Lecturing vs. Activities
At my school I struggle with the short 10 week term. I feel as if there is so much content that needs to be covered that lecture often wins out over activities. I would love to be able to do more activities with my students since I agree that they are a great way to integrate what the students have learned in lecture. However, given my subject matter I don't feel confident that students will learn the material through activities alone. I have a hard time deciding what will be skipped in order to bring more activities into my class and that bums me out.
William,
while this is a difficult situation, sounds like you have developed a great plan to meet the need.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I am in a similar situation, however, slightly more challenging. My school provided syllabi are designed as 10 week semesters, the courses however are on 5 week semesters. I do my very best to introduce material to the students in a logical flow, however, the lectures tend to be topic based and the students have a really difficult time keeping up with the material. I fear (and have proven) that my students learn materials to sit for exams and retention seems to be a significant obstacle. Because the pinnacle of the program is a licensing exam, my concern is that they will only have the very basic knowledge they have managed to retain over the program. My solution is that my exams (as well as my lectures) incorporate previously covered topics from other courses so that they constantly reuse previously learned material. This is also very similar to how the board exam is designed. The test covers all topics and all species, so it is by definition a cumulative exam.
I have similar challenges at my school. Teaching classes about the human anatomy demands lots of lecture just to cover the basics. The way that I have incorporated activities in the classroom is to use them as a source of review for exams.It keeps the students interested and it is a fun way to go over material that they will be tested on.
You could try assigning work outside of class so that they have a working knowledge of the material when they come. That way, you don't have to feel pressured to "spoon feed" and they have more personal responsibility to do their homework/reading.
You could also break up the lecture by assigning different topics to small groups of students, who then present the important information to the class. You act as a consultant then, not the information deliverer.
Research shows that they're not listening to you after 20 minutes anyway, so don't be afraid to shake things up.
What a tough situation, where you feel that there may be a better way but are unable to implement it. Maybe you can try new things little at a time. If it works then you keep it and try adding. If it doesn't work, then drop it and try something else.
Lectures can also be fun.. The idea is to engage the student. A good speaker can add color and interest to a lecture. I once had a history teacher that taught a 300 + lecture class in history. He would dress up as a character from the time. He would also had visuals, through picture and through description. A good lecture can be VERY engaging, and involve discussion as well as interaction.
On the flip side, activities can also sometimes feel "forced" and people who are more introverted can feel incredibly uncomfortable. I believe each teacher should find their strength, and what they are most comfortable with and build upon it. Some people are great at presenting, while others are great and organizing and planning successful activities. T
Hi,could not agree more,during the lecture some are understanding sooner than others,so lets get to the activity hands on asap to avoid anyone getting bored.
I definitely beleive activities are a requirement, so I try to incorporate activities in the lecture classes. I teach culinary students, so they are used to a fast-paced enviroment with a hands-on approach from the labs. Therefore, when they have lecture classes they easily become bored.
Sometimes I have them to debrief and ask a student to volunteer to write on the board. Another activity would be to take a non-graded quiz and then discuss it in class.
In order to ensure I do not forget I have my classes planned with the activities that would be incorporated and print it in a Daily Plan. I believe it works better when they are incorporated after lecturing for 20 minutes.
Hi Dixie!
You made some excellent points! Thanks for sharing the activity - it sounds very interesting.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
You're right! While formal activities fostering experiential learning are marvelously productive, for some aspects of a class (like imparting information), they're woefully inefficient. Still, though lecture may be the most efficient delivery method, it doesn't allow for variations in learning styles (although Neuro-Linguistic Programming experiments show that just varying the references to the senses can help students tune in, grasp the idea, or see the picture) or engage the Multiple Intelligences.
However, those activities that provide variety in a lecture can be small engagements, too. "Turn to your neighbor and share...." "So how might this concept be applied in your profession?" "Here's the key concept; repeat it with me. Again. Faster!" Sometimes I have ready stories about applications in their fields; "Where are my Media Production students?" Even the hand-raising and looking to see who's hand is raised can break the lecture hypnosis.
Brief body (and attention) awareness activities can not only wake students up but can also stimulate another learning mode."Stand, please. Raise your right hand. Press your palm to the ceiling. Now press your left palm to the floor, and stretch both ways. Feel that stretch and that tension. Sometimes you feel pulled in two directions, don't you. Now reverse--left palm to the ceiling and right palm to the floor. Ah, you're beginning to come into balance, aren't you."
Here's my favorite quick, intensive, and controlled renewal activity: Circle up (or make an oval or ellipsis, if our space is shallow), please, right over here. (You are part of the circle.) Come in closer, so your shoulders touch each other. [Insert an analogy to the lecture topic. "Sometimes you feel hemmed in..., no room to maneuver...." "In this culture, this kind of closeness is the norm." "In the cold, the molecules huddle together, tightly packed."] Take a quarter turn to the right. Notice the space all around you. ["Sometimes only a small change can make a big difference. For instance, in ...."] Now put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you, and give that person a massage. ["Is your attention primarily on the massage you are receiving or the massage you are giving?" "In the chemical chain reaction...."](Allow a minute or two for the massage to work its magic.) Now take a half turn, 180 degrees, to the left, for a different perspective. And give a shoulder massage to the person in front of you now. ["Variations in a process can yield different results...." "When a market trend reverses...."] (Allow another minute or so to enjoy this massage.) Now thank the people who have given you a massage and return to your seat. [Insert a question to focus the group on the upcoming section of the lecture: "As the molecules ping and bounce, ping and bounce, what do you think will happen when...?" "When the manager considers ..., what options do you think s/he will have?"]
Greetings Lillian!
I like to use both techniques to learn more about the class mix and then adjust content and delivery methods to skill levels. Something that I do prior to class starting is to give students an assignment to write a one-page autobiography about themselves to share the first day. It is a GREAT way to break the ice and to demonstrate to students that they will be given assignments throughout the class and that it starts at the very beginning.
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
Greetings Terry!
This is a great approach for a class of such short duration. Improving students skills level is what all instructors hope for but it sounds like you have mastered the technique.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
I can't imagine such a short time with students - the idea of accelerated learning sounds quite applicable in this case! I wish that when I first started teaching years ago that someone had introduced me to the idea of inital assessment. I have since learned to be flexible and to focus the content and delivery methods to the skill levels in my class, rather than to stick to only one plan.
At my school I have only 3 weeks with each group of students. It is a constant struggle to balance lecture with activities. Furthermore each group of students vary so much with prior knoledge and skills, making it more complex to quickly evaluate and readjust the balance of lecture to activities. My focus has become moving forward with each group to increase their skill levels compared to when they enter my class. The first day of class we start with an activity that helps me assess their skill levels. Then I plan lectures and activities, based on weaknesses in skills observed during the day one activity.
Finding ways to gear activites to promote the learning of a particular subject can sometimes allow for a shorter lecture. Students often learn by their experience, and some topics lend themselves best to this. I can lecture on and on about structure, but the exercise that has students build their own physical foamcore models to see which will resist crushing the under the most weight is far more informative than words alone!
It is true that general education course can too often become lecture-only; I teach at the same school as Ms. Bassuk (the initiator of this thread), and consider myseld to be teaching studio design courses. Although there is quite a bit of factual information to presented, information which the students simply must memorize, most classes will also include hands-on learning, design projects, that the student will work on in class. It engages different intelligences and learning styles (and means less lecture prep).
Perhaps, Cynthia, you might consider including studio-style art projects into your lecture class. Rather than making the students write a paper, say, have them create an artistic interpretation of the subject matter that they've all ready about and taken notes on in your lectures. The result, I have to think, would be spectacular.
10 weeks is a short time to cover the material. I try to incorporate one interactive activity, even if short, daily. Today I provided instant credit to each student that provided three 'power' words for students to utilize in creating their brand vision - a live thesaurus!
They difinitely need to have things broke up a bit. A person can only take so much lecturing. You have to get them engaged in activities to support the lecture.
Hi Darrell!
I couldn't agree more. Active learning helps students retain information.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
