Working with students in a game situation or hands-on with one-on-one help with the use of powerpoint presentations are used in my classes.
Letting studnets know the opportunites in their chosen field. I have nurses come in and speak to the students from as many areas as possible.
Hi Stephen,
Good strategies for keeping your students engaged even though they are scattered all over the world. The use of humor is always a way to bring people into the learning circle, set them at ease and then focus them on the next step. Good job.
Gary
Some strategies for keeping students engaged include taking breaks. Sometimes they need a break from lecture. I use my class time where I lecture for half and do application assigments the second half. It gives me a break and keeps me from having to lecture for 2 hours straight and gives them a chance to apply what they have just learned.
It may also be effective to take them on field trips to be able to see the real world application of what they have learned.
This is a great question and I have noticed many interesting responses to the question in this discussion. Because I am an instructor in an online class, I keep students engaged by asking for input and using the poll feature. I incorporate knowledge checks to help students retain information. Although it is difficult to gauge the students' understanding when I cannot see their faces or hear their voices, I also try to use humor to make it more interesting.
Stephen Volz, DBA
Strategies for keeping students engaged throughout the class:
1. Divide students into groups. Have each group take a section out of the entire chapter or chapters being covered for the week. I then instruct each group to present each section in class. They can use any method of delivery. Most students like to use the power point presentation. This gives them an opportunity to develop their public speaking skills and helps them engage in active learning/
2. Case studies are great for small group activities.
Hi Amer,
I think this is a very important skill you are developing in your students. They need to be able to think critically so the more experiences you can provide along this line the greater their expertise will be upon graduation.
Gary
As an instructor, I do not like to always give the answer. I always propose dilemmas and questions and I try to help my students in reaching a conclusion( i.e. encourage them to critically think and deduce things on their own.
Hi Susan,
Good advice. Need to always keep this in mind because it is easy to focus on those that respond quickly.
Gary
Hi Edwardo,
Great way of getting student participation and interaction. This lets them integrate the new content into their working memories so they increase their content retention.
Gary
Asking questions from everyone, not just the few that know the answers.
By, Edwardo Mojena
My way of keeping the students engaged are by partial lecturing them, they will debate what we lectured and explained in real life term. Also will have a tactical exercise what we went over the lecture.
Hi Gail,
After teaching for many years let me reassure you that you will get very good at picking up cues and clues from your students. You will be able to "read" the climate of classes very quickly. As you well know the class climate can change dramatically from one meeting to the next. By reading these changes you will be able to adapt your instruction and zero in on the learning needs of your students in a most effective and efficient way.
Gary
Some strategies to keep students engaged throughout the class is to have them interactively work amongst each other. For example it could be through group work, presentations, etc. Allow students to complete activities which consists of them to work together as a team. Group activities which causes for effective communication, I believe is the key.
I see you brought some humor to the discussion, which is always a draw for me. I like your point concerning not taking the creativity out of an individual, less is best at times. Overwhelming students with various approaches may be too distracting and as you say, they may never finish. Determining the ebb and flow of each class and each lesson plan is something I try to read on the students' faces as I teach. As time goes by, I hope these strategies I'm learning now, will become easier and easier to implement because of my improvement at picking up the cues.
Hi Mindy,
Your approach enables the students to apply what they have just been taught through discussion and interaction. This greatly enhances the retention rate for the students. Good approach.
Gary
I find calling on the students to inturrept what is being taught and having them apply it to their daily lives keeps them engaged. Also, taking a break once an hour helps the students to stay engaged, but this depends on how long the class is.
Hi Timothy,
Right you are. Students like to hear stories of what their instructors did or do in the field for which they are training to enter.
Gary
Hi Ellen,
Right you about concerning the different roles an instructor plays in getting content communicated with students. We play many different parts in the teaching process all of which contribute to the acquirement of new knowledge and skills by our students.
Gary
Powerpoint and mini lectures.
