By finding out what are their interests and incorporating that into the discussion.
Hi Germain- Having no formal culinary training but a great love of cooking and many hours spent watching the Food Network, your exercise that gives the students a list of ingrdients but no recipes is for your students the ultimate assessment of their critical thinking skills. Great work! Susan
Initially, I structure activities with clear foci. In this way, students are encouraged to ask questions but within clear boundaries dictated by the activities themselves. As an example: I may create a scenario that relates closely to the current lecture or demo, and encourage discussion about that scenario based upon their and/or my questions (this is geared toward analysis). There are other activities in which I may engage them that are aimed at synthesis but build on prior learning. Example: After they have learned about preparing similar dishes, I may provide them with ingredients but no structured recipe and challenge them to construct the recipe, step by step.
Steven - Thanks for your post! Eye contact is a good way to establish a connection as you mention. I liked your note about no "No learning zones"! Best wishes - Susan
I like to move throughout the classroom and estabish eye contact with the students so they know they are all accountable for the learning. Once students realize there are no "No Learning" zones in a classroom, they buy in to what is happening.
Hi Ralph- I think it also strengthens students' learning because incremental questions lead students through a thinking process to get to the final solution. Best wishes - Susan
Hi Tammy- it's a rare instructor who never gets taken off on tangents. Bottom line is discussions/particpation is good! Susan
I'm good at getting really great discussion...but not so good at keeping it focused. Due to my own personality type I don't always mind digressing to a degree. The good part is that I have found it really brings the shy people out of their shell and in the end we normally have some great discussion directly related to the topic....it just might take us a bit to get there!
We should make sure that the students know that their input is important to the entire formulation of ideas in the classroom. We can do this by asking them a variety of questions at a variety of difficulty levels. This way, they know that their input is valued for all topics and not just ones that they have the immediate answers to. They will become comfortable with the idea that sometimes talking their way toward the answer is okay if they don't know the answer off the top of their heads right away.
Keeping focused is an area that I need to keep working on. Students will often bring up questions that are related to the material, but tangential to the lesson. The questions are interesting (especially to me!), but there just isn't the time to explore them.
Many times students get off track with the questions or conversations in the classroom. One of the main ways that I get students back on track is that I acknowledge their responses and let them know that we need to refocus on the tasks on hand.
Hi Paul - That is indeed the ideal way to acknowledge and validate a student's response to a question. Thanks for your post to the forum! Best wishes- Susan
I find acknowledging a partially correct or not fully answered questions and redirecting it to another student is useful as well as saying thank you for peoples contributions.
I try to keep the questions as close to the topic at hand as possible. there are always students who try to get off subject. I try to give a swift answer and tie it to the subject matter at hand or offer to answer individual questions offline after class.
Hi Mimi - Thanks for your post to the forum. that's a great idea to not only avoid the totally embarrased student but to also build a classroom community. Best wishes - Susan
I call on the first student, then have students call on each other. If someone is puzzled or unprepared, I instruct them to "consult with a colleague." Works quite well!
Hi Allan - Thanks for your post to the forum. You are doing an excellent job of encouraging your students to be active learners.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I try to keep things revolvimg around the topic at hand. I will initiate the questioning and allow the talk to proceed. If I see that things are floating away, I will redirect the questioning to get back on topic. This usually keeps things going.
Hi Angela- Welcome to ED 103! I like the idea of using students questions to build larger discussion. If they are asking questions about a topic they are obviously interested in discussing it.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I find sometimes that I ask too broad of questions, so I use the questions my students ask to help "narrow" my train of thought. I also use their questions as stepping stones for further discussion. If they are way off base, I try to rephrase because I recognize that I always know what is going on in my head, but that doesn't mean anybody else does!
