I like the class room but the students learn more with hands on.
This is a great way to keep class fun.
In every topic I teach I teach the material and ten provide them a hands on exercise or media format to give them additional tools to retain the material. lecturing only can be very tedious and boring at times so I like to shake things up and change the venue. This seems to keep the students attention.
Hi Michael,
Retention of course content depends upon a lot of application. Your ratio of 60 to 70 percent hands on really helps with retention. As you say you have a way of checking to see if the students "got" it when they go to the lab. You are doing a good job of showing relevancy to your students with this instructional method.
Gary
The school I teach at promotes 60% to 70% hands on. The students realy have a lot of lab time and should they not be able to put the lecture and note taking into solving the lab project. All students are brought back into the class room for a brief reiteration. This works pretty well because, I stop them where they are having difficulty and clear up the confusion. In class I always ask if everyone understands the topic at hand. Most say yes they do. Lab is where they prove to me they do understand. I don't single anyone out because I know they all need a little more direction. What they are learning is new to them.
