New to the game
I am new to teaching so my experience using active learning is limited. As a student however I was always the type of person who learns better through involved methods as opposed to pure lecture. It’s been said many times throughout this forum of the need for a blend and again from a student’s perspective I believe this is spot on.
Hi Thomas,
Students love it when you have a blend, and they retain most of the information when learning is made fun and interesting.
Patricia Scales
I also am new to the teaching field after being in a clinical setting for 15 years. I find that if I plan on lecturing to get students acquainted with a topic and open the lecture with a question and give students a moment to think about their response, it focuses their attention on the days topic and it also provides me with feedback on what they may know or not know about the topic. Therefore, I can skip over information that they might already know and then get through the lecture. After a brief discussion I will have the students pair up and share their views on the original question posed and the information that followed.
After the small group discussions, I will pick a few groups to share their thoughts with the rest of the class. This method allows me to start with a "lecture" in which some students feel comfortable and then progress to more active learning strategies.
Hi Tamyra,
Great way to introduce a lesson. Even if students say they know information, you still go over the information because invariably it is someone in that room that does not know the information or may not know it as well, and they are just not speaking up.
Patricia Scales
I think we have to remember that our classrooms are going to be filled with all kinds of learners,so we have to use a blend of teaching methods. I have found out first hand what works for one does not work for all. Good luck!
Hi Dodi,
You are right! Students really need varied teaching methods so that we are able to reach all types of learners.
Patricia Scales
Very true, students live in a instant tech society these days, as educators we have to understand our students and learn what works. Also factor in what type of class it is and normally on the first day you have an idea of what the group is going to be like. Think out side the box. I have had students move from other time slots and days just to sit in my class, and it is always the same response, I wanted to move because Student A told me what you all where doing and my old class was nothing like this, I am actually learning something.
