Stop the lecture!
So many instructors, as students, attended the traditional college model with lecture as the main focus - it is only natural then that most try to recreate that setting in their classroom. However, especially when dealing with non-traditional students, that lecture format does not work well. You still need to give the students information but lecturing for extended periods just wont cut it any longer. Use pairs, small groups and other acitivities to get the students invoved in their own learning.
I agree. Lecturing for long periods of time does not increase the amount of learning. In my opinion it will actually decrease the amount of learning that takes place.
Put yourself in thier seat. We all lose focus after 20 minutes or so. Stop the lecture and go in a bit of a different direction. You dont have to get off subject but just reel the class in a bit
I teach Cost Control in a culinary school. When I feel 20 minutes or so has elapsed I switch gears by telling a story directly related to the material or use humor to stimulate the room. Our class is an hour and 15 minutes long and is designed to lecture from powerpoint. Giving a break to 30 plus students is disruptive in my opinion for such a short class. So rather than send everyone out of the room I will use some other form of delivery to break up the monotoney of lecture. When I then return to lecture mode I can feel the room come alive again.e
Hi Lynae!
I like you approach! I believe this is the best teaching technique for any classroom. Lecture followed by an applicable exercise.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 facilitator
Unfortunatly, the exercise worksheets are not given on the ssame day as the lectures.
We are lucky enough to have a large lab for students to practice their clinical skills. The student enjoy lab days and get a break from classroom time.
One of my favorite techniques is pair-share. You have the individuals answer a question in a limited time that has multiple answers (5-6). Then you have them share with the person next to them to fill in any they missed. Then that pair shares with another pair to fill it in more completely. This gets them to review the information 3 times, interact and get input from several people.
I agree as well. I know I get bored if I have to listen to someone talk AT me. I try to engage the students with stories, humor, and questions that make them relate their own opinions & experiences. I find it really helps them focus and enjoy the class.
I agree. I also teach at a culinary school and have taught many academic classes. In most academic classes that have a lot of textbook information our student lose focus very quickly. Breaks, real world stories, and class discussions are a great way to wake them up and keep them on task.
I agree that having lab activities helps. I like breaking the lecture into smaller sections, and then go to lab to demonstrate what we lectured on.
As I recall, that is referred to as a "CHANGE OF STATE". a VERY EFFECTIVE TOOL TO BUILD ENERGY IN THE ROOM. I TOO USE A LOT OF SHORT STORIES, MOSTLY OF MY LESS THAN STELLAR ATTEMPTS TO COMPLETE A TASK SUCCESSFULLY. TT BREAKS THE MONOTONY & ALLOWS ME TO SET UP A MORE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH MY STUDENTS. I also use a lot of old school one-liners to create some humor. they are harmless & nonoffensive, so all can find some humor at some point. As some of our lectures can last up to 6 hours, asking students from timt to time to relate some of their experieces to the subject can also spark a gresat learning event as well as create a change of state.
A non-interactive lecture is not very useful, I agree. However something closer to a mix of lecture and discussion can be very engaging and I use this often in my classes.
I think the same as Marvin does, when I was in school the long lecture classes about killed me. Especially when my classes started at 6am. So now that I teach the 6am shift I make sure to put myself in the learners shoes. It takes about 5 minutes to get them back on track and we can go on with my lecture.
I teach in an open kitchen as my classroom. We have more like real world menu and topic discussions than lectures. Class is; me, as a 20 year veteran cook just sharing my knowledge with new cooks then executing the nightly menu. I am lucky. When I have taught lecture classes in the past, I never lectured...instead I only ask open ended questions. Then, I sit back (not literally) and moderate the discussion to make sure they revolve and relate to the learning objectives and daily content.
We've got the wrong title in the thread. Why stop at stop the lecture...why not stop the reading, too?! It's not the lecture, it's the delivery.
For example, I foung the video segments intriguing but they were less than 3 minutes and ...they were lectures. Interactive...er, well there was one that included student reponses, but they were lectures. The delivery was dynamic and used some Q&A. That's the point in most of this thread. On the other hand, I found the IT matching games mind-numbing. Ther is much beeter technology available.
I appreciate the views of the culinary participants. Their approach is spot on...some spice and some effort at presentation makes a plain meal, something memorable.
I work in the same field as you do. I break my lecture in parts. I feel like I have the students' attention longer. The results when it comes to quizzes are much better.
It has always been a challenge for me to incorporate other learning activities into classroom learning because the lecture method was always how I was taught. But, I find that the students always enjoy these activities and give an opportunitity for kinesthetic learners to "get it."
I teach in a nursing program and do the same thing. The students really pay attention to real world stories and discussions and they of course love break time!
The continuous, ongoing lecture does have its place, but nothing beats the demonstration. Showing the students how to set up their stations and gather the equipment needed. When you do finally demonstrate what they are to do, they pay more attention since you have grabbed their attention already.
