Great comment and teaching tool. I am a new instructor and plan to use that in my classroom
Hi Edwardo- Thanks for your post to the forum. Students really do like to be able to relate what they are learning to their own experiences and also benefit from our own experiences that we can share with them. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
By, Edwardo Mojena
I find that when i relate my life experiences with the materials it oftens draws different students in with opinions and questioning which also creates a debate with in the class.
Restating their response, to clarify that is what they intended to say, often gives an opportunity to add more information, or correct the misinterrpretation.
I usually try to rephrase the question when students get off track with their responses to my questions. When they ask questions that may not seem relevant, I throw a question back at them and ask how is the question relevant to the topic. They can either relate it or not and I never have to answer their unrelated questions.
I agree to with I try to keep things revolvimg around the topic at hand.
Like one of the responses, I have tried to kick off the discussion with my own personal experience(s) in hopes that that will: make students feel more at ease with talking in the open discussion forum, and help them to understand the type(s) of response(s) I am looking for. Having the students repeat the question when responding with an answer seems as though it would be a great method to help keep students focused on the topic at hand.
Leonardo,
I agree with you that using personal experiences to drive home a point is effective. I also ask for students to share their life experiences which may be relevant to the topic being discussed. The challenge I have found is that sometimes the personal experiences lead to points which are off topic and I need to steer the discussion back to the material at hand.
give simple questions to all students to be replied later. this will keep the student s engaged while they pondr about topic.
ask random questions related to topics which students can easily answer, or ask questions like do you agree to what i just said? is there any way you waould suggest i can rephrase it?
thiese simple questions donot test their knowledge but enable them to pay attention
I tend to get off task myself during class discussions. I allow myself to do so in part because I see my role as a teacher not only to teach the subject of mathematics or ESL (i teach both), but also to connect our topics to areas outside of the classroom; connect them to other subjects and give them a wide view of the world.
So allowing what might appear to be off-task comments or discussions are fine in my classroom, as long as they can be related back to the primary concept or issue being discussed.
In truth, I haven't had an issue with students being unfocused during discussions. The environment that I set up in my classroom creates a level of interest for my students; they *want* to participate less they feel left out!
Hi Karina - Thanks for your post to the forum. I especially liked your "Strategies" such as sitting down with your students while asking questions. This certainly makes it more of a discussion. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Class rules During a discussion:
My students are not allowed to say ‘I don’t know’ when asked a question.
My students are not required to know, but you are expected to think.
My students can guess,speculate and wonder aloud on based of the knowledge gained during even first hours of my class. There is no little knowledge its always 100% your 100%, like nerves system - all or nothing.
My Strategy
*Keep class roster handy during discussion sessions and mark who speaks and who does not.
*Ask those students who do not participate enough to "help me out" by speaking more in class.
*Sitting down among my students and look at them across an even plane No talking down to student - because there is a "fight or flight" mechanism that kicks in from our brain when we have to stand up to what is coming at us.
Offer help in form of question
* "Guess What I’m Thinking" Question lets attempt a mind reading attitude.
*"What should Student X have done to improve his/her focus?" asks for students input.
* Don't you think...? Rhetorical Question—in which questions allow me to push my interpretations and ideas on my students while
* The Information Retrieval Question—in which students are asked to simply look in the text at hand, find specific, concrete information, and bring it back to the teacher.
Stop discussion:
* "Do you think ....?" or "Wouldn’t you agree ...?" ask students to engage in nothing more than simple Yes/No, which stops a discussion dead.
It happens that sometimes students develop partial answers. In this case the instructor can lead them to elaborate more on their answers by offering additional and more focused questions on the topic.
There are many methods to use to keep students on target with their questions and responses.
· rephrasing the question
· redirecting the question
· narrowing the question
The instructor should give the student reasonable time to respond. Never cut off the student’s answer if even the answer is not correct. Let the student finish it. Sometimes, the wrong answer can be used as a learning tool. Always thank them for their contributios. It encourages the students to participate more in class discussions.
Hello Alan,
I agree with you. I do the same if the topic is floating away from the topic I redirect the question to lead it back on track.
Joan
One of the methods I found to keep the students on target is to ask questions and if I feel the question needs an expansion, I ask the fellow peers to assist in answering the question. I find if the students think they are helping one another out they do and remain focused.
I seem to do that a lot to. I always like to tie in some sort of story or example with the information so students know where the information can impact someone. Especially since I teach a general class that has a variety of majors, resulting in some students not understanding why they need the course, I've found it has helped spark an interest.
I think asking clarifying questions or asking student to add to the last response.
Reminding students what the topic is and what the goal of the questioning is.
Praise when focused and the question was answered. Ask others if they have more to add to ensure they are engaged and focused.
