Changing the tone of the Instructor's voice during the lecture.
I noticed changing the tone of voice, walking around the class, discussing a funny subject related experience and hands of training of equipment help students retain information for a long time.
Dr. Randy , thank you for sharing that whispering works for you and your students. So many educators do the opposite.
Michele Deck
THere is nothing more boring than an monotone instructor.
When I notice my students are starting to drift, I whisper. Whispering the next bit of material suddenly gets everyone's attention! sometimes I whisper when I want to emphasize a praticular point. They all turn to look at me to catch what I am saying.
Frederick, it is a good plan to occasionally audio record yourself lecturing, and listen to it for vocal quality, too.
Michele Deck
During a lecture, a monotonous voice can disengage a learner. Changing the tone of voice, along with movement around the class room helps to refocus the students' attention to the subject.
Cindy, boredom is the enemy of student engagement. We must focus on engaging them in multiple ways.
Michele Deck
I have found one of the biggest complaints with students in some of the administrative classes is that the class is boring. Adding humor, being animated, and sharing real-life experiences will help battle student boredom in the class.
I agree, Andrew....personal experiences allow the student to related what they're learning to something "real", and I find it helps them retain the information easier.
Thom, this sounds like a memorable way to learn pronunciation.
Michele Deck
I have noticed when useing humor and a slight British accent on some of the more challenging concepts seems to hold the students attention
Andrew, adding personal experiences does help ground the content to the students.
Michele Deck
I also do these things, my students really never know what I am going to do or say. Humor is always good, so is throwing in some personal experiences for a little color.
Walter, spontaneous humor is a helpful teaching tool.
I agree. I try to use humor more often, and I find that it does help keep students engaged in the class.
using your voice as a teaching tool is an essential plan for a great instructor.
Students who are exposed to a constant monotone instructor can become hypnotized especially when the subject matter is dry and unappealing. Increasing the pitch of one's voice, for instances, when a student has answered a question correctly or ask a question that engages creative thinking can invigorate a boring class and keep it interesting.
Its going to work well always because if we don't move around and change the tone of our voice they will get like hypnotized and get nothing out of our class.
Wania, thank you for sharing how you took your negative experiences as a student and have used them as a positive for your students.
What made me want to teach were the negative things I got out of a lecture: my dry speech professor, my mumbling science professor or my philosophy professor giving more of his philosophy more than that of Hippocrates. I wanted to show them there was a way of teaching than what is considered the "text book" way. This allowed me to be more engaging as well as engaging the students. Where I may lecture one way, I begin to pick the speed and energy in my voice and react on the class participation. Another way was to always be excited about the subject I am lecturing on that day. These things I found all to be helpful in the learning process. Walking instead of standing still allows them to unexpect what is next; it keeps the students focused on me and less on whats on the paper or computer in from of them.
Using humor with funny stories and examples does make the content more memorable through tapping into emotion.
