Making Students Active Learners
Consider a topic that you usually present using a pure lecture approach. Discuss ways you could make students more active learners during such lessons.
Hi Patrick,
Students really enjoy the interacting portion of learning. Students love to do activities. Everyone looks forward to having fun, even when learning is involved.
Patricia Scales
Hi Panagiotis,
You have it! As long as the lesson is not all lecture, students tend to be more engaged. Students enjoy and need a variety.
Patricia Scales
Get your students engaged even if it is a topic about their lifestyle. What made them want to come to school.
Hi Jeannette,
Engagement is key! Students gain a sense of excitement when they feel they are engaged.
Patricia Scales
What I like to do when I know we will be concentrating on a lecture for the day, is to mix in videos, pictures and such the still revolve around the subject but take it from a different perspective. A lot of time it relates better to the students and gets them to be involved in discussing the subject in the videos and before you know it comes back around to the lecture at hand. It's great to see the look on their face when they can see the relationship!
Absolutely, students are up out of there seats excited and wanting to learn
Hi Dave,
Yes, students want to be actively involved in the learning process. It gives students something forward to look to.
Patricia Scales
One of the most interesting elements in this training course (for me) was that it contained "active learning" components for me. It asked to problem solving, advancing the text at my own rate. This program was a smart design and a great example first hand, how important active learning is!
I have taken a LONG lecture and turned it around to the students, Break them up in equal groups, tell them the subject matter, hand out different training aids to each group they can use any other resources including the internet to research the item/s given. In about 1 1/2 hours all groups are done with research and now THEY can report out on findings, I do fill in any gaps that may have missed and done in about 4 hours, Follow it up with a visit to lab to place it all together.
I will try your suggestion. What I have been doing during a long lecture is stoppimg and asking questions, telling a real life experience and asking if they can provide an example(s).
Hi Jennifer,
Students enjoy hearing our experiences as they apply to the course content.
Patricia Scales
Hi Scott,
This genereation especially loves the use of technology as a teaching aid. This type of teaching generates excitement from the student. Technology really makes students want to attend class.
Patricia Scales
Hi Kelly,
Yes! Active learning is important, and students love when they learn actively. They feel more involved and confident.
Patricia Scales
Hi Kenny,
I like how you introduce the whole package to the students and follow up accordingly. I am sure your students are ready for the work force.
Patricia Scales
I teach many medical-related courses. I find it helpful to incorporated some personal experiences and stories related to the subject matter. Students typically enjoy hearing it in a more real-life scenario. I feel that it keeps them engaged and allows them to see it from a personal point of view.
The pure lecture presentations have been broken into sections of priority and involve group lab activities to support the material. I have students randomly form groups no larger than three students each group. We conduct the activities in stages in which each group will share their findings with the class as we conduct class discussions about the lecture presentation.
I will also conduct a short term memory test periodically asking another group to sum up what was just discussed.
Hi LeeAnn,
You are on point! Students really do love hearing stories as they apply to the content of the lesson. Students really want to know how it is in the real world.
Patricia Scales
Hi Dennis,
You add a lot of variety to your lectures. Students love it when the instructor utilizes various teaching aids.
Patricia Scales
I teach math. I am trying to add more activity such as pairing students and have them write 2 quiz questions and a practical application for skill. Do you have any more ideas?
