HI Jeremy- I think Terry had a good suggestion. Ask the student to save that off topic question for the break.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
As a new instructor what would be the best way to handle that situation?
HI Ed- You obviously have a great sense of humor and your students must enjoy being in your classes! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career and all the best in 2010! Susan
I like to play games sometimes. When they answer the question, I'll tell them they are wrong because they did not answer it with "What is...." like the game show "Jeopardy". I then take away imaginary points. I'll also sometimes tell a student I'm ignoring him/her that day, that if they have a question they will have to have another student ask it. I will then answer with something like; "John, tell Bill that the answer is...." The students know I'm having fun and it lightens things up. Sometimes a student will ask me to ignore them, and I'll say" but I have you at number three today". They then want to know where they rank on the list. I also pretend to limit their amount of questions, "sorry, you were allowed 4, you asked 5, I'm sorry, I can't answer that. It's worked so far.
I like to use the how and why technique - it also avoids the simple yes/ no answers.
Sometimes when my students get off topic, I make a game of it. If they ask a question or make a statement that is not related to the topic at hand, I ask them to relate it to the lecture. It is a little fun, because the more off topic a subject is, the more creative the student gets to relate it back to the classroom objective. It also sends a subtle message to the students to stay on topic.
Hi Terry - Thank you for your post! I really like the idea of asking the student to discuss the off topic question during break. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career and all the best in 2010! Susan
One way is to redirect the topic to the targeted part of the subject. This can be done by the instructor politely telling the student who ask a question off topic to please ask the question on a different day or ask the question during a break.
Another way is to ask a question to a student that is on topic to refocus the group.
Frequently I will, by intention, incorrectly restate an important issue discussed in the previous session and then solicit responses that provide the desired correction posed as a question then followed by the answer. Hearing the variety of replies can be both informative and enlightening.
I like to ask why and what if questions,also I may say "tell the class all we ever wanted to know about gastrointerology". I try to avoid questions with one word ans.I like to draw out several studients to give there thoughts on any question.
HI Vinita- Thanks for your post to the forum! Asking the "What" question followed by a "Why" question is an excellent technique that will get discussion going. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
I have found that asking several students the same question is a good way to keep all of them focused.
Asking one student a what question and then following a "why" question to another student also works.
Giving enough response time or the wait time is incredible and it works.
Hello,
To keep students on target with their questions and responses, I would:
Repeat the questions, write the question on the board, simplify my questions.
Hi Maureen - welcome to ED 103! I love that panty hose analogy! As just a home cook I know that I can be distracted when I have people in my kitchen while I am cooking; I can't imagine 40! You seem to have it all working togther though- best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I like the answers proffered here, but believe the answer is like panty hose- one size does not fit all. As a Chef Instructor our classes can run from 16 to 40 students and the majority of questions often come during demos. It is sometimes quite distracting from the demo to continually answer questions while trying to make sure everything in the demo gets delivered. In these situations I try to lead with some of my questions and also have a student identify and critique my work as I continue the demonstration. I find this allows me to keep the focus on the demonstration, allows the students to see how to receive a critique and connects their words with the actions in the demo.
Involving them in the process helps to keep students focused. I like to use surveys in order to gain feedback.
I agree and try to do the same thing - I teach culinary arts and my students often have questions about the field that do not pertain to the day's material - so I acknowledge the question and then try to refocus.
I try to make time before and after class to answer the questions that relate to the industry or to school but not the class content itself. That way we stay on track and on syllabus.
I will often have a number of questions in mind and throw them out if we get off topic. Something along the lines of "have you considered..." and try to bring the topic back to the foreground.
Hi Krishna- Welcome to ED 103! You mention something that is so important - having a solid lesson plan is essential for keeping you and your students focused. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
I quickly address the response to make the student feel heard and then bring it back around to the topic. I ask to students to keep focused on the topic at hand. I also have to remember to keep myself focused in on the topic. Having my lecture planned out reminds me to keep moving forward to cover all of the material.
