I teach a lecture/lab series and find that if I have a few extra minutes in the lecture schedule it can easily be filled with a discussion of previous lab experience or questions about upcoming lab assignments. Also, I try to have study questions on hand from the publisher resource site to distribute and review. I love the comments posted previously about including case studies and plan to add more group activities to my next course. Thanks!
I usually have an idea of how long a lesson takes so at the beginning of the lecture I give an over view of the lesson plan and if I have extra time at the end I also summarize the important points in the lesson.
This is a huge unknown for me right now. I am teaching a new class to me, starting next Monday. I am lesson planning and prepping this week. The topic is not one of my strong subjects. I am nervous about filling time in a subject where I am not strong.
I'm a new instructor at a career college. I follow a standardized curriculum, along with a standardized Power Point presentation. Sometimes I find there is only so much I can expound on a subject, and find myself struggling to fill the 2 hour class. I'm always on the lookout for activities that would be relevant and engaging to the current subject matter. Having a few "go-to canned" segments would be great.
I try to plan each class down to the hour. I also have fun videos that I use for the visual learners. I use these if the class has moved a little faster than I expected. I also have a jeopardy game for a quick review. I also do the assignments before assigning them to students to understand the difficulty of the assignment.
I teach culinary techniques in a lab setting. I know exactly how much time our projects should take. This includes the scaling, prep & cooking/baking times. There is so many different segments in this profession. I have many different lectures that I can include in my daily lession that fit perfectly with the products or dish that is being covered. History of the item prepared. Ingredient functions. Faults that can occur when method not followed correctly. all of the above helps the students
Do you have any suggestions for courses that are 4 to 5 hours long and only contain one student?
Jennie,
I agree that it is beneficial for an instructor to completely organize and manage their time. However, I do believe that it is important for the instructor to leave a little "flex" time within the lesson plan, in order to account for unplanned discussions or impromptu assignments.
Tremayne Simpson
When using time management in the classroom, I use 15/15/15 rule, Lecture/ Review/ Classroom Group Assignments on the Lecture. This helps with concentration and time management. It keeps you on track
If I feel like I am not filling the time wisely I give students topics to research on their smart phones in a set amount of time and have a race to see who can find the answer first.
Could you please describe a "canned" segment. My classes are 2 hrs long and I rarely have free time. However on occasions that I have 5-10 mins left I use that time to reiterate what I'm looking for from the homework assignment. Also students use that time to ask any additional questions they may have
I have a 15 min class warm up exercise which gives me time to hand out graded papers, collect work to be turned in address any questions.
In all of my classes I tend to keep extra assignments/discussion questions that pertains to the topic on my flash drive just in case the class moves faster than normal. Sometimes I will even throw in a pop quiz over the material we have just covered to see how much they have retained.
I try to manage my class time by outlining course objectives and dividing them into segments that are taught. We are required to give the students a break (10 minutes for every hour of class time). I begin or end every teaching segment with an use breaker/brain teaser/"game" which relates to the subject we have just covered or will be covering. I always have extra activities (from my days as a camp counselor/small group leader) to fall back on if the time of the lesson is too short .... these can always be related into the field I am teaching.
I'll keep a timer as a reference only of how long we've been working. If things moving smoothly in class, I push back breaks. Or of the feel of the class has gotten stiff, that's usually a good time for a break. All of my classes are lab based (recording studio), and 5 hours long. This gives us some flexibility over the length of lessons within a session and how to break them up so students stay engaged. If we get through a lesson quickly, I can show them a cool trick in the studio, tell a relevant story, or ask the students about their past experiences with the subject matter.
I always have various forms of active learning planned should I find myself finishing ahead of schedule. One of my favorites is a power point game based off of the gameshow "Hollywood Squares." The students seemed fully engaged while learning and having fun. Occasionally, I do run into the problem where there is not enough time in my class to deliver the entire lesson plan.
i have a clock on the wall facing me and a print out of the daily lesson plan with the time allowe for each activity
I have learned through the years that having what I call "fillers", to use whenever a lecture is completed before the class ends is very helpful. For example, the class enjoys discussing current events in the healthcare field so I "throw" a topic to them and let them run with it. I exclude myself because this is my chance to really listen and learn from the students.
Cynthia,
This is a great structure. Do you find that the ice breakers "re-energize" students after they have returned from the breaks?
Tremayne Simpson
David,
I agree with your time management structure. It is important to maintain scheduling flexibility, due to various opportunities that arise for special "teachable moments" or impromptu discussions.
Tremayne Simpson
