Ibrahim Gardner
Keeping university students engaged in class can be challenging. Students are more likely to participate when learning is fun and interesting. To achieve this, educators can incorporate a variety of teaching methods, such as group work, peer teaching, and role-swapping. They can also use technology, visual aids, and real-world examples to make lessons more interactive and relatable. Additionally, giving students time to think before answering questions and providing opportunities for them to share their thoughts and ideas can increase engagement and critical thinking. Regular breaks and a mix of activities can also help maintain student interest throughout the lesson.
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What You'll Learn
Use a variety of mediums and resources
Using a variety of mediums and resources is an effective way to keep students alert and engaged. Try incorporating both traditional and technology-rich resources into your lessons. For example, tablets, laptops, videos, and educational apps can be used alongside more traditional teaching tools.
Educators often hear the question, "When am I ever going to use this?" in their classrooms. To engage students, it is important to make lessons relevant to life beyond the classroom. Use anecdotes, case studies, and real-world examples to illustrate the practical applications of what is being taught.
Another way to engage students is to use in-class games, quizzes, or gamified learning programs. These can create a sense of friendly competition and make learning more fun. For example, Live Mathletics allows students to compete in 60-second math quizzes with their peers or students from around the world.
It is also beneficial to give students opportunities to share their thoughts and demonstrate their learning in front of their peers. This can be done through class presentations, group work, or peer teaching. Combining presentations with group work can help reduce the fear of public speaking and create a more supportive environment.
Additionally, consider using visual aids and instructional technology to support your teaching objectives and maintain students' attention. Tools such as polling software, collaborative spaces in Google Suite, and video clips can enhance in-person teaching and create opportunities for paperless engagement.
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Make learning fun and interesting
Making learning fun and interesting is a surefire way to increase student engagement. Here are some strategies to achieve this:
Firstly, it is important to recognize and address the fear of failure and judgment that students may have. Open-ended questions are a great way to do this, as they encourage students to share their opinions or interpretations without the risk of a "wrong" answer. These types of questions can spark interesting discussions and promote deeper engagement with the material.
Another strategy is to incorporate a variety of mediums and activities into your lessons. This could include traditional resources, such as printable notes or slides, as well as tech-rich resources like tablets, laptops, video clips, and educational apps. Activities can be related to the content, such as scavenger hunts, jigsaw puzzles, or concept mapping, and can be done individually or in groups. Group work can be a great way to build community and encourage collaboration, especially when combined with presentations.
In addition, it is essential to give students opportunities to share their thoughts and demonstrate their learning. This can be done through class discussions, short reflections, or peer teaching. Allowing students to present their work while sitting down, rather than standing, can also reduce pressure and encourage more students to participate.
Furthermore, making learning relevant to students' lives is crucial. Use anecdotes, case studies, and real-world examples to illustrate how the material connects to their everyday lives. You can also find out what your students are interested in outside of the classroom and incorporate those topics into the learning process, such as by asking students to apply mathematical concepts to their favorite video games or social media usage.
Finally, don't forget the power of storytelling and humor. Sharing anecdotes from your own experiences or the experiences of others can engage and inspire students, helping them to feel more connected to you and the material. A little humor can also go a long way in making the learning experience more enjoyable and memorable.
By implementing these strategies, you can create a fun, interesting, and engaging learning environment that increases student participation and promotes deeper understanding.
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Encourage students to openly communicate their thoughts
To encourage students to openly communicate their thoughts, it is important to create an environment where they feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of failure or judgement. Here are some strategies to achieve this:
Firstly, establish a positive and supportive classroom culture. Get to know your students, address them by name, and create a safe space where they feel valued and respected. This will make them more inclined to participate and share their ideas.
Secondly, provide opportunities for students to share their thoughts in low-stakes ways. This can be done through think-pair-share activities, group discussions, or anonymous polling tools. By first giving them time to reflect and then sharing with a partner or a small group, students can build their confidence and feel more comfortable communicating their thoughts to the entire class.
Additionally, vary your teaching methods and incorporate interactive activities. Lectures can be broken up with discussions, group work, scavenger hunts, games, or quizzes. For example, after introducing a topic, pose an open-ended question and allow students time to reflect and discuss their ideas with their peers before sharing with the class. This encourages active participation and critical thinking.
Furthermore, make the learning relevant to their lives. Use real-world examples, case studies, and anecdotes to illustrate the applicability of the course material. When students see the relevance of what they are learning, they are more likely to engage and share their thoughts.
Finally, provide opportunities for students to present their work and teach their peers. This not only allows them to practise their communication skills but also fosters a sense of ownership and pride in their work. By combining presentations with group work and allowing students to choose what they want to share, you can create a more relaxed environment that encourages open communication.
By implementing these strategies, you can create a classroom environment that values and encourages the open communication of thoughts and ideas, fostering a deeper level of engagement and learning among your university students.
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Address the fear of failure and judgement
The classroom environment is inherently a riskier space than other aspects of college life, which can be intimidating for many students. A key step to promoting student engagement is recognizing and addressing the fear of failure and judgment by both instructors and peers.
One way to address this is to ask open-ended questions that encourage students to interpret a reading or justify an opinion. This type of question does not carry a risk of "failing" the question, as there are multiple valid answers or perspectives. These types of questions can also generate more interesting discussions and require students to be diligent in their readings and homework, promoting deeper engagement with the material.
Another strategy is to provide students with pre-written notes or slides with blank spaces to fill in. This way, students can feel more free to question, comment, and think about the material without worrying about missing important notes. Including student presentations can also spark discussion and engagement, especially in subjects where theories are still being tested and debated.
It is important to create an environment where students feel comfortable openly communicating their thoughts and feelings. This can be achieved through activities that encourage peer interaction and collaboration. Students should also feel comfortable letting the instructor know if the lesson is moving too quickly or if the material is overwhelming.
Additionally, it can be beneficial to remind students that failure is a natural part of life and learning. Educators can help students understand that they can learn from their mistakes and develop resilience. Encouraging students to view their performance in the context of past performances and setting realistic expectations can also help reduce the fear of failure.
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Use real-world examples and anecdotes
Real-world examples and anecdotes are a great way to make lessons more engaging, relevant, and memorable for students. They can help students develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills, as they analyse, compare, and evaluate different scenarios and solutions.
When selecting real-world examples, ensure they are appropriate for the subject, level, and mode of delivery. They should be clear and easy to understand, directly related to the concept being taught, and reflective of diverse perspectives. Complex, vague, abstract, general, biased, stereotypical, outdated, offensive, or insensitive examples should be avoided.
There are many sources of real-world examples to draw from. You can use your own personal or professional experiences, or those of your colleagues, peers, or mentors. Current events, news stories, case studies, documentaries, podcasts, blogs, social media, and other media outlets can also be great sources of real-world examples. You can also ask students to share their own examples or find examples that interest them.
For example, if you are teaching a class on sustainability, you could have students reflect on environmental stewardship and ethical considerations related to science and sustainability. You could present them with a case study, such as "Encountering Geoscience Issues in the Popular Press" by Marian Buzon, or "The Case of GMOs in Environmental Cleanup" by Daniel Vallero. You could also engage students in thinking about the natural hazards in their local environment and have them develop strategies to prepare for natural hazard situations.
Another way to use real-world examples is through role-playing or simulations. For example, students could simulate a situation where they have to decide which of two companies, each using a different CRISPR genome-editing technology, to invest in. They would then engage in research on CRISPR genome editing to understand the potential unintended consequences of the technology used.
Incorporating student choice is also important when using real-world examples. Giving students the freedom to pick which topics they research and which methodologies to apply can improve their motivation and learning. This is known as inquiry-based learning and can help students gain a sense of control in their learning, also known as student agency.
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Frequently asked questions
Keep your students alert and engaged by incorporating a variety of mediums into your lesson plans. Try presenting content with both traditional and tech-rich resources, such as tablets, laptops, video clips, and educational apps.
Interactive activities are a great way to create a stimulating learning environment. Try incorporating in-class games, quizzes, or gamified learning programs to engage students with friendly competition. You can also include activities such as scavenger hunts, jigsaw activities, fishbowl discussions, and concept mapping.
Directly solicit their thoughts on the material and give them the expectation that you might call on them at any moment. This will cause them to handle the materials more critically and pay more attention. You can also incorporate group work and presentations to encourage students to share their thoughts and demonstrate learning in front of their peers.
Provide printable notes (with some blank spaces to fill in) that students can bring to the lecture. When students are copying down everything, they might not have the mental space to engage critically with the material. Pre-written notes or copies of your slides can make students feel more comfortable questioning, commenting, and thinking about the material.
Students often ask, "When am I ever going to use this?" Answer this question by providing real-world examples and anecdotes to root your teaching outside of the classroom. Find out what your students are interested in and build it into the learning process.
