I usually give lectures in small increments. I break them into sections and tend to start off with a question or two that I will expect to have an answer for by the end of the section. By giving the students a purpose and an active role in the course then I find it makes the process of lecturing much less tedious for them or for myself. Allows from some interesting dialogue as well.It also keeps me on my toes. Staying on track to make sure they get the answers to those questions.
Add lots of pictures to a lecture, people tend to learn better with them.
Use Power Point slides to emphasize the important points I want to discuss during the 10 to 15 minutes I want to lecture.
Allow them time to work on class projects on the day's objectives, either alone or in groups depending on what way will best get them to retain the information
Provide demonstrations and hands on labs for them to work on which will help reinforce the lecture just completed, or one of the lesson objectives.
CATHY
You are correct. When you incorporate your experience into your lectures and relate the students’ experiences in to your lesson, true learning takes place. The adult learner can then apply new terminologies to what is already known.
In order to make lectures more effective, I relate to my experiences as well as their experiences to their current or prevous workplaces.
I like the idea of the mini lectures. When I taught in high school it was a must because their attention span was shorter than adults. I had forgotten about using this approach with adult learners and need to get back to it. I also like the idea of posing questions for students during lectures to make it more interactive and keep their attention.
Since the average adult has an attention span of about ten minutes, I plan to lecture for about ten minutes and then have a chat about the lecture or do a small lab.
Hi Jerry,
Your forum comments reflect how an instructor should approach the planning and delivery of instructional content. By following your advice a new instructor will be well prepared to have teaching and student success.
Gary
Have good knowledge of the material to be covered.
Practice delivery of the material.
Be flexible as unexpected learning moments may present themselves.
Be dynamic to keep their interest.Use multiple presentation materials, inject humor to ease tension, allow students to interact when appropriate.
Hi David,
You are right on target with your instructional delivery methods. You keep the class moving, offer variety and provide graphic examples of what you are talking about. This is a great combination for your students.
Gary
I try to have the lecture organzied into chunks of information, easier for the students to deal with. I also flash powerpoint slides with questions of what I just lectured upon; I keep them broad yet relevant, and this also builds self esteem of the student as they score more correct answers. I try and input real life examples such as how what is teached is used in their lives and why it's important to have this knowledge.
I keep the lecture to 10-15 minutes (the brain absorbs only what the butt endures) and try to vary the delivery and include alternate teaching styles, esp. using dvd's and interactives to mix up the lecture a bit
Taking notes of what works and what doesn't work has led me to change my lectures over the years. I incorporate many of the techniques I have found during these courses and will use some information found in the forums to further increase student learning from my lectures.
At the beginning of class I tell the student what they will learn today. I repeat the objectives of the day's portion of the course and throughout my lectures give real world examples of how the objectives relate to their prospective jobs.
My preparation includes searching the Net for news or information that is related to today's subject. I look in my class files to see what I may have used the first time I taught this subject.
Hi Heather,
This is a very good way of having the students do individual or group research and then reporting on what they find. By allowing them to select a disease or condition they have personal involvement and choice as you say and this is very important in terms of motivation to do a good job. By setting a time limit you keep them focused and on target so they don't get carried away and spend extra time that is needed elsewhere.
Another benefit is that students like to hear from each other and it helps develop their communication skills. So it is a win win for everyone.
Gary
Hi Sylton,
For my classes it all depends on the level of the course and students. For my beginning students the topic they research are basic. For my upper level graduate (both masters and docs) they will be in-depth but with limitations because these types of research projects can get away from students if you don't set boundaries of what you want.
Gary
Hi Heather,
I think you are really going to like the results you get from this approach. Let me know how it works for you.
Gary
Students love to hear stories that are relevant applications to their course topic. It encourages group discussions and is a nice break from a lecture style.
I think what I may do is have the students pick out one disease or condition that affects one of the systems we learn in AP1. They can report on the condition, testing, and treatment involved and then do a presentation that would be about five minutes long. That way each student has a chance to pick out a disease that interests them or that maybe they have seen in the workplace or in a family member or friend. That way they would be more passionate about the topic and would be more excited to research it. Also that gives other students in the class the opportunity to learn about a disease or condition they may have never heard of before.
How extensive will your research topics be for the students?
I think this is a great idea and I plan on trying it with my Anatomy and Physiology class! Having them research and present would be a great way to get them more involved in the class and allowing them to choose the topic would help them be more passionate about what they are speakin on! I can't wait to try this!
Engaging students when possible. In our program, being technical in nature, engaging the students is important so they develop critical thinking skills.
