I use the lesson and apply it to real life experance and tell stories about past experances to show how the material applies to real life susuations
I try to break the class into smaller groups. I can get into a more detailed break down of the topic and hands on demo. I find that trying to present to a big group there are many distractions that take place and students become disengaged. I like to ask a lot of questions as well and might ask a specific student to answer the question. This does keep them alert. I try to talk with them instead of talk at them.
I constantly move around the room when I am teaching. If I see a student dozing, I just stand next to them or just put my hand on their shoulder without drawing attention as I keep talking. I will also call of them randomly from time to time to ask their opinion on something.
I write the "Agenda" on the board in class and ask would any one like to add anything, so the class is involved right in the planning.
Hi Linda,
Very good on making your students feel at ease! Whenever students are comfortable and they feel at ease, they tend to become more interested in the subject matter. They want to learn.
Patricia
Hi Cornelius,
It is great whenever students are involved in active learning. The instructor should always ecourage student participation as much as possible. I give a 5% participation grade each grading period to encourage participation.
Patricia
Hi Michelle,
You're right, some of our students are extremely creative. Their minds can at times be much more imaginative than ours. They will go to great lengths to do an effective job presenting the chapter. I love having my students teach chapters.
Patricia
Hi Marilyn,
Yes, a sure way to get students involved is to call upon all. Students tend to really pay attention whenver they know that eventually it will be their turn.
Patricia
I always call on all the students in class, this way they all get into what is being disscused.Asking all to come up to the board also helps.
I walk around the room during lecture and demonstration. Oftentimes, the inattentive students tend to sit in the middle and back of the classroom. By moving around they can hear me better and also know that I am paying attention to what they are doing. I also frequently ask questions to keep the students engaged.
Hi Patricia,
This is a difficult question because some students have problems paying attention for different reasons. However, during class I try to do a variety of activities such as writing, small groups, large group discussion, etc. I also enjoy discussing the content of the activity even if it's learning comma rules or capitalization. One of the best activities is to have the students teach a chapter of the text; it's amazing how creative they are!
Michelle
One way to capture the attention of the student is to get the student to participate, verbally or physically, in classroom activities. Ask the student to read a question from the textbook or go to the board and solve a problem. This technique works.
I try to involve them in some way. In my Spanish class, we do a lot of interaction: question/answer with instructor; partner activties; group converstations and dialogs. One thing I stress is that it is all about communication. I try to put them at ease by letting them know that we will have fun, laugh at ourselves, and learn by being involved. Sharing some my embarassing moments using Spanish helps them to feel at ease, thus fostering an atmosphere of acceptance and involvement.
Hi Lev,
Course relevancy is certainly a good way to capture students attention. As long as students understand how the course is applicable to the workplace, they tend to want to absorb all there is you have to share.
Patricia
If it is possible to either bring in a guest speaker or take the students on a field trip within the field that is being lectured on. Ask students to share some of their experiences with the class and also have them to do presentations to help them to open up to the rest of the class because it gives them a chance to speak about themself.
I try to make the course material as relevant as I can and use humor to keep the students focused
I engage in extra-ordinary behavior.
Example: I have a dinosaur puppet that I put on my hand and in a sing-song dino voice announce; " Hi! I'm the accrued intrest on your student loan!"
They laugh. I make a point.
I may specifically ask them a question, or reference a comment they have made, using their name in my dialogue. I also may move near them as I speak, or put students in small groups if I realize that I have been lecturing too long. I have many group interactive activities for all the courses I teach.
Hi Carol,
It is certainly a great combination whenever an instructor can speak about "real" world experience based on the subject matter he/she is teaching. Students automatically become interested whenever practical experiences are shared.
Patricia
Hi Patricia and class,
I remind students of their participation points that they can earn and which is 20% of their grade. I reiterate expectations and requirements and will let the class know that I will randomly select someone to respond to questions that will count towards their participation requirements. I expect each student to respond at least twice per day to meet the minimum participation requirements. I also remind students that we learn our greatest lessons from each other - and that each student is a valued member and we need to learn from their experiences. As a last resort, I will ask to speak to the student after class and discuss my concerns about her/his lack of interest in the class.
