i think i was pretty ready for class last night. had a pretty complex syllabus to go thru, some texts to talk about, a really, really fun first project, and even a brainstorming exercise to break the ice.
it could have been successful, but i don't know for sure. because nobody said anything. for THREE HOURS. except for me. i said alot.
doh. this could be a very long semester :)) please Lord, give me some ideas to get them to talk!
12 comments:
You could threaten them with failure if they don't VERBALLY participate.
Or you could just continue to love on them and express the passion you have for the subject... and watch them desire to participate.
Did you try ice-breaker questions to get them laughing?
:)
Anne. would you like to be a guest speaker?
aaaaaaagggghhhh! i fail icebreakers, how am i gonna TEACH them?!
here's the thing. the worst night is over, and it can only get better. even if it stays the same, you can handle it.
"i can do anything through God who strengthens me..."
I JUST had a conversation with Moose about ice-breakers. He says, and I quote, "The thing is that they don't work for the shy people. Trust me."
So there. You're off the hook on that one. I vote you do what Ann says. Love and be passionate about what you love. :-)
tomorrow i am making the class draw monsters. seriously. i am thinking i might be a little desperate :)
I like the drawing monsters thing. Don't be too hard on yourself, getting adult learners to engage and move forward is tough, really tough. Questionsing works good to start and lots of wait time.
I can guarantee that some, if not all, of the students were thinking, "This teacher is so cool. I'm just going to sit here and soak up every last thing she says. And I'm not going to say anything because I don't want to risk sounding silly in front of this super-cool teacher."
I always felt that way on the first day of class with a super-cool teacher (at USD, no less). By the second or third class, I was ready to talk.
Just remember, you ARE super cool, Bobbi! You're the best design teacher I ever had. :)
you guys are so great, i could not even pay you enough for what your encouragement is worth ;)) thank you!
i am ready for night #2. feeling good again. we can DO this! ha.
Verbal participation is often part of a grade, but if you've already handed out the syllabus kind of hard to change that now.
But, they probably WILL warm up and talk more as they get comfortable w/ the class and subject matter. The same thing happened to me on my first night and it is PAINFUL!!! (The difference being, accounting is much less exciting to talk about and you can't fall back on having them draw monsters.)
It WILL get better!
thank you Loretta! yes, i could have had class participation be part of the grade, but they already have to do 7 projects, 12 papers and 5 quizzes (not my syllabus, the universities) so i did not want to KILL them. ha. i will try to force it out of them, though!
I am excited to hear about how this changes over the course of the school year. I imagine that you will have a far different perspective in a couple of months and at the end of the class. Great to start here... because they can only participate MORE!
Up & UP
Hey there! Hope tonight goes better. Because google is my answer to everything, I googled "How to get students to talk in class" and found this for you:
http://www.brighthub.com/education/k-12/articles/44022.aspx
I know it's not collegiate, but it's high school. Maybe it might be a good trick? Anyway - there's a ton of articles on how to get students to shut up. :)
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