I like to have rewards for them to get them interested. I also like putting it into a way where its something they like to do and have something with what we are discussing.
Hi Anne, Thanks for sharing a good idea for geeting interactivity going in our classes! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Rebecca, Thanks for your post to the forum. That's a great suggestion! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Rudy, Yes, our students do sense our attitudes and enthusiasm for our teaching. Thanks for sharing! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Bobbi, Thanks for your post to the forum.
Sharing their opinions is indeed much less threatening than risking giving an incorrect answer in front of a class. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Shawna, Thanks for your post to the forum. Great work getting useful feedback throughout your lessons! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Veronica, Thanks for your post to the forum. That sounds like a lot of fun - great work! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Michelle, Thanks for your post to the forum. Especially for new instructors, learning to use "wait time" can be difficult, but it is a tool that is essential to get student participation.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Stacey, Thanks for your post to the forum. I use a similar technique in my Critical Thinking classes. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I ask students to prepare lists of questions after each major topic has been presented.
Then, I break students into teams, and assign those teams to find answers to specific questions.
Teams then do mini presentations, and students have a collective voice in which questions will be on our next quiz--or at least part of the next quiz.
Not surprisingly, students usually "cover" a good portion of the most important items that have been presented.
Open ended questions, by far, result in the most engagment of students. During lectures, I have trained myself not to ask "Are there any questions?" but rather "Does this make sense?" If there's a point that a student did not understand they will usually take the opportunity to say so so I can revisit that topic.
I have found that teaching in socratic method opens the floor for discussions amongst students.
Basically, if you have a positive attitude and enjoy your class, your questioning will reflect your positive attitude and you will receive greater class participation.
I agree that when using open-ended questions it gives the students the opening they need to get them started talking and is very essy to keep it going after that
I find open-end questions are the best because it allows the instructor to see who understand and who do not.
I ask the students what they have learned from the material presented. Usually my class size is small so I ask each student to give me a comment.
Asking questions that are clearly understood by the students is a great help to them and reduces the 'silence.' Using open ended questions when possible.
I have found that if you ask a question that can be answered with an opinion or a students individual thoughts that you will get more responces. Once you have the flow going on how they feel on the subject you can get into a more general question and get more responces becuase you have opened the door so to say with the students. You have them already activly talking about their opinion and they are more likley to respond to the more promienent question.
sometimes getting students to participate is a challenge, yet as an instructor we have to be a aware the way we ask the question.
I begin the day asking students what is one thing they learned the previous class day to get the class talking. Then I ask open ended questions during lecture. I also stop during practice of skills to ask what I should be doing or thinking next.
