I was happy to see many of the skills that I practice addressed in this module. I use appropriate eye contact, I move around the room, I speak loudly and clearly, and I keep my students informed. Another strategy that I use is to include humor, I look for opportunities to do so. Most of the time I am successful, then there are those times when my jokes do not quite entertain my students.
Practice in front of coworkers to get feedback on what you can improve.
I think the best idea that this tutorial brought up was to video tape one of your lectures.
I am quite certain that would bring to light a number of deficiencies that could be immediately remedied.
i tend to talk too fast and sometimes stutter, any suggestions to stop doing this
I always tell the class if they see something in red on the powerpoint it is important and they should take note. It even sometimes repeats on the powerpoint 2 - 3 times. You can tell the class "this is important or remember this" too many times and it may not mean anything after a while.
Hi Warren! Thanks for posting in the discussion. Hope you are doing well! Interesting point about the disaster example. You are so right, adult learners tend to remember details of more shocking examples and it does change the pace of the lecture. Just curious, do you, per chance, ever provide an example of a project or procedure gone wrong, resulting in disastrous consequences and have students determine what actually was done incorrectly in the steps, then back it up with your presentation?
Thanks again,
Jay
ED106 Facilitator
I haved mixed in with the regular lecture,stories of how "failure to have specific knowledge of technical details" has resulted in disaster for the project at hand.It breaks up the volume of information and gives relavance to a specific learning objective. Anyone can tell stories of success - people remember unpleasant details with greater clarity
Thanks, Wayne! True, I have found too that each class has its own dynamics, strengths and challenges, thus requiring a different instructional style and perhaps different classroom management techniques.
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Every class has its own personality so you can’t always do the same thing. Some classes need a very forceful voice while others need a softer gentler voice
keeping the class fun is a major goal for me. I have found that the students respond and learn more when class is fun. Plus the element of suprise and wanting to know what is coming next keeps them on the edge of their seats.
Different methods work for different groups. Find out what works with that group and use it.
Great idea! I am going to use this in my classes. I tend to talk a little too fast, and could use this to also remember to pace myself.
Most students in career college are hands on learners. I found that not reading the powerpoint presentation but using it to reinforce my lecture along with illustrations on the white board promotes long term retention.
This is a great point. Break up the lecture. Stop and tell a related story on the same subject. Even take a few minutes to talk about a news story. Dont let the students get to far off task as they will be hard to bring back to the lecture
I work in the south, we have students from all over the Uninted States. My southern dialect may be annoying to some of my students and a curiosity to others. I do not try to cover it up completley but I try to use correct english during class so as not to distract the students as they learn. This really is a consern of mine
Thanks Chris for your comments! Your strategy is the ultimate "learning by example."
I do the same thing; it not only gives me ideas for improvement, but reaffirms the things I believe I'm doing right!
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
I try to listen to any presentation that I hear, be it one that a fellow co-worker gives, or one for entertainment, and pick up on what that paticular presenter is doing well. I will compare that to what I do and see if I can use them as an example to improve my own habits.
Hi Christine! Excellent comments regarding story-telling as part of instructional persona - it is such a powerful and personal tool in presenting topics and applications to learners of all ages, and students tend to assimilate and remember content better when stories, metaphors, symbols, analogies and examples are used.
For more info on storytelling, here is an interesting article in the Association for Psychological Science Obsever:
Storytelling in Teaching by Melanie C. Green
Type in "Storytelling in Teaching" in your browser, then click on
APS Observer-Storytelling in Teaching
Jay Hollowell
EL106 Facilitator
I'd like to develop my story-telling abilities to the point where I can easily think up metaphors and analogies as part of my instructional persona.
Hi Craig!
Thanks for your excellent example about moving around the class during your lecture; it really does help to keep a pulse on student understanding, and makes the class more personal and interactive as well.
Sometimes, while moving around and during a presentation, I'll ask for a volunteer to paraphrase for the class the important concept or application that we are discussing at the moment; I've even given out small and funny prizes for those who volunteer to summarize for the class. Additionally, I sometimes stop during a lecture and ask students to write down a question about the topic or ask them to provide an example; it's easier to get the participation when you are in the learning space and not behind a podium (I actually had instructors in school that sat behind a desk and talked)!
Thanks again,
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
