week 4 dq post

I come from a Polytechnical background with a strong theater and performing arts in effect minor. Everythigin is about “getting and maintingin their attention”. Nothing makes an audience become board faster than a detailed technical lecture. I could talk or write about varous subjects for hours and days on end, but I know as a matter of fact that in some crowds what I find fascinating they would rather have oral surgery without anistecia.

But at the same time, some of the subjects they could spend an entire large sequence of time doing I would seriously consider the oral surgery thing myself. I have a group of people I know in Florida where I lived for 12 years about 5 years ago that can spent huge amoutns of time talking about a subject I almost could not find more boring. However to each their own.

But in a class the key to it all is engagement. To keep them interested, to keep their attention, etc. The videos presented are all various techniques on how to keep the students interested. From some level of humiliation to generalized group activities and actions.

In general what I would do is to start a group activity which is what the vidoes presented. Group activities, have everyone engage. Example

Ok I have a question, everyone raise their hands. Only put your hand down if these sequence of questions do not apply to you. Then go into a basic sequence of quesiotns, to start. Those being distrupive and distracted, will have to pay at least some attention. As they are asked questions and are forced to raise their hands, the students aroudn them will get their attention and they will either partitipat or they will refuse. After a few questions they are ignoring their fellow students getting their attention to raise their hands, it could be time to take more drastic actdions. Asking the students not paying attention specific questions, person x what is your answer.

the point is to make it fun. In college most students want to be there, those that do not want to be present could be a problem, but asking them to leave is as easy as having them leave in parochial level. The point is to make it fun.