to enhance the value of the content in relation to their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
My lecture material is at times a bit dry. It is law based and in the form of application and installation practices. To make my lectures more effective I think I would incorporate more physical materials, and demonstrate how they are used. Then have the students break-off in to small groups and have them, come up with different ways they could be utilized in an installation. I also would break up the power point presentations into small sets by adding photos that relate to the lecture material and have the students discuss the use of the subject matter and its installation in conjunction with the applicable law. Creating the mini-lectures will help to maintain the attention span and participating in a group activity can increase the understanding of the material and the how and why it is used based on the law.
Michael,
This is a good strategy to use and I especially like the connection you make between one class and the next. By doing the PE the students are ready for the next class when the PE is reviewed. This helps the keep the flow of the course going.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have started to include mini- Practical Exercises which reinforce the learning objectives. Giving them out of the end of the day and instructing the students to review the PE together, encourages the students to discuss the main learning points informally at the end of the day. Then we start the next lesson with a review of the previous PE - it reinforces the previous points and the students seem s to enjoy the review and discussion to start the lecture.
Dina,
It is very important because students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery. You are doing both in the approach you are using and this benefits everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Lectures are most effective by delivering them several different ways. I believe it is important to change up your delivery of the lecture to keep the students interest.
Making the powerpoint/handouts sync with my talking style is one way to make the lecture more effective.
I have access to "pre-made" powerpoints from the book publisher. These powerpoints follow the flow, concepts and architecture the book has, but they are rather dry.
My lecture/speaking tone is much different and I use different explanation for certain concepts. By changing/preparing the slides to match my tone of voice, the students get the information in two ways (audio/visual) and that information is congruent.
Some of the ways I like to use is to 'bring it home' or tell them what they already know and grow on that
Michelle,
Using these different learning formats makes the class not only fun for the students but you as well. They really get into the discussions and their excitement grows in terms of what is being shared.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Teaching a creative group of students has shown me to not only lecture but to include frequent discussion sessions between lectures, providing examples while instructing, and incorporating real life situations for the class.
I always prepare numerous, real world examples to equate my lecture content to prior to class.
This seems to give real consequence to all my lectures.
I also accompany my lectures with power point slides and when available real pieces of equipment such as routers, switches, and corporate communications devices. This way the students get a picture of how computer technology works, not just what they see using their I-Phones and I-Pods.
Landis
Edward,
The more connection you can make between the content being offered and the potential in their career field the more engaged your students will be. They start to see themselves as being in that field and this identity factor is powerful.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Being a technical instructor I point out the benefits of learning what the subject has to offer towards their new career field.
Olga,
This is how you show relevance and application so the more of these types of activities the better. Thank you for making this good point.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Based on activities and instruction that challenge the student's problem solving and analysis abilities in order to strengthen these skills.
Shannon,
Students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery. You are offering both with your approach. This way you are enhancing their learning while increasing their engagement. This is a win win situation for your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Ways that I make my lectures more effective is to ask questions to the class when I lecture. I don't just stand at the front of the class talking. I try to get the students involved in anyway possible in the lecture. Sometimes I have them look things up on the internet or in their books. I show videos and ask tons of questions! They seem to like that!
What has helped me make lectures effective for students is being prepared. I will lay out some notes on the topic the night before, and go over again the next morning. I think it is also important that you do not lecture the whole class period. Get the students engage on the topic by getting their opinions will keep the lecture interesting. Integrate active learning into the lecture. Show how the lecture can be applied to real life situations. Finally, bring a lot of excitement to the lecture. An instructor with a monotone voice is quick way to lose the interest from your students.
Jon,
Yes it will plus it will keep their attention for the duration of content sharing. Lecture and application is a good way to enhance learning and increase the value students see in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
