Hi Rodney, Thanks for your post to the forum. You have a very supportive and constructive approach to questioning! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi Dennis, Students do enjoy playing games as they learn and it certainly can increase their participation!
Susan Polick
I have smaller classes and so I make a point to make sure everyone gets a question in my classes each day. If I find that a student is struggling I try to lob questions their way that I know they know from talking with them to help build their confidence. Then build up to harder questions. Sometimes even pointing out what is right about an answer even if it wrong or explaining why a student's answer can be logical but in a kind way showing them where the error that led them to choose the wrong choice. Another thing I do on the first class session, when we are going over the syllabi, is to tell my students my expectations when it comes to questioning. Which is that I have no problem with being wrong and am my self on occasion; however, the only way to correct misconceptions or wrong answers is to share with one another so that we can find where we need to improve. I even encourage my students to find my errors. Life is a learning experience and it's important that we all learn from each other. I think putting it out there this way helps students to feel more comfortable in the learning environment. Being respectful and thoughtful is of utmost importance when doing this.
HI Chukwuka, Yes, having a personal connection with a topic certainly does open the door to more animated discussion. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi Gina, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, when students can personally relate to the topic they do become more involved in the discussion. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
one technique i have used to improve student class participation is to treat answer and question periods as a game. i would split the students into groups,then i would ask a question that the class would have to look in their books to find the answer to.the group that finds the correct answer would get points on the board.any groups that give an answer to be incorrect would loos points,this would discourage students from guessing incorrect answers jst to beat out the rest of the class.
Students come to the course with different backgrounds. When the discussion of the day involves something a student has done in the past, that student tends to take the lead at that point. That seems to energize the other students and they would all start firing questions or simply making comments.
I try to include things that personally effect my students. That way they tend to feed off of each others answers.
Hi Raymond, Thanks for your post to the forum. That is good advice as students become more engaged when they understand the relevance of what they are learning. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Usually I start my class asking questions about real life situations that are happening at that particular time, and then I continue developing the class building on the students questions.
Try yo Base your Questions on something they can relate to in real world.
Hi Michael, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, students do enjoy real life examples and stories that they can relate to! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Getting students to participate in the classrooms and ask questions is an art that can be taught for new and experienced instructors.
With the class that I teach (positive thinking) I first hand out cards to ask them to tell me what they see in the cards. Of course we do not always see what is there and so I show them how the mind works. Because they all see something different we do get into discussions and then the class seems more at ease because they all get to the same answer eventually and they also help each other arrive at the same conclusion
Getting students participation involve in subjects you teaching not very easy, but I always tell my students some life story making them laugh & relax then I encourage them to engage into asking questions regarding our subjects. (There's no stupid questions in my class) That's I always tell my students.
Making questions about previous classes that are relevant to the current content to encourage the students to review previous content.
Hi Mark, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, students do become more engaged when they understand the relevance of what they are learning. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Discussing topics directly relating to a work environment-"What's in it for me?"
I find if you can relate the questions to real life, the students seem to respond better. More students at that time can relate and feel more comfortable to join in the conversation, which gives me a chance to add more questions.
Thank you,
Kimberlee Smith
I usually open up the floor to discussion and questioning. Those that are likely to do so will participate fully in these saeeions. Once the shy ones see how things og, they are generally more likely to participate then and in the future. I find it as a good way to draw people out of their shells.
