All types of communication
When introducing a new subject, using all the types of contact (eyes, verbal, body motion, etc)may assist you as an instructor of what types of different individuals you have to be invloved with during cl;ass.
Stacey,
yes, the personal stories or illustrations are a great way to help students with attention as well as retention.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I am a math teacher. Retaining attention can be difficult. I agree that using all types of communication is important. Sometimes I will also try to interject a personal funny story into my lesson. It not only gives that mental break to my students and time to absorb the lesson, it helps them to retain information.
Since you have all sorts of learners (visual, audio, hands on, technology driven, older generation, etc.)- I always have to find different ways to teach the same thing to differnt students. Sometimes, all at the same time. and I also try to have some sort of "handouts" to supplement to those who need them.
One of the most challenging things to do as an instructor is to ensure everyone is focused on the material covered. Not everyone has the same motivation for learning and when the motivation is gone, so is their attention. Its important to understand and recognize that potential issues could exist if a student appears "less than motivated". Also, helping the student find resolve for their issues demonstrates good leadership skills that will resound for many classes to come for new students coming into your course.
