02/25/09
Wow! Today I completed my first lecture in front of approximately 115 students. The lecture content covered the psychological and physiological aspects of childbirth. My theoretical approach behind the lecture incorporated David Ausubel's concept of relating new information to the knowledge that the students already possess. In order to build on this knowledge, I decided to incorporate Hollywood films into the lecture. The films included different aspects of the birthing preparation and experiences. I received an overwhelmingly positive response from the students! The students were engaged and it presented a fun and interactive environment. I also found that it was helpful for me to become comfortable with the students. We were able to play off each others ideas and interpretations behind the films. I also wanted to include various learning styles whether auditory, reading, writing, or visual. There was a lot of anatomy behind the lecture so I added detailed pictures throughout the slides to help explain the content. The students commented that these pictures helped explain the content more thoroughly and that they were very helpful.
My overall evaluation included the following instructor objectives:
Instructor clearly defined objectives.
Instructor met objectives.
Instructor used varied learning techniques.
Instructor was knowledgeable about content.
Instructor engaged students in participation.
Overall most of the students agreed or strongly agreed that the objectives were met! I received some very useful feedback for future lectures.
My overall positive feedback included the great use of slides and video clips. They also said that I was enthusiastic, passionate and knowledgeable of content. They were all thanking me for sharing. They also enjoyed the use of stories from personal experiences.
My overall negative feedback was that the students did not receive the same power point as the instructor slide show (this coincides with the layout of the course so students must come to lecture to receive all the notes). This is a technique that I questioned, but previous student feedback has shown that students engage in the lecture more when they must fill in notes. The problem I see with the fill in the blank notes is that the students are too worried about filling in their blanks and not focused on the lecture. The other negative feedback was the speed of the lecture to fit all the content in within 50 minutes. This was something I struggled with from the beginning when I found out how much was to be covered in such a short amount of time. Basically the undergraduate program has a specific amount of time to cover a lot of content and if it isn't covered then the students go unprepared for their boards. I found it very challenging to meet the course objectives while still engaging the students in an exciting learning experience.
I sat down this evening to watch my lecture and critique it as a student would (maybe worse since I was critiquing myself). I would agree that I was very passionate and exciting to watch (surprising). I was not following along with the power points so I don't think it seemed too rushed, but I may feel differently if I was filling in blanks. I am a visual learner so the pictures and clips were helpful in understanding the content. I think if I needed to read and take notes to learn then the fill in the black technique would be helpful. My negative feedback for myself and something I know better than to do would be to stop saying "um". I am going to give myself a pat on the back for completing my first lecture ever in front of 115 students! WOW!!
The feedback from the students was better than expected and the constructive criticism were things that I recognized from the preparation phase. I realize that there are some things that are out of my control, but we take what we have to work with and expand our creative minds to combat those obstacles. I think I did that today and I am very thankful for such an amazing opportunity and learning experience.
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Congrats, Jacquelyn!
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to have seen your lecture and love that you incorporated popular movies into your teaching. I bet the students loved it. Many of the lectures I'm observing are very similar and I'm sure you spiced things up quite a bit. It's interesting you bring up the student's questioning the fact they didn't receive the same powerpoint notes. We have some intructors who use this method of students having to fill in the notes and I never understood it. I guess it makes sense that they have to listen more carefully to take the notes, but I agree with you, in that it seems they are trying so hard to keep up, they are not really absorbing the lecture. I also think it's wonderful you got to use so many great teaching technologies. My teaching project will be in a classroom in the hospital for post conference and there is no way to use powepoint or even slides on a projector...I'll have to be innovative. Anyway, kudos to you!!! I'm glad you had such a positive experience!!
Jackie,
ReplyDeleteCongrats! It sounds like your lecture was a great experience overall, and the students really enjoyed it. Awesome! I have some of the same issues with amount of time as well, but I do not have to cover as much material as you did. I'm so glad it all came out well! Aren't you glad to have it over with?
Oh, yeah! That was a huge weight off my shoulders! I have to say that I went all out with my first lecture. 115 students and incorporating that much information into one lecture was overwhelming! Thank you for the encouragement!
ReplyDeleteYes Jackie,
ReplyDeleteYou deserve a pat on your back for the job well done. For a class of 150 students, you will always have some students lost in the way. I applaud your choice to incorporate all the different learning styles in your lecture to tap all the needs of your students. Keep up the good job.
Nelly
Jackie, how much time did you take to prepare for this lecture? I love the movie idea...hmmm I'll have to borrow that idea...
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you did a great job! From the students standpoint, I too would find it difficult to cover a large amount of information while filling in the blanks. It virtually eliminates a students ability to engage in the lecture/discussion. They would become distracted from note taking if they participated. Personally, if they show up they show up, making attendance/note taking a tie to "getting the information" is a double edges sword. Yes they show up, but they are not permitted to "listen", absorb, and question, an interaction I finded extremely helpful/instructive to students and instructors alike. You had a difficult assignment and presented it well (great student evals), you should indeed be proud of yourself. Diane
ReplyDelete115 students is a trial by fire, but it sounds like they were gentle with you. Congratulations on your first lecture. I'm looking forward to seeing it!
ReplyDeleteDo you have any advice for other students doing lectures to large group? Maybe ways of dealing with nerves, preparing, etc? It might be a good topic for another blog post that could help out some of your classmates.
I pretty much spent an entire month, day in and day out, preparing for that lecture. At first, I felt way in over my head due to lack of experience. I think it was necessary for me to spend a lot of time to ensure I knew the information inside and out.
ReplyDeleteSome things that helped my preparation included:
Focus on individuals rather than the overall group. I am great at one on one conversations, but when it comes to a large group I freeze up. I found that when I focused on each student at a time, I realized I really was talking to each individual. If that makes any sense.
I have a friend that has spoken before thousands of people and he loves public speaking. I had him come over and I presented my lecture to him. Once I lectured in front of him (the expert critic), I felt like I could lecture before anyone.
Go early and get comfortable with the setting where you will be teaching. This also allows time for interaction with the students before class. This interaction helped to calm my nerves because I felt like the lecture was just a continuum of our conversations.
I hope these hints can be useful to other students!
Thanks, Jackie