Limits on Psychomotor / ice-breaking activities
Just a comment on this subject. I think it's important to keep the psychomotor activities within the scope of class subject matter. Class time is valuable and engaging students in activities that are not relevant mitigates any arguments you make regarding how the class benefits them in a real-world sense.
I will always....ALWAYS...find something good to say about a student's project or test grade, no matter how bad it might be. My students would eat me for lunch if I had them make paper airplanes (for instance) and my IT guy would grind up my remains for use in dog food if I let them throw paper airplanes in the computer lab. Now, that said, motivation comes from letting a student know they are advancing. While I will point out the things they need to work on, I will always point out the advances they have made during the semester/term. It's the last thing I talk about so that it sticks with them.
All too true. But I wonder if anyone has advice on how to instill a little of that excitement for the sake of learning? I was born with it/nurtured into it, so I'm not quite clear on how to instill it in students who don't have that point of view.
I also teach in an excellerated program, where every moment of class time must be well utilized. I like the idea of using some type of labeling activity in groups to get the class started. The paper airplane activity sounds like a good tool for an engineering course or something along those lines.
I have to agree. The paper plane example sounds like a fun activity that would engage the students, but I can see two major faults with it. One, in an accelerated course, it takes up too much time using an irrelevant skill. And two, adult learners may view it as an immature and patronizing activity. I can just imagine the first disaffected response to this activity: "I came here to learn how to be a nurse/IT tech/designer, not how to make paper airplanes."
