Four hour long classes
Hi,
My classes are four hours long. What techniques are helpful in having students be motivated for the entire class?
Regina,
As I teach in three hour blocks I can relate to the challenge you face. The key is to offer change of pace and variety throughout the duration of the class. Lecture and discussion, lecture and small group, lecture and role play, lecture and case studies, etc.. These activities along with breaks as you mention give students an opportunity to reset their brains and stay engaged. As my classes run from 4 until 10 pm I have the added challenge of keeping them awake after they have worked all day. At the end of the evening I am worn out.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As a new instructor with 3-hour long classes, all of the suggestions in this forum are helpful to me. I've been wondering how I'll keep my students' attention the whole time. Of course it makes sense to me that I shouldn't simply lecture the entire time. Dividing up the class time (and having a break!) will be crucial in keeping things interesting, both for my students and myself.
Where I work I have the luxury of inviting in guest speakers and lecturers. This can be risky in that the primary instructor losses some control. The guest will almost automatically change the dynamic by adding a new person and teaching with a different style, and you also have to be ready to teach the lesson yourself if the guest falls through for some reason. But the change of pace helps everybody refresh and refocus and, like any other guest, the guest speaker puts everybody on their best behavior. With class periods running four hours or more, day after day, the students (and the instructor) will start to get tired by the middle of course and scheduling some guest instructors for the second half of the course can be a big help.
MICHAEL,
Right you are because you are letting them "reset" their brains a bit and make application of what has just been covered. This is what helps with student retention and growth.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think that by doing short lectures then doing some sort of demonstration or activity, the students will be more interested in joining in and not become bored.
Sean,
I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can relate to your comments. We have to offer variety and change of pace if we are going to keep our students engaged for the duration of our class sessions. You have all of these elements going for your instructional delivery so I know you are making an impact on your students as a result.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that in my 3 and a half hour sessions, that breaking the class into parts, where the lessons are shorter and completed in 45 minutes, has made a difference. I try to vary the lessons a bit, so one is hands-on, one is more lecture and discussion and one shows practical application of the skills.
When I can't do hands-on teaching with our gear, breaking the class into smaller parts and taking breaks between has been effective. I also try to support every class with a piece of media (video clip, music, article, etc) that can show a real-world relevance to what we are learning.
Christina,
Learners like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery. You are providing both with your approach. The result was that you had engaged students that appreciated what you were doing to keep them engaged. This is a great compliment to your and your professionalism.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
This past semester I to had 4 hour lectures, I broke them up into 40 mins I had only 7 weeks to to teach 30 chapters.(week 8 was their final) I used I clickers, lecture and games to keep them interested. When I started to see students get up more frequently I would call for a ten minute brake, I also brought in snack foods the last day as it was presentation day (a day when the students had to do a presentation)for the most part the students seem to like how I broke the class up. I also let them know when it would be a breaktime on the PPP handouts, they stated that it gave them a goal to know that I was not going to talk all four hours.
I run through a cycle of lecture, try, contribute, break... this field is very hands-on, and by having the students try a concept after teaching, and then adding their thoughts, keeps things interesting and moving.
Joshua,
What are some ways that you get your students moving and engaged in the learning process?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
anything that gets them moving around always helps, and keep it interesting
I find it interesting and challenging as an educator to try different methods in delivering content. Sometimes making a change works well, other times not so well! In addition, each group of students are so different from previous groups. These changes always keep me looking at new methods.
Terry,
I would continue this pattern for two reasons, one as you mentioned the students are used to it and two, it an effective way of keeping students engaged in the learning process throughout the duration of the class session.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have a similiar situation with 3 1/2 hr classes and have found that 20 minute increments does work the best.
Would it be better to structure the next class period in the same format....so the students are more comfortable with expectations...or should the next class be structured completely different to keep students more involved with the unexpected?
I do inject some randomness, but I wonder if this should be increased.
Andrew,
Students like variety and change of pace in their instructional delivery. A strategy can be to use mini-lectures of 15-20 minutes and then an activity like role playing, case studies, small group discussions, etc.. Then you can go back and do another mini-lecture and another activity. This will keep the students engaged and help make the time go by quicker.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
