I always attempt to throw something into the mix that is a little lighter, a picture, short video, little joke, etc to help with the stress and sometimes overwhelming amount of information.
Birgit,
The "reading" of students is critical in keeping students engaged and the course moving forward. You are doing such with this approach. You are so right about the need to remain flexible and being able to make adaptations on the fly.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Being prepared for a lecture is important, but one must remain flexible. The class room vibes may set the tone for the lecture and may require a little extra effort of the instructor. Some students need encouragement where others do not. Being able to "read" the students and finding the balance to accommodate is not always easy.
Reinaldo,
What are some examples of how you do this?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
James,
Students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery. You are offering both with your approach and that enables you to keep the course moving forward so you can cover the required material. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Tammy,
This is why it is important to keep "reading" them throughout each class session. This way you can make adjustments on the fly and not lose their interest.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Michael,
These types of activities are what help students to see the value of the content being offered and enjoy being a part of the learning process. I use a lot of role playing and case studies in may classes as I am striving for the same results that you are when offering these learning opportunities.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I'm required to cover a large amount of material in a short period of time.
Mixing it up with charts, short videos and a lot of photos that illustrate the concepts under discussion helps keep the class attentive.
My lectures are very animated. I sometimes use students as part of a role play to explain/show new content.
They enjoy getting the opportunity to come up in front of the class. (not always though) :)
When the students can follow my discussions and then they can either become part of the discussion or watch one of their peers become part of the discussion, the retention rate for the content is dramatically increased.
Noticing when your class is getting bored and loosing their attention span and getting them to exercise so that you have good blood flow for learning and explaining that to them.
I find that using a variety of sources and giving real life examples or experience helps drive home the point of the lecture. I often will tell stories or relate it to an experience I have had and ask for their input. I do like the idea of breaking it down into the "mini" lectures and will try that in the future.
I add many stories with visuals
Marlene,
Good way to demonstrate the value of the content being shared with your students. They get to hear and see what are the key concepts and then internalize them for their use later.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find lectures are more effective when they inherently answer questions and concerns students have about content and practical application of new skills. This is evidenced by no need for questions or better, more involved thought-provoking questions that lead to great class discussions
Camille,
Like this approach because you are moving your students from being passive to active learners. They are becoming engaged and as you mention "thinking" which is sometimes thought of as being foreign in college classrooms.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The students that I currently teach are vocal and quite opinionated. To make the lectures more effective, I would evoke a response to a question relating to the material being covered that day and ask how the subject matter is relevant to (or if at any time has it ever had an effect or impact) them personally. Throughout discussions I would assume the role of devil’s advocate on the subject matter. This method aids in allowing me to customize an effective lecturing strategy geared toward the different learning styles of that particular group of students. The delivery allows students to put on their “thinking caps†and it even encourages participation from students who are introverts. I have noticed that from these lectures, critical thinking continues to develop and classroom engagement increases. In addition, I have observed that learning is shared, gained and retained.
One way that I keep my lectures more effective for students is through embedded videos in my powerpoints. I spend a great deal of time viewing YouTube videos until I get just the right one. For example, when I teach about the musculoskeletal system, I have an eight minute animated/graphic video of a total knee replacement and a 15 minute animated/graphic video for a total hip replacement. You can talk all you want about how these surgeries are performed from nursing students but my embedded videos are well received by the students because they see how these procedures are performed. Then when they care for a total knee replacement patient they understand why certain precautions are necessary post-operatively for the replaced joints to perform properly for the rest of the patient's life.
Chad,
The strategy of connecting your content with real work applications is a good one. This helps to make the content come alive and gives value to what you are teaching. The students start to see their future in what is being taught and how they can use that information and/or skill set in their career.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that using current information, videos, technology, etc. help the student to connect to the subject matter in a way that lecture and books cannot. I always bring something different and 'real world' into my classroom to share, so they understand how things are applied outside of the classroom.
