The use of powerpoints for lectures
I myself am a hand on learner but I also like to take in visuals in order to understand something new. I try to relay this to my students by creating powerpoints for most lectures that include sounds and videos. To re-enforce the learning for others, I take what they saw in the powerpoint lecture and put it to use during demo. It seems to help by allowing me to touch on key learning styles for the class.
Adrian,
I use power points with sound and video too. Without this, most power points seem very dry. I like the idea of group discussion after.
Adrian, I also like powerpoint presentations that have sound and motion. Although I sometines feel to much going on in a powerpoint can be distracting.
I find powerpoints to be very effective in my classroom.
I show them ONLY after I lecture on the material.
Al
I like to use PowerPoints for my lecturs as well. I prefer to think of them as interactive discussions because the purpose of the PowerPoints are to generate discussion and conversation, which lead to real life examples and experiences being discussed.
I like the idea of powerpoints but some instructors fail by simply reading the words off the powerpoint. Even the visual learners will get turned off by that. The use of sound, video and animation helps to prevent that dry "ferris beuller" type of instruction, and livens up the content.
Hi Joanne - I think we have all at one time or another experienced "Death by Powerpoint"! LOL! As you mention, there are many ways to make PPT exciting. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Christopher - Thanks for your post to the forum. You mentioned something that is really significant - PowerPoints are most effective when they are used to stimulate conversations. This means stopping the slideshow frequently to interact with our students. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I think that power points are a very useful tool. I have them available for the students to print and bring to class to follow along with while I lecture. This is wonderful because the students are able to stay very engaged in discussion because they are not writing a large amount of notes. It is also important to remember while using power point for lectures to not rely on them as a crutch. As a teacher you still must have quality instruction to back-up the material presented on the power point. I also utilize games and study guides to accompany my power points so that students have a method of reviewing the material presented in class. This also presents the material in a variety of methods in order to meet the needs of students with different learning styles.
