Ifind myself in the same situation. I either overwhelm them with too much or I am providing too little. I have not quite figure out the balancing act as to start to finish yet. I do make a summary sheet for myself to assist me in keeping track but I find myself to be lost at times.
I agree! Since the average attention span of adults is 15-18 minutes, this seems like a perfect way to deliver heavy content, then shift gears to discussion, activities, a movie clip, or something more engaging.
I like to give mini projects for the students to work on to keep them engaged in learning the material and to use resources outside of the classroom. Consider a project on the stock market, they will need to access the internet, use programs such as Word and Excel, and also use their math skills to determine how many stocks they can buy with $1000 and what they end up with when they sell the stock. They are performing the same exercises as in the book but when paired with a real - world hands on activity, they become more involved with the material.
Each of us have parts of this topic that we need to work on, but as you lecture allow your students to give you feed back on what they are hearing and understanding before you continue on. This will allow each student to stop and think about what they have heard, and ask quesions.
Making sure you allow the students to engage in every aspect of the project. Giving each student the feeling of importance through the class period.
I think that the idea of mini lectures, combined with visualization and tactile learning styles would be instrumental in keeping the students engaged in learning. The teachers Instructional technique and personality are also key components.
In order to keep students engaged I like to ask the students questions, or come up with scenarios that have to do with the current topic. This encourages them to think about what they have just learned to work through the scenario.
Vary the things I do in class. Some worksheets (learn by doing), some interactive lecture.
Using experiences, personal stories, help grab the attention of the students. It also allows students to apply what they are learning with real life situations. This helps create a motivator for adult learners, who likes to know why they are learning what they are learning. Using discussions about their experiences, in line with the course content, also solidifies this.
asking for students feedback on lecture, sharing professional experiences related to a lecture topic, having class discussions related to a lecture topic.
I like to present the question, and allow the class to answer. This allows for much discussion and gets the entire class involved.
One strategy to keep students engaged in learning is ask the students to create a questions based on the materials presented in class on the same day.
Particularly for adults and at risk learners, hands on learning and a variety of activities are very important. This cannot be over emphasized.
I agree. Use of humor, stories and Q&A sessions seems to help students grasp a concept better than just listening and taking notes. They are able to recall pertinant information more easily if they can associate it with a particular anticdote or story that they have heard.
Hi Lorraine,
With some additional time spent as an instructor the balance will start to fall into place for you. By having a clear outline and then stopping ever few minutes for discussion or feedback you will start to see where the happy medium is. Then you can start adding additional instructional methods to your delivery and you will have a comprehensive instructional package developed.
Gary
I need to work on that. I am a new teacher, so I tend to be on both ends of the spectrum. I either overwhelm the kids with too much information, or I can be too vague. I am hoping to find a happy medium.
I believe that mini-lectures would work best for younger students whose minds tend to wonder more than adults. It’s also a good idea to make the lecture entertaining and try to involve them with questioning as much as possible.
Hi Laura,
Thanks for this great list of ways to keep students engaged. These are many of the same techniques I use in my classes. The key is variety because that is what keeps students engaged as you well know. I also you a lot of learning group problem solving activities. This really helps to engage the more shy students in the class discussions.
Gary
Hi Cathie,
Well said. To keep them engaged requires variety and activity. This way you are touching on the different learning preferences that they have and you can keep them forward focused on the material that is being delivered and skills being developed.
Gary
