having students look at materials while lecturing
i often have students have their bpook open to the material im covering...figures and tables put a visual to what im lecturing, i feel students soak in information better that way.
Jeffrey,
I think this is a very good strategy to follow as it shows the students the importance you attach to the textbook and how it can be used as a learning tool. Many instructors just assign chapters in textbooks and then never refer to the content that was assigned. Before long students realize they don't have to read the material in the textbook since it is never referenced in class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Some colleges require students to bring the textbooks to class. If so, I think it is a good idea to effectively take advantage of having an open textbook in class. For example, I will break out into a group activity session in teams of 3 students per group. I will assign one or two concepts/theories per group and I will give 5 to 10 minutes to use the textbook as a resource to to put together an example to share in class. Each groups will select one person to present but of course all three are welcome to share the presentation duties but only one is required. Again, this is just one example how to effectively use an open textbook in class.
If the technology is available, it can be nice to have figures and tables displayed via projector for the whole class to see at once. I like to use this method because it allows me to point out important aspects and how they relate to one another. This is especially helpful with anatomical diagrams.
