Hi Tom, Good advice for off topic questions! Thanks for sharing and best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Sometimes a question is really out in left field - you simply have to let the student know that you would be glad to deal with that question "of-line" as it's not pertinent at the moment. You may also have to restate a question to be sure they understood your original question. (Cool, calm, and collected here, no defensiveness on the part of the instructor!)I think it also helps to ask another student to "respond to the response" - keeps some energy going.
The instructor can repeat the questions, rephrase the questions, and ask the same information in a variety of different situations. Try to repeat the information in a way so that the student responses build upon one another, keeping students engaged.
Hi Richard, That certainly allows them to use the technology that they love!
Susan Polick
I will sometimes ask my students to use their smart phones, tablets or computers to access the internet and do a little additional research on a particular question. I will limit their research time to only a minute or two. I then ask what they have come up with. This usually leads into a more meaningful, focused discussion of the topic.
I agree with Patricia, rephrasing the questions can make a world of difference.
Repeat the question on hand and don't let the subject change coarse.
Re-wording the question as well as re-phrasing the question helps, as well as giving examples!
Hi Freddie, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, giving some positive feedback is important. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
If a student responds to a question inaccurately, I will express appreciation for the student's response. Then I would ask if any other student would like to add to the answer before I provided a more concise answer.
I think that restating the questions is great also, it gives the student an opportunity to rethink the question
Some methods to keep students on target are to:
redirect the discussion back to where you want it
use their answers as stepping stones to the next topic or question
ask another student to add on to the previous answer
ask students to use their own life experiences
I believe I a good method is to write on the board the main ideas of the question followed by the different significant parts of the student's answers pertaining to the question asked.
Once the answer parts are put on the board, now they have a visual of the question targets and it should be easier to keep from steering away from the topic.
Hi Jean-Rene, Thanks for your post to the forum. That is good advice to remember! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I make sure to include all of the students when reviewing the questions of the other students that way we can avoid having the same question several times.
Ask a question of the total class, keeping in sequence with the topic in discussion.
Pause to give time for students to relate and formulate their response.
Give students time to reply; you may ask them to jot their answers down on a pice of paper. The initial answer given may be used to redirect a question to another student.
Hi Sara, Thanks for your post to the forum. I think we can often learn all sorts of new things from and about our students by allowing them to "Roam" a bit! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi David, Thanks for your post to the forum. Excellent advice for giving positive reinforcement! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I like to plan a little tangent time just for this purpose. In art history, there are often so many things students have always wanted to know but never have gotten the opportunity to ask and I love to let them "off the leash" a little and ask whatever is on their mind, often we segue into really weird off topic places (that are still academic in scope, never personal or silly like TV shows or celebrity gossip), but as long as we come back to the subject and everyone feels their questions have been answered, it always proves to have been worth the time. And it encourages to speak up more in class which generates more discussions that have always ended up to be very thoughtful and interesting.
A person answering a question incorrectly does not intend to do so. He/she actually answered the question because they "believe" their answer to be true. Never discourage a student from answering because the instructor can always redirect and use some information from that student to eventually obtain the correct answer.
