the (un)real thoughts of realbt

My Mandrake Linux 9.1 box at home has an uptime of 63 days.

[brett@brie brett]$ uptime
23:12:32 up 63 days, 13:26, 6 users, load average: 0.15, 0.11, 0.06

From my observations as a student over the years, I have come up with a few small points about (at least as I see it) the best way to do certain things in a lecture. Here they are, in no particular order.

At the beginning talk to the class. Make announcements. Make a joke or two. But seriously — talk to the class. Get them involved with what you’re doing in class and make them want to be there (and most importantly, make them want to be there on time).

If you’re handing back assignments, do so before announcements and the class “talk”. Otherwise, wait until the end of class, and be sure to allow enough time for everyone to collect their returned assignment (or test or quiz or whatever) and leave on-time. Nobody wants to be late for their next class — especially when they have to run across campus.

On that note, separate returned work by last name. Don’t let a big stack of assignments circulate the room during the lecture. This is distracting for everyone, and often, if the class is large and the stack is big, the stack does not circulate the entire room by the time the lecture ends. Separating work by last name and having everyone come up to the front (or sides or back or wherever in the room) to their respective pile works most efficiently. I have seen it done many ways, and in the case where reading everyone’s name out takes too long, this works best and is worth the extra effort.

If you’re giving a test, wish everyone good luck before they begin. Boost their confidence with a few short words — but don’t take too long, as anyone writing a test knows that you’re anxious to begin and get it over with. At the end, distribute answer keys or solution guides to students as they leave the room. This way, they can identify exactly what they did and did not understand on the test right away while it is fresh in their minds. If they did well, they can walk away knowing that they’re doing okay; if they didn’t, they can walk away knowing immediately that they need to work harder (and often what specific area they need to look at).

During your lecture, take pauses if you’re showing overheads or working on the blackboard so everyone can catch up. Students can’t write as fast as you because you’re often blocking the board while writing on it. Plus, the best way to learn is during the lecture, and if you’re too busy taking notes, you won’t be able to take it all in. Giving students a few minutes rest at key points in the lecture will help everyone get up to speed.

It is extremely important that you keep the class quiet. If you see/hear talking, tell those people to stop. Other students in the class shouldn’t have to deal with it, nor does anyone want to be in the position of asking someone else in the class to be quiet. Make sure the class knows that talking during the lecture (except where appropriate, of course) is not acceptable. Also, tell people in the following class who come in early to leave. And if they’re making noise, then it is your job to silence them. Pay attention to your audience; if they’re distracted because of noise, etc., it is your job to fix it.

Review the material before you dive into something else. And explain where you’re going and what the point is of the new material. This makes it more interesting and more clear.

Regarding tests and assignments, be sure to distribute a full and complete syllabus at the first lecture. And make it available online. If there are changes, send out an e-mail to everyone, and announce it in the class. Despite not liking tests/assignments, I’m sure there must be studies that show students actually do better when they are forced to work during the term. Even if you don’t want to incorporate them into the grading scheme, distribute quizzes/assignments/whatever and suggest students do them. Distribute the solutions at a later date. Tell students to try them before looking at the solution.

Say goodbye at the end of the lecture. Get to know your students by name. It will make them want to work harder for you.