Kathy,
I agree that the placement in the classroom is very integral to a successful learning environment.
Dr. Ryan Meers
One of the classes I teach is located in a room so small that I cannot move around at all. It gets pretty claustrophobic and I really feel constricted. The other class is taught in a very large room. In that class I am able to walk. It really makes a difference for the students. Particularly the students who like to hide in the back of the classroom.
It makes the entire classroom part of the learning environment. It also lets the instructor better observe their students when they are taking notes, working on assignments, and performing skills in the lab.
Carol,
yes, these are all great reasons for moving around the classroom & variety in placement.
Dr. Ryan Meers
It helps to redirect the students attention to what is going on in the classroom. It also allows you to see what they are doing that could be distracting them from what they should be doing. Also in a lab class you can access if they are all at the same point, or if some have fallen behind, and need a quick pointer from you to catch up with where the rest of the class is.
Nancy,
you make some excellent points here. It conveys the confidence of the instructor & it also helps us connect with the students.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Regina ,
it is important for we instructors to keep floating & moving throughout the class period.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Moving around the room has many benefits. It serves as a way to monitor the class environment (to make sure that students are staying on task). It also helps to move around because you can use the whole room (not just a spot at the front by the lectern) to be a part of the learning experience. Overall, it's a great way to promote student engagement.
Not just to encourage students to pay attention, moving around the classroom shows that instructors are confident enough to get out from behind the lectern; it also provides a way for all students feel closer to the instructor as a person, and therefore, a more human connection can be made. With that connection, students are more likely to want to learn from the instructor. It also makes the lecture more lively and engaging. However, it can be difficult if the instructor is new to the material and needs to rely on a textbook or notes. Over time, I have found less of a need for materials and also discovered I like moving away from the podium.
By Eddy Mojena
Helps keeps the students focused on the Professor and on the course content. It allows me to also see who’s not paying attention to also focus on them to draw them back in.
It helps students because you are moving and demanding contact, eye, ear....A fixed teacher is like a log..No one is excited by a log. You have to be interested in what you are delivering and know your subject and be excited about it. Sitting behind a desk is no way to deliver information and get feedback.....P O'Dwyer
I think it is important for an instructor to move around the classroom or lab because it not only lets the students that you are engaging the whole class during instructor but it also makes the studenst aware that you are aware of your surroundings and observant of what is going on
It is important for instructors to move around the classroom because as we learned we are showing students we are staking the whole classroom as a way to instruct. I have found by moving around a lot in the classroom that students get a little uncomfortable when you are around them when they are on their phones so they are less likely to be on them when they know you are walking around. This I think helps them pay attention better. I also think it provides the element of surprise in the classrom because the students do not always know what to expect.
Daniel,
I think it's one of those things that you have to feel your individual classes & the circumstances to make the best decision.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I have been an Instructor for many years and have always moved around the classroom. I feel it helps keep the students focused on our discussion rather then being lectured to. However, in (I believe) ED-104 movement during test taking and specific other times is not recommended. This appears to be in contrast to the material presented in this course.
In a lab setting, for instance a computer lab such as the one I teach half my class in, it is important to be able to monitor student progress. It is fairly simple to appear busy when one is at a computer - but if one1 is busy playing solitaire it isn't of much instructional value. While I have a computer program that keeps all student screens available to me, I like to be up and around to be sure they are understanding the tasks they are completing.
H Justice
Jay - I too have a small class, but in a large classroom. I like to be as close to the students as possible so they don't feel like they have been swallowed up by the big room! I often have students come to the front and work out problems on the whiteboard as well, letting them know that the classroom is a welcome place - they can come up to me without getting bitten! :)
HJustice
Brian,
this really does help connect with the students & turn the whole classroom into a learning environment.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Moving around in the classroom keeps the students engaged in the lecture. They also seem more intersted and I can see what everyone is doing.
It lets the students know that you are not isolated from them, and are actively engaged in connecting with them. You can approach them closer, showing a personal interest in their learning and in what they have to say. I know that it works for me, when used judiciously.
