instructor versus student participation
I find it difficult to stay on point when lecture is long winded due to irrelavent questions outside of the discussed topic. students seem to have a way of sidetracking the lecture material when they become bored. more breaks between subject matter and or hands on examples for better representation of the subject appear to correct this situation and after the break or presentation change the class appear to be more focused?.
Hi Raymond! Thank you for your comments! I have found too that supplementing the lecture with hands-on examples, demonstrations, questions, relevant stories and mini-activities along the way all help to "break up" the lecture, yet keep things focused.
You may also wish to try the "parking lot" approach - when a quesiton is asked that is not directly related to the subject at hand, it is placed (written) in the "parking lot," a separate place on the whiteboard to be addressed later. That way, the flow continues, yet the less relevant questions are also addressed in time so that no question is deemed unimportant. It seems to be a novel approach, but it works. Of course, if a student is asking completely irrelevant questions or making comments for attention sake, the matter needs to be handled privately.
Hands down, the instructor keeps control of the flow in the classroom/lab.
Sounds like the methods you are employing are working!
Thanks again,
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
I find this happening often in my classroom as well. I always acknowledge their question to make sure that they know their question is important but I tell them that we can discuss it at a later time. That may either be after the lectures or demos with the entire class if we have time or a private discussion if time in class is running slim. But it's very important to remember that you're the manager in the classroom and it's up to you to set the pace and not the students.
This is Great information, this type of questions during a lecture or demo are almost unavoidable, the way i dealt with them in the past is by addresing the question as short and to the point as possible and try getting back on the road of the subject matter, but i like the parking lot aproach, i will be implementing it.
thanks
Thanks Jose, the "parking lot" has proven to be an effective way to keep a class on track, but not discount any individual student's question - best wishes for continued success in your teaching!
Jay
ED106 Facilitator
While I agree that in any class there are those irrelevant questions, you also must reflect back on your own lecture structure and organization. If students are unclear about the relevance or path of the lecture, they are more likely to ask off-topic questions. And sometimes the question may be relevant than we might think at first, as it might be a question that is really getting at a larger point. I know I frequently ask students to explain it to me "another way" or give an example so I am sure what they mean.
Hi Summer! Thanks for your observations. I like the approach of asking a student to rephrase his or her question for further clarification; I think this also engages the attention of other students and creates the opportunity for looking at a point or application in a different way.
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
This is a great suggestion. I have one student who constantly interrupts the lecture with questions blurted out. I'm going to try this approach.
Thank you.
I like your parking lot concept, it is a great way of keeping on track yet addressing questions. I love the enthusiasm of student questions, and curiosity, and encourage it; but sometimes it turns into a different lesson plan then needed; i will try thr parking lot, thank you.
In any classroom environment, the goal for the student is for them to become "active" rather than "passive" learners. We all understand the importance of getting students actively involved in their learning because this only helps to increase their overall comprehension of the concepts. This is exactly why effective question and reciprocal teaching is so important. By getting the students involved in the actual learning process, they are much more willing to "buy" into the concepts being taught. Because of this, the standard lecture isn't always effective. Furthermore, teachers need to understand the various multiple intelligences the students in the class are strong in. By doing this, instruction can truly be student centered, not catered to the teacher's preferred method.
Instructor need to engage participation through the lecture with the student to keep them focus , awake , and have them retaining as well important key point.
The "parking lot" approach is a great idea to the somewhat off the subject questions. I have learned that some students want to "distract" the teacher by asking off the subject questions, while others are thinking outside the box with the topic at hand. They are looking for more than what was just offered to them. It takes time to learn the student motives.
This is very true. I use student questioning as a tool to be able to explain topics in a variety of ways.
