Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Hi Dan,
A simple answer is try something new. The human brain wants variety but with the constants known. This means the brain (in the case the brain of the instructor) can become bored with what is being taught and the students are tired or worn down. The winter months can do this to many people due to the limited daylight hours. Many of us go to work in the dark and return home in the dark. In my case I work in a classroom with no windows, so I never see the sun except on weekends. So to combat the slump I try a different approach to delivering course content or try a different project. I get excited about this since I haven't done it before and I want to see how it is going to come out. The students like it because it is a novel approach to how they learn about the subject.
When all else fails I take some class time and have a little break where we have a pizza party, potluck or simply cookies while we play some games related to learning the course content. This way we are letting our brains relax while still learning.
Gary

LaDonna Click

I really enjoy the element of surprise by trying something new. I try to incorporate some different teaching techniques by involving a little fun, such as a bonus quiz over something fun like a holiday. Changing the tone of the class room is fun by telling stories, asking the students opinions or by encouraging a talk session over the topic and how it relates to the "real" world.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Hi LaDonna,
Good ideas all. The human brain is always striving for variety and by offering it in your classes you are helping to keep the students engaged and excited about learning.
Keep up the good work.
Gary

Catherine Huff

I try to have fun in the classes I teach. If I am having a good time, the students will feed off of that. Teaching dull material in an unrelated manner also helps. For example, when teaching the white blood cells, I lectured for the first half of the class, split the class into groups of five and had them put on a play demonstrating the roles of each cell and how they interact with each other. To this day the students recall that information based on the characters they played. "What was the cell so and so played?"

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Hi Catherine,
Thanks again for another great idea. I know many instructors will benefit from your sharing.
Gary

Victor Minerault CHEP

Having fun shows something good to others and will call the intrest to others in a positive way. Way to cool

Paul Shaffer

I like to use surprise quizzes and take the student out of their "comfort zone". This helps them widen their "comfort zone".