You must be flexible in your presentation of content, both in scheduling and methods. While you may have a rough plan to spend 10-15 minutes on each topic point, student uptake may require more or less time on any given topic. The remedy for this is to have "plan B" materials and content points available so you can supplement topics that go too quickly, or make up time to cover for those that go too slowly without missing presentation of important topic points. You must also be flexible in your methods to accommodate various existing knowledgge levels and backgrounds, provide study and learning guidance, and shift activities when one type of presentation does not seem to be reaching a particular group. Pre-tests, informal mid-course reaction surveys, and collaboration with instructors of pre-requisite courses can help identify and proactively manage issues.
change activity/activities when you notice your students are no longer engaged
Go through the tests and look for common problem areas. This will help to plan for the next few class meetings, find that 80 percent of the class does not have sufficient vocabulary understanding then need to make vocabulary a part of the course content
Watching your students for signs of engagement and understanding is important so you don't lose them. Modify instruction based on the students' abilities to grasp the concept you are teaching.
Es importante conocer qué conocimientos previos tienen los estudiantes antes de comenzar el curso. Trabajar de la mano con el departamento de admisiones y ellos con nosotros los profesores, para obtener resultados de pruebas realizadas antes, y luego comenzar a trabajar con un punto de partida bien identificado que permita responder a los objetivos del curso.
Keeping the studetns engaged by moving to a different activity instead of waiting for their attention is a better tactic.
I have noticed consistently that students are lacking in soft skills and this is also a usual complaint from community resources feedback. Some of these things you want to assume was instilled in them by their previous interactions with family, peers, and prior instructors; but I am finding more and more this is not the case. We are sometimes starting at ground zero even with an adult population. I look forward to more content in how to manage this and incorporate it into the curriculum.
Redirecting students, if needed and having allways a plan B.
Having a solid lesson plan is required to be an effective teacher, however on top of that it is also a great thing to have a solid back up plan when you must keep the attention of students fro whatever reason.
It is best to lesson plan ahead but know that in real time, changes may need to be made based on class performance and understanding. So you need to be flexible and have a backup plan.
I gained the most from the section about handling restlessness or inadequate backgrounds in students. I see it quite a bit, and it pains me to watch students struggle through a course due to poor or lack of advising or thinking they were prepared to take my lab courses. I saw it right away, and have since taken the initiative to add prerequisites to my lab course that would solidify their skills before they reach my labs. I'll be using pretests this coming fall. I had always struggled with making lessons that fit everyone of a wide range of skill levels, which I've learned isn't feasible for my particular courses. So utilizing pretests sounds like it will be a great way for me to adjust my lessons to the proper student levels.
The ability to achieve good results in a course depends on multiple variables that are not controlled by the educator. In these circumstances, I consider that implementing a pre-testing process is essential to achieve educational goals.
Having a back-up plan or "plan B" will help to avoid excess pain and negative outcomes should the original plan not work
These are great tools for teaching.
Having more than one plan is essential. Making sure you are keeping track of the time and know when you need to shift the timing of your activities.
Changing or editing your content, depending on how students react, or respond, is key, for retension. reading your students on a continual basis is key to this.
one idea I'll consider is having a plan B in place and changing the student's activities if needed.
A distraction came when the deliver of the top is not dinamic and to the level of the students. Reinforce the topic using examples that students use in their life and activities.
Do small pretests to know more about the students and their knowledge of the course.
In this module I learned that it is important to be able to be flexible with how the class flows, depending on engagement, and the students ability to understand the material. Class will not always go as planned and I need to be able to adjust on the fly.
