Get Your Students Hired
Hello,
I teach a 5 hour technology class, so time management is extremely important in keeping the student focused. I utilize time spacers and end class lab time into the exercises which allows the faster student to complete the work and not feel "held back" and the slower student that need more time are allowed to learn at their own pace. Using these strategic methods allows the time to be broken into segments of short exercises with work time involved. This also allows me to have 1 on 1 tutorial/help time with each student, which I feel is very important.
Karen,
I have also taught 4 hour class sessions and I agree that constant review of the material is important. In addition "segmenting" the lecture throughout the session, with intermittent activities, can assist in the students' retention of information. Regardless, of how the lesson plan is developed, it is important to avoid inundating the students with long segments of lecture.
Tremayne Simpson
I have been teaching for 20 years, and have learned that time management is essential in my classes. I have classes that are 4 hours in length. It takes a lot of planning to fill this amount of time. Here is a typical lesson plan:
Review last week material and answer questions
Lecture over new material
Provide a short quiz
Assign homework and throughly explain
Provide in class time to assist students with homework
Siobhan,
I also use a similar approach to ensure that the class is "on track". At the end of the class session, I review the three objectives for a short review of the day's activities.
Tremayne Simpson
Sometime we have times where it goes by fast and end up having time left before class is over. I always have back up material that pertains to the subject to talk about.
I take three key objectives that need to be covered and divide my lectur into three 20 minute segments in which to cover them. We have short Q and A sessions between each.
Jesus,
This is a good method for managing time in the classroom. I also find that it is important to store additional questions/activities onto the student portal/discussion board, which can be used when there is extra class time. Sometimes I can pull up some discussion board questions and highlight some of the great responses, that I receive from the students.
Tremayne Simpson
In my classes I make sure I always schedule time at the beginning of the class for miscellaneous activities. I also ask questions about past lessons to activate prior knowledge and make connection with the class. It is always important to be flexible and have extra materials just in case you have extra time.
Jennifer,
This is a good method for ensuring that all students (regardless of learning level) will be engaged in the course. It is also a good idea (when applicable) to create collaborative assignments that will enable the "faster-paced" students to work in tandem with those that are struggling. Sometimes the "peer motivation" factor can assist in getting the struggling students up to speed in the course.
Tremayne Simpson
Marshall,
As a suggestion, it is a good idea to periodically place questions, at various points in your lecture. This will give the students an opportunity to "keep up with the pace" and you will be able to assess the overall level of comprehension. If something was not interpreted clearly, you would then have an opportunity to re-present the material to the students.
Tremayne Simpson
Alberta,
It is a great idea to plan for class discussion, following the introduction of a course topic. In addition it is a good idea to assign additional activities (as a "backup" plan) in cases where the students are not actively participating in the discussion.
Tremayne Simpson
I teach a computer software course and find that some students pick up on things very quickly, whereas others really struggle. I always have extra material on hand for those who pick up things quickly so that the struggling students have more time to work through the subject.
This way everyone is getting what they need.
I often think I talk to fast, and I am realizing that I have to pause and give the students some time to process and write notes down. Students had commented that the pace of my power points didn't allow for them to take notes
I have taught the same courses many times and the experience I have gained from teching the same class is time management. My classes are usually 2 hrs long, I will lecture for about 45 minutes and have question and answer for 15- 20 minutes. I usually have the classs take a short break and the last 45 minutes I break up the class into small groups.
Dave,
It is a great idea to be prepared, in cases when you have completed your planned lessons early. It is not a good idea to dismiss the students early in those instances, because they may not perceive that the class was fulfilling for them, especially in a "monochronic" culture ("time is money").
Tremayne Simpson
Marshall,
Student feedback can be very helpful in improving instructional technique. Generally, whenever students are commenting that the class pace is "too fast" it is for one of two reasons: 1) there may be too much text on the slides of your PowerPoints, in which students are not able to keep up with the advancement of the slides or 2) you are focused on covering all of the planned content for the day and naturally speed up the lecture, to ensure that everything is covered. My suggestions are to limit the amount of text on the slides (provide "key words" and visuals only) and to used "Socratic" questioning, in order to "check-in" with student comprehension and to allow time for them to "catch up" with you.
Tremayne Simpson
Fortunately I have extra time more often than I run late so I have lots of mini-lectures that I use to add value to a class day
Yeah, I'm not sure I do this well.
I recently asked my students to write down things they would like to see me improve with my teaching style for the next term. One comment (from a few students) was: go slower when you give the power points.
my students love power points. I don't mind them, they help me lecture better, and I can add a group activity with the lecture and not lose my place.
But I think my time management is not good because I am going to fast.
David,
How do your students respond to the concept of "deadlines"? Do you typically find that they use effective time management techniques?
Tremayne Simpson