Keeping students interested
One of the things that I have found is that you have to keep bouncing around with your delivery. The first time that I taught I used pretty much just a powerpoint presentation. It was hard to keep the students interested or motivated. Now I've just started another semester and I've still use the powerpoint but now I also add in alot more demos, drawing things out and getting the students more involved with projects instead of just trying to keep them awake. This is definitely getting better feedback from the students overall.
I find that you have to be able to shift with the ebb and flow of your students. If they are in a low cycle ie., Monday morning blues, you can't fall into that trap.Raise the level of energy and intensity with a different angle and the converse is also true. Sometimes you have to reel them back in. It is always good to use a variety of approaches for the same topic. It gives your students a broader base of knowledge and it puts them on a wider road to success. In music theory, for example, there are several different names for any one specific event. French, German, Italian, and even English etc. Give them as many as you can. You are just adding depth to their pallet. More colors, more definition and creativity in their painting.
Hi Randy,
Good points about changing the pace of your classes. Keep in mind that the average adult learner can only stay focused for about 15 minutes at a time. They need change and you can do that with mini-lectures, demos, discussions, and case studies. Good job.
Gary
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for those excellent methods on how you can rev students up when they are in low cycles. You have a way of appealing to a wide variety of student interests to keep them engaged.
Gary
Another thing to keep students interested is to get them involved in either the conversation or have them directly participate in the class or project. The biggest complaint that I received on early evaluations is that the students did not have enough hands on learning.
Hi Craig,
Career college students by virture of being enrolled in the college want to have "hands on" practical training. Instructors need to do all they can to provide these experiences be they case studies, problem solving or group discussions.
Gary
I don't want to be stuck on the topic of handouts, but I think creating handouts for the students to fill in during a power point presentation is a big help in keeping their interest. When I say handouts I don't mean the slides that can be printed that show what is on the screen but rather a sheet of terms or concepts for the students to take notes on as you move through the presentation. This way they will definitely know the key items on which to pick up.
I think the most important point to remember is that the mind can remember what the seat can endure! Based on what I have learned, I have incorporated more hands-on learning session during my classes. 15 minute lecture, 15 minute of hands on group activities. I also read that the younger generations--gen x and y, are used to faster moving experience in a classroom setting, something which is very important to remember.
Hi Perry,
I support the method you are using with handouts. They need to supplement and guide the student in knowledge acquistion. If we just give the students a copy of the PP we reduce their need to become involved.
Handouts should be helpful or they shouldn't be given out.
You are right on target with your use of them.
Gary
I found that my delivery of the material depends on the students. Each class has its own personnality and as teacher we have to adapt. With some classes I have to be strict and stay in control all the time otherwise the students will stop paying attention. With some other classes I can relax, have a student teach a portion of the class, and all is well. Last semester I had two completly opposite accounting classes. I taught the same thing but in a complete different way. One class was very young and the students had no accounting experience. I had to keep them on track because accounting was not their favorite subject. My other class had older students, some with accounting experience, and my lectures were more relax and we often had class discussions which I could not do with the first class.
Hi Ann-Patricia,
Well stated. If nothing else instructors have to be able to respond to the personalities of different classes. It is amazing to me how you can "feel" the differences between classes. If an instructor is not tuned into these differences then it will be a long hard course phase to say the least.
Keep up the good work.
Gary
WHEN STUDENTS ARE AT A LOW EBB, WE CHALLANGE THEM TO TRY AND PERFORM A TASK WITH ANOTHER STUDENT WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE INSTRUCTOR OR A BOOK. THIS GETS THEM INVOLVED WITH OTHER STUDENTS AND THE EB RISES UP.
I am lucky because I never really have to give a "chalk and talk" type lecture. I always get to do hands on labs, but even then I know which classes are faster pace and which I can go into more depth.
Hi Sam,
I commend you for using your "common sense" in knowing where your students are. By your comments I am guessing that you have developed an ability to "read" your students and know just how to adjust your demonstrations and discussions with them so they can grasp the concepts you are sharing with them in the lab.
Gary
This is something our school pays a lot of attwention to. If the school is a place that the students enjoy, they will want to be more engaged and involved. Students who know other students, (Such as in the rule of 25's) these students will tell other students of the success they achieve at school. we try to do at least one theme day every term. School color day, or around the holidays where the student has the opportunity to have "Fun" helps break up the day to day class to class flow. we try to offer outside activities, BBQ day, or have some students group up and go to the movies or trips. Students love to be fed, so at every start of the term, we have a time where we feed the students. One experience I really enjoyed was feeding the whole school cookies for Christmas.
Hi Dagger,
Good ideas all. Even adults like to have fun and be fed. These activities in no way take away from learning they only reinforce it. When I show DVDs in my classes we have movie night, and I bring popcorn and pop. Anything like that helps to keep the students engaged in the learning process.
Gary
I try to use real-life examples to keep my students interested.
I play games using the subject matter. The students have fun and learn at the same time. It is also fun to play a game to see if the student can beat the teacher. It makes them feel smart and challenges them.
After a four day Thanksgiving weekend imagine lecturing to your learners for two hours with 200 PowerPoint slides. Their undesirable behaviors, symptoms, would be pronounced. The instructor needs to maintain a high energy and enthusiasm level with the willingness to use all four learning styles to create an interesting environment and not a five day weekend.
I have found a good way to keep students interested is to make them realise that the whole field they are working in is made of very many parts ... they all linked and intergral...and the student begins to realise that one area that may be boring them can actually be applied to an area they are more passionate about.....
ie art history is something that I introduce when confronted with this problem ,,,,,
