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Keeping Your Focus on the Students | Origin: ED102

This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:

Student Retention Methods --> Keeping Your Focus on the Students

Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.

It is important for instructors to keep their focus on the students and their engagement throughout the course. Students tend to lose attention quickly, so using different teaching methods like discussions, stories, and activities can help keep them interested. Building rapport and encouraging participation helps students feel more comfortable and involved in the learning process.

make sure to keep the kiddos focused. Don't let class get boring or have to many distractions were they can lose focus ask them questions and keep them engaged  

Creativity and varying methods helps retain the interest of the students.

It is easy for things to get stagnant, having a variety of teaching methods available is important

Variety is the spice of life - keep it interesting!

Utilizing my nursing background is something I want to be more intentional about. Having a nurse as part of a general education course offers students a unique perspective, and I would like to better incorporate real-world healthcare experiences into the learning process. This can help make the content more relevant, practical, and engaging. By connecting course concepts to real-life situations and encouraging students to draw from their own experiences as well, I can create a more meaningful and applied learning environment.

Reading about the need for instructors to recharge was something I really needed. I have experienced that mid-class slump myself, and it was reassuring to see that this is something many instructors face—not something personal or a reflection of my abilities. Just having that validation helped me shift my perspective, and it has already motivated me to be more intentional about recharging my own energy so I can continue showing up fully for my students.

Keeping the focus on students means really paying attention to their needs, not just the lesson plan, and adjusting when they’re struggling or disengaged. Checking how students are doing and making small changes in my teaching to keep them involved and supported.

Adult students get bored easily, use a variety of methods. Make it fun!

Recharging is necessary for instructors as well as with students. As an instructor, a plan of action is needed to refocus. 

The concept of "Learnativity" is interesting in that it reflects on the combination of instructional situation and the student. Oftentimes, we forget the emotional component of learning.  As educators, we must be open to constantly remind students of their "why" to help them to buy-in and to remain focus to achieve their career goals.  Recharging is necessary for instructors as well as students. As an instructor, a plan of action is needed to help to refocus.  REFOCUS means: Recognize, Empower, Focus,
Objectivize, Commit, Unburden, Surprise- This is needed from the instructor's lens in order for them to continue to keep the momentum with keeping their students energize. 

Keeping the student's attention should be your number one goal, in order for them to learn effectively and comprehend what you are teaching.  If you can bring some excitement to the classroom they will comprehend so much more of their lesson.

Keeping students engaged is important when it comes to their success. If students are struggling, being disruptive or even need a break it it’s important to help them refocus on task. 

I learned that you can always be creative when getting students to engage in the class content. 

creating real life situations really helps with keeping the students focused. money also helps

I learned quite a bit from this section-

  1. making eye contact w/the students when they are talking instead of focusing on a separate task
  2. when there is an excessive talker-assign them the role of taking notes on the key points discussed and then they will share the key points in a brief discussion
  3. encouraging students to share a learning experience in the second half of the module to not only allow them to recognize their growth but also show to their peers that this is doable and possibly trigger a new learning experience
  4. initiating a simulated crisis event to help students function under pressure during an emergency

It's been too long since I attended community emergency response training than I want to think about but I find that world very interesting. So of course the parts that caught my attention were the mention of triage and the emergency game. Triage is just plain practical so using it to deal with classroom time pressure just makes sense. I love the idea of the surprise game being used to keep variety in the classroom. I want to design a 'who dunnit' style mystery in the same vein where students find "clues" incorporating practical labs that they have been learning such as electrical troubleshooting or how much ice an ice machine can produce in a given time.

Use a variety of learning methods to engage different type of learners.   Tell stories to exemplify key points.  As an instructor demonstrate positivity and passion and students will recognize and appreciate engagement. 

My take away from this course is that it is important to assess at the midpoint of the course to help students get back on track while there is still time. 

I knew all of this already honestly, but if I had to name a major takeaway it is that proper preparation prevents poor performance. 

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