Kimberly,
Good way to involve the students at a greater level.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I think it's best to ask open-ended questions and ask for examples of the topic.
Cynthia,
Excitement sells and we need to bring it each time we enter the classroom.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I agree! If the students feel that you are enthusiastic about the subject matter that you are teaching, they will become enthusiastic about learning it!
Gayle,
I like to use games in my review as well. The students really get excited about the games and the competition that goes with it plus they do well on the tests after the gaming reviews.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I think its a great idea to add a question every 5-8 slides! I am going to implement it into my lectures as well.
I agree, after 20 minutes or so, my students get either glassy eyed or fidgety and I do like to change it up a little bit, by doing something different, but I do like the idea of adding questions to Power Points to keep them engaged.
My students are preparing to work in the medical field. I have found that relaying real life stories that pertain to the material we are studying always keeps their interest. Humorous stories are the best. They are also good for keeping their focus. If timed will it will also usually fall within their 15 to 18 minutes attention span.
For review of material, I like to put together games...like jeopardy, family feud, or "fun" quizes with students names, scenarios with important information. Helps keep them motivated, and start to apply knowlege they are learning...and not so anxious about testing.
Antonio,
Change of pace and location is a good way to keep students engaged. You are doing this with your "road trips" and interactive Q&A sessions.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I use something I call "road trips" into our lab. This way we are not sitting for hours and just listening to me gab about. It engages them, they get hands on, see what we just spoke about in action. Create a Q&A session on our road trips and then continue with lecture again. Constantly repeating the process.
Chad,
Effective questioning is a valuable learning strategy. Use of stories and examples help students to see the human aspects of development in their own careers. They learn you have the real life experiences to bring effective and relevant content into the class and share with them.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I think that you need to ask questions all the time. Ask them for their opinions, and make try to relate that to personal experience. I tell many stories from the time before I was a teacher. I also add personal stories about my family that I think helps them relate to me.
Visual and interactive tools, asking stimulating questions that pertain to the subject matter, changing the tone and level of my voice in order to grab attention. Not lecturing with a monotone voice.
Carol,
Passion for one's field goes a long way in "selling" the content that is being shared. Enthusiasm is catching so we need to spread it around. I tell my students that I am excited to be there and have the opportunity to share with them and I hope they will be excited about learning as well. If they aren't I am still going to do my best and see if I can get them engaged and excited as well.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Ali,
That is a terrific idea. This method would ensure that students are actually reading the material and participating in classroom discussions.
Carol Myslinski
Hello,
One method for keeping students engaged is for the teacher to convey enthusiasm about his or her subject. Students also need to feel comfortable asking questions and to feel as though they have something important to contribute to the learning experience.
Carol Myslinski
I think the major way is to understand their attention span and abide by it. 15-18 minutes is not very long and instructing should be able to last longer than this. Therefore teaching styles, strategies, and activities should be varied every 15 minutes. This will ultimately keep the students engaged with activities changing at the lowest end of their attention span threshold. Things will constantly be new and they will always have something new to focus on therefore maintaining their attention for longer periods of time and keeping them focused on learning rather than boring them to death with the same style of lecture every class period.
Antoinette,
This is a good way to keep the students engaged and progressing in their learning. You are giving information as well as advice and support as they develop their knowledge and skills.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Asking the students to participate in a related activity in clas or to prepare something for class the next day. Also by giving constructive criticsm and positive feedback.
Switching between lectures, demonstrations, audio and visual learning
