A great strategy for keeping students engaged in learning is finding some way to make it personal to them. Therefore, whenever possible, I ask them specifically to story tell about a time in their life a concept impacted them. This is time consuming and so I limit my responses to one or three students, but I find others are very interested in the tale of their classmates.
Theresa,
Three good strategies to use. All of them help to get students engaged and focused on the content being shared.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Samara,
So true and so important. The more personal you can make it for them the more value they will associate with the course. The result will be increased motivation and excitement about what they are learning and getting to apply.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The strategy I employ to maintain student engagement is to effectively plan the lecture. I incorporate varying lessons and activities. I lay out the plan and tend to go over each piece, but sometimes I purposefully go out of sequence to put students on edge. I then go back to the plan and cover all the basis. The last component is the recap and debrief. I tie all the activities together and demonstrate the outcomes were met and that they did in fact attain the content.
I am very passionate about teaching my students about Dental Assisting. I have been in the field for 27 years and it is a part of me. I try to project that to the students and get them as excited as I am about "saving lives one tooth at a time" haha.....
In order to keep my students engaged in the classroom, I utilize a combination of real-world examples from my own professional experience, incorporate real-world examples from current events that I think are pertinent and relevant to their lives, and engage them with questions. I also use humor in the classroom to keep the atmosphere light and comfortable.
Alecia,
The case studies are great to use because the student gets to figure out what the best course of action is. And that their first choice of remedy might not be the best once they realy think about it.
Val
I wasn't a Boy Scout but I like the feeling of that phrase. Before I started teaching I had what I thought was a good understanding of the subject matter. What I've found out by teaching is that I learned how to deliver that knowledge in a lot of different ways. Not just in the way I like to learn.
Ed,
This is an insight that instructors need to find as they progress in their teaching career. With this understanding you are ready to make the needed adaptations that will enhance the learning of students and keep them engaged.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I do this constantly in class with my students. I also like to give the students a "heads up" on what they might see in their clinical rotations that might not be "by the book".
Samuel,
The more real world examples you can share the better. Students need to know and understand about how variations will occur with patients and situations. Their ability to adapt is what is going to propel them forward in their careers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
hi
I would give handouts that the students could use to either keep track of the as it was happening and or the students could be filling the answers to questions from the handouts gleaned from the lecture.
Calling on students randomly to answer questions or read part of the course material out loud may keep their attention, and then have that person call on somebody else in the room. Peer pressure may help keep them alert and wanting to be prepared.
I have learned to break down the "wall" between myself and the students during lectures. I move among the students, rather than stand in front of them so I am not outside looking in, but rather in "with them". During a lecture, I interact with different individual students as well. (questions, their thoughts, etc.)It gets to be a more personal experience, and keeps students engaged. I know people love to get involved when they feel comfortable and in "group". I feel the best learning comes when students are involved rather than casual observers. Thank you
Jessica,
This strategy is a good one so students will see that they need to stay engaged and focused on what is being discussed. This method will also help the class to move through material in an orderly way.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary,
This is a great style to use with your students. Thank you for sharing it with us as I know it will be valuable to other instructors that are working to find their own method of interacting with students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I always try to approach the subject be sharing my experience with it when I was studying the same thing that I'm now teaching.I believe that this approach puts the novice at ease, and lets them know that the teacher was once the student and that learning the subject is possible through experience and repetition.
I intend to use "real life" stories, case studies, putting the students in small study groups to discuss/brainstorm solutions. Involving them in the problem solving is another way to make them feel they're contributing (at least I did).
Catherine,
This is a great strategy to follow as it will engage your students and keep their interest for the duration of the class sessions.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I engage my students by walking my classroom and making the students comfortable with my presence. I will speak directly with each one to make them comfortable with speaking in the classroom atmosphere.
