Hi Rick,
As educators and practioners, we have excellent stories to share with our students. Students want and need to hear about the personal experiences as they relate to the lesson.
Patricia
Doing activities that require teamwork & public speaking
Sometimes it can be as simple as moving during a presentation with the idea of mixing things up. Also breaking lecture into smaller pieces that keeps the class moving.
Sometimes, the trick to making real-life experience pertinent is to make it the real-life experience of prominent people in their field that they already know and idolize. I ask students to research people like this, on a limited basis, and find stories from their experience to relate to the class that they find interesting or revealing. Then we talk about what they learned, and make connections to our own professional practice.
Sometimes I will talk very softly, if the class is not paying attention, and then start putting information on the board and they become very quiet.
Capturing the students attention with a good story is good, i use this technique often. I believe that when an instructor attempts to master and realize their teaching potential to reach students from different learning styles, it helps all students in the class and the instructor to have the daily epiphany(personal realization)for growth I believe we all need.
I try to capture the attention of inattentive students by moving around the room as I lecture or by asking a question of the student sitting next to the student not paying attention.
If the student feels a connection to the topic or lesson at hand then it becomes more relevant to them. I agree sometimes we have to go a little bit out there on a tangent to make a point. Students love a good story, especially when they think it has nothing to do with the lesson of the day. When they realize that it actually does they instantly make the connection and it sticks!
Hi Rick,
Please explain this model. How do your students take to the model?
Patricia
I use an interactive socratic model of teaching to capture the attention of my students.
i am very funny, so i will bring humor to the class. this brakes up the "BLABLA " and the student starts particapating.
I think it is important to let inattentive students know that you are aware of them and most importantly, that you care. I like to call on my "back-row" students to read aloud out of the textbook or summarize what we are discussing in class. I also like to make an extra effort to engage these students individually at the beginning or end of class, or while students work on projects during class time. I find that letting students know that I am interested in their individual progress is very effective in engaging and encouraging them.
I try to keep activities numerous and varied. I will try to move from a powerpoint presentation to the white board then into a video clip. I teach wine classes so I will then have the students confirm what is in their glass in accord with what was discussed.
I like to use real life experiences as that seems to interest students the most.
One way in which I capture the attention of my students whether attentive or not is through humor. I will talk about or make a joke that is related to task at hand or tell a joke about the subject matter. I just try to keep my students laughing and engaged.
It is important to keep students interested in what they are doing. Support and confidence is key to keeping them focused. They may just be intimidated.
I teach 2 very different courses. For the one class, I have the room configured in a u shape - so that with 30 students, there is no hiding in a back row anymore.
I can easily walk around the room and be present to the students who have the vacant stare, or the cell phone under the table trick - this rarely last past the first day.
For the other class where we use computers, we are seated in fixed stations. Changing the seating order is something I had not thought of - I will try this switching the rows right away.
I do break the large class into small groups several times a week which is very helpful.
Another tip I got from a fellow instructor which is very useful - I have all the names of my students on thick cardboard. these names are in a bowl. I pick from the bowl for students to do problems on the board. It's random & all students must be prepared.
Another method is "roulette" where one student gives the answer to the first question from the prior night's homework, and then picks the next person to answer the second question.
It keeps all of us on our toes.
Ask questions to the students during lectures. Call on specific students by name and encourage them to participate by asking "John, what do you think about what Shelly just said?" or "Jessica, can you give me examples of derivative sauces?"
In this way you are communicating to the student that attentiveness is important,and class participation isn't voluntary.
Hi Ernest,
Students like to know what they are working toward is attainable, and by having guest speakers they get the belief that they can succeed as well.
Patricia
I ask them to comment on the material just covered in class. Or ask them if they've ever experienced our topic for the day. Sometimes I ask them to come to the front of the class and help me demonstrate something - they love that.
