I gathered together some tips for engaging students in dialogue in a large lecture hall type setting. I would sure like to visit University of Regina one day to see Heather in action! Even in our small gathering I noticed how Heather was able to observe who was in the session and use that in her presentation, she spoke to individuals and everyone at once, I even felt her bring me back into the discussion with her eyes when I started fish around in my briefcase to check where I was going next!
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- Listen to the students! Get their feedback about the course, how they feel about the format, how it is different from other courses they have experienced. Heather played a tape from a focus group session in a bar with her students.
- Don't be afraid of the numbers. It doesn't matter how big the class is. There will always be people who are confident enough to speak up and get things rolling.
- Begin the course by encouraging students to form study groups. This will help the students who do not speak up in class.
- Design the course sessions around "elements" rather than content/lectures. For example a vignette can anchor a discussion which draws out the core themes that students would otherwise learn about through a lecture. The difference is it comes from the students and not the instructor
- Build rapport gradually. It takes time for students to understand and adjust to the interactive format.
- Be very flexible. You never know what is going to happen.
- Get used to noise! Expect that students will talk while you're talking. Draw the line when a student is speaking to the entire class. Make it a rule of the classroom to respect fellow classmates who have something to share with the entire class.
- Go with the flow. Use students' contributions as opportunities to go off on tangents and explore new areas.
- Be aware that communication isn't ideal in a large lecture hall. Repeat and paraphrase questions and comments made by students to make sure everyone hears. Use interactive techniques like "clicker technnology" for polls and ways to check understanding. Use the results to advance the dialogue.