Jan. 29, 2011 - "Death By Lecture" seminar @ SLCC
Preventing Death by Lecture Workshop
Adjunct Instructor: Susan Cohen
Department: VAD
On Jan. 29, I attended the “Preventing Death by Lecture” workshop at Salt Lake Community College. As a new instructor, I believe the lessons of the workshop will pay off in a big way. The techniques offered will help me to engage the students, allowing them to open up and feel more comfortable. I’ve already seen results within a week of attending the workshop.
The techniques discussed were:
- Quick starts to turn passive learners into active learners.
- Awareness of the 10-minute attention span.
- Implementing a balance of passive and active learning.
- Having students use more senses to understand material.
- Reorganizing PowerPoint presentations to be simpler and incorporating bullet points.
- Instructor should move around the room more — to the side and the back.
- Offer simpler instructions using point-by-point directions.
- Periodically stopping videos to review and reinforce key points.
As an adjunct instructor, I don’t have a lot of opportunities to socialize with other instructors. But on the occasions that I do, for instance we have a seminar planned for Feb. 26, I expect to share with other instructors how the workshop has helped me in my classes.
I am teaching three sessions this semester, two of Art 1050 and one of Art 1415, and have already applied these techniques. Particularly in my Photographing Diversity class, a discussion class by nature, I find that the techniques have helped draw in the students and have helped the discussions be more lively.
