teaching early clasess
how we deal with students they work till late at work and come to school early morning to be educated is hard for a instructor to keepig alert if they are half sleep what strategy you think we can used to be successfull an dour job
By keeping the students engaged.
Hi Jeannette,
The class needs to be very upbeat, fun, and exciting when it is taught early. You have to entice your students to want to come that early in the morning. Excitement begins with the instructor.
Patricia Scales
Hi Cesar,
Make the class highly interactive whenever possible to keep the students active. Students love hands-on.
Patricia Scales
I have a Mon. 8:00 am class in Creativity. Needless to say... I start each class with brain puzzles to engage them before we start the in-class work.
Hello Cesar,
I have taught 6am Psychology for culinary students many times. Most of them work in the afternoon till late at night as well. What worked for me was to be very interactive by creating discussion groups, in-class activities, etc.
Hi jeffrey,
You have it! This late in the evening, the more interaction, the better!
Patricia Scales
You can break the class down in groups and send them to white boards with questions from the day or week before, set the clock and see who can finish first with some sort of prize(s) e.g. donuts, candy, etc.
Plus always provide coffee or some "high caffeine" drinks.
I try to start my early morning classes w/ an good ice breaker activity or get them started with non related discussions... this helps to get blood flowing to their brains or clear their head from the morning rush.
Hi Steven,
Love it! Caffeine gets them going! Even adult students love prizes. You are really motivating your students to come to class. Good job!
Patricia Scales
Hi Jennifer,
An icebreaker is a nice leeway into the class. Students are motivated by icebreakers.
Patricia Scales
Inasmuch as these circumstances are beyond the educator's control, it is necessitous the lesson plans be intriguing and pique the students interests. The pedagogical framework should avoid being pedantic and overly verbose, but preeminently, it should eschew obfuscation.
Hi W Lewis,
The instructor really needs to be engaging and upbeat for early classes. Students need us to keep them excited.
Patricia Scales
I've been teaching English Composition at 8 a.m. Mondays - Thursdays & I can relate to your struggle. I usually ease into a discussion of news events that have transpired since the last class since I can use the discussion to relate back to the course material. I throw out a variety of topics from sports, politics, celebrities, TV shows until one of them sparks a response. It gives the students the opportunity to wake their brains up so to speak but do it in a fairly painless way. The feedback has been positive, with that aspect of the class being one of the most commented on in course evaluations.
Hi Joanna,
Great idea to bring energy into the room first thing in the morning. Students enjoy talking about current events. The instructor also has to show a high energy level.
Patricia Scales
I think that engaging the class in a hands on activity is the best bet. Then relating it to the job they may currently have could help too.
Hi Katelyn,
It is always a positive move when you relate work to the real world. I have found that when you teach an early class, the instructor must be enthusiastic, otherwise the class will drift into another world.
Patricia Scales
