In the beginning i always use rhetorical questioning to engage and connect the student into the immediate class situation. It helps get the student from wondering around in their thoughts.
Kathy,
Right you are. By being prepared you can manage the learning environment with confidence and authority. So much better than trying to scramble at the last minute to find something to present to the class. I teach with some of these types and they are always in a panic plus the students don't respect them.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Confidence is important and preparation is the key to give that preception. This includes having good notes and reviewing them just prior to lecture. Making sure that you understand the content and are able to respond to questions.
Joe,
Plus, you have a higher level of self confidence in what you are going to share with your students. A win win for everyone.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Preparation is the key,when you have properly prepared,you can practice with various delivery methods.
Joe,
By being prepared and have variety planned into your delivery you can approach the classroom with a much higher level of confidence which is appreciated by students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Be well prepared and use various delivery methods to reach as many students as possible.
Daniel,
The more you can do this the greater the impact on the students. They see both application and relevancy when they see the course content in context. This increases their ROI and motivation.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Christie,
That is where confidence comes into play. By being prepared with a good lesson plan and practiced demo you are ready to go. This sets the stage for a successful learning experience for the students and you build from there.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Mostly, I prefer to give as much of a real-world context as I can during the activities and attempt to reference real-world contexts during lecture moments so that they have a contextual anchor from which to explore the material.
Definitely a challenge when the material is science heavy though!
Come in prepared with your lesson plan, practice the demos ahead of time and mentally prepare as well as having your room prepared.
I incorporate my manipulatives into my lecture. I bring them forward at the appropriate point in the lecture, dicuss them, demo them and pass them around.
At different points through out the lecture we stop and have open discussions concerning the manipulatives, demos etc. This causes a change of state and breaks the lecture up into small segments.
Darlene,
I am a big fan of using games for review myself. I have found that my students really get ramped up and excited when we go into game format. They are competitive and engaged during this time.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Get the students involved in the lecture. Pass out handouts. use the white board. Bring in models. Offer class projects to cover the subject matter. I find that playing jeopardy works very well in reviewing class subjects.
Preparation is the key. This includes having good notes and reviewing them just prior to talking. However, I've found that asking a few questions regularly keeps the students engaged and I want them to think. I don't go over everything I've prepared. I pick out of a few topics and if we have some good discussion, then I incorporate many of the other topics into the discussion. If students aren't engaged and sometimes they are tired, I keep my material short and remind them that they are responsible to read. Every class is different so I try to tailor my talks in regards to what the students are doing or responding to.
Because students have different learning styles, I incorporate many teaching styles during my lectures. I use power points, notes, graphs, and use a lot of pictures. I also draw on the board daily. I always make time for questions and class discussions daily. Many times it takes just one student to ask a question for others to feel comfortable to ask their own, I also ask questions myself. I have incorporated clinical case studies into the class discussions and found it to be very helpful. The students are able to distinguish what is normal, abnormal, and how to assess different types of pathologies.
Careful planning.
Considering the different ways your planned lecture can deviate and being prepared for it.
Offering an interactive experience to help student retain the information from the lecture.
Doug
Ronald,
Good effective communication strategies are essential in sharing course content. Thanks for the comments.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
By speaking clearly and enunciating your words in an "educated" voice. Your 'presence' in the class room is enhanced by using the proper gestures and moving about the room to engage all of the students.
I agree that we need to be careful not to overuse PowerPoint. Since the lighted screen makes it hard for the teacher to move around the class and make eye contact with everyone, a big part of the give and take of a lecture is taken away. I think it is better to show a slide, giving time for notetaking; then turn up the lights and discuss the points. Also PowerPoints should never be in paragraph form and should contain graphics on at least every three slides. Points should be in bullet form, and the teacher should expand upon the bullets. The advantage over putting notes on the board is one of saving time. And if your handwriting is not clear, the PowerPoint helps the student to understand and to take good notes. I think it is best to use a variety of delivery methods with PowerPoint just being one item in your teaching tool kit.
