Boredom
I like to interact with students as this seems to keep them moving with a subject I am teaching.
Are your referring to interaction during class or outside of class? How do you initiate this interaction?
I am not a teacher but I am on the front lines of admission and try and keep students engaged from the moment they walk in the door till they graduate.
How do you do that Sheila? How do the faculty respond to your continued involvement?
Keeping the students entertained will kepp the students in class willing to learn.
To keep boredom from setting in, I try to fill my lectures with a lot of visual effects and interaction opportunities.
Allison, what type of interaction activities do you use? Interaction with you, with other students, groups?
Well, in my Anatomy class I would use a study game that would allow the students extra points to be added to a quiz or exam. I would use the words off of the test and place them up on the board. Then I would have a student come up to the bored and then I would give definition and they would have to point to the right answer. I would give them one point for each correct response. And sometimes words would be a little harder so at the end I would surprise them and give everyone an extra 5 to 10 points for effort.
I try to incorporate interaction with everyone together as a team. I feel that students know each others names sometimes and thats about it. I even go back to using games like BINGO and Around the World so that they are learning but its still fun. I have noticed that when this is used they laugh and become more comfortable with each other. I also put them in groups with critical thinking topics so then they get to hear more from each other and not just my ideas or topics.
I like to explain some of my experiences with the students. That way they think about what they might experience in their profession. As a massage therapist we tend to think in different terms \. I want the students to be open minded, relating to some of the different techniques.
Denise
What do you mean by explaining some of your experiences? Are you talking about the use of certain techniques in a particular circumstance or more interpersonal situations?
Allison, how do you incorporate critical thinking skills? Are the subjects specific to the major or more general societal type issues? How do you evaluate the results?
Both, There are times that the standard techniques need to be adjusted for that certain client. I also like to explain how some of the clients respond to these techniques. Plus I pick up different energies working with clients, I like to explain this so the students can think about what they might feel or experience.
Denise Long
Aside from me moving around the class I ask alot of questions. We use Powerpoint prsentations, I do not read them, I refer to them while explaining my point. When not in lab, I may take everyone out to lab to drive a point home
John
Most students are from what I like to call the "MTV Generation". Things need to be changed alot just like changing channnels on the TV. We need to constantly chage how we deliver the information. Personally i fel power point should be for video and as a reflection on what we just talked about. Think about how many classes you have been to that you found boreing and see what they did wrong and try not to duplicate that.
One of the challenges we face is bridging the generational gap. No question that young students are accustomed to a different methodology of data presentation and they expect the world to keep up.
Does your institution do anything with podcasts or video posted on the web?
