Breaking up my lectures into 15-18 mini-lectures followed by times of application and group discussion will help increase the amount of information that is retained by the students.
I prepare my lectures to cover all types of learners and learning styles. I utilize interactive tools (videos, Powerpoint slides, applications and other multimedia tools). I also utilize models for the tactile and kinesthetic learners. I make sure that there are lot's of student inderactions by applying the Socratic method of questioning. Above all, I facilitate and encourage discussions/debate among the students and guide them to the answer without simply telling or lecturing them.
What tips you can provide to improve my preparation and delivery?
Scott,
Your students are going to appreciate your efforts to keep them engaged and focused on their learning efforts. This is how content retention is increased as well as student expertise.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As a new instructor, there are so many things to remember! Because a lot of the material is necessarily lecture, I can do better by finding creative ways to break up the 3.5 hour class... especially if the average attention span for adults is only 15-18 minutes!
For the rest of this semester as well as the next semester, I want to better plan for each class with more thorough lesson plans for each day and week.
But I also need to keep in mind that I am learning how to be a good teacher, so I must be patient with my own learning process!
John,
This is what reflective thinking is about. The more you can help your students to see the value of clear and concise communication the better. No matter their career field good communication will be an asset. I know you promote this because of the value you associate with student success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
If I'm covering a chapter on perception and stereotypes, for example, it is usually best to provide them with modern examples relevant to them.
I teach communication and when discussing stereotypes in media it always intrigues the student when a film such as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is compared to excerpts from the source material "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Needless to say the original work makes terrible assumptions about Oompa Loompas, their origin and their satisfaction when working for no pay.
FRANCES,
Thank you for these comments on how to keep students engaged and keep the flow of the course going. This is how the dots are connected for students as you move from bit of content and activity to another.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Danny,
Students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery. You are doing both plus helping to keep them engaged with your sharing of your past experiences in the field. This is a formula for engagement by your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Remain mindful of attention time lines, small bits, go from point to point, conversational tone and questions to keep focus and interest, assessing the looks on their faces, and noticing which techniques of keeping focus work and using those, and humor always helps. Relating content to real world experiences the students may have had to the experiences they will have in their work world, building their knowledge and their confidence that they can do this work.
Telling stories about my past as it relates to my experiences. Break the content up into mini-lectures. Have a demonstration for students and show how relevant course content is to learning and doing. Fieldtrips that increase application, observation and practicality with skill-set!
Crystal,
This is such a good way to keep students engaged. Students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery and you are providing such with this method.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Creating the mini lectures to last 10-15 minutes, followed by another activity that supports the lecture material such as problem-solving exercise, practical demonstration, guest speaker, etc.
Brian,
I like guided notes or note packets as they really help students to be able to pick up on the key concepts. Your strategy helps them to be able to get not only the key points but also be able to follow along and focus on what they need to be acquiring in terms of new knowledge.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
What I do for my lectures is I create note packets for the students. All they have to do is follow along as I am lecturing and fill in the blanks. I find this is very helpful for the students because it allows them to listen more rather than trying to write down what I am saying and miss important ideas. I have heard positive feedback from the students. They say it helps them stay organized and they are able to pay attention better.
Donna,
Good way to offer variety in your instructional delivery while keep the course moving forward. This is what being the learning leader is about.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I ask a lot of questions and include videos to keep the students engaged in the classroom. This helps me see who knows the material and who might need some help.
Deidre,
Good list to follow. This will prepare everyone for the learning process and help to get the students engaged early in that class session.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Be as engaging as possible do not just prepare a long lecture and not allow time for feedback. Be as precise as possible, allow for an environment in which everyone is comfortable and keep in mind not everyone learns at the same pace.
Don,
I use case studies in my classes a lot for the reasons you list. They help to make the content real and give the students the opportunity to make applications of what they are learning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Taking the time to prepare real-life case studies and present these to show how these are relevant to the topics we are discussing as a group today.
