Hi Dee,
I see your point. It can make students feel uneasy. I typically walk all over the room. My take is if you're not cheating, you should not feel nervous, but I certainly understand your viewpoint on this.
Patricia
I don't feel right unless I walk around the classroom while I teach. I am a very interactive instructor. Walking around the classroom allows me to express the information I am presenting more effeciently--and it allows me to keep my students' attention. When I walk around, they wonder what I am going to do next.
I think when you enable the student to complete the bad behavior that you loose comtrol of the situation.
Adverse effects of poor monitoring include students falling behind, students trying to cheat the system, and students distracting/taking away from the rest of the class' learning. I will move around the room keeping the students focused on what I'm trying to teach them. I'll ask a lot of questions so that I can be reasonably sure that their subject knowledge is improving.
You have to engauge the students and constantly monitor the speed of the lesson. I find making them become involved in the lesson tells me when it is time to move on to the next topic.
Hi David,
The instructor definitely has to keep the lesson on task. If you have a lot of talkers, you can really get behind in class.
Patricia Scales
Keeping the students interested and involed in the subject at hand is the easiest way for me to monitor the class. Showing an interest in their opinion of the topic and drawing answers from the group makes them feel a part of the discussion and focused.
The class should flow in the direction of the topic at hand. I encourage questions but am always in control of the direction and length. During a test, there is no talking unless a student has a question for me regaurding clarity.
Poor student monitoring skills could cause the instructor to lose control of the class. It also provides opportunity for cheating if students don't fear being caught. I know i do not always effectively monitor the LRC because of work that requires me to stay in my office. Lack of my presence allows students to feel safer to visit websites that they shouldn't be on during class time.
