Maximizing Student Learning During Lectures

Paula LeitzJan Weiss

Instructional Development and Leadership

Purposes of Lectures

To learn and remember information so that it can be accessed and applied

Knowledge is stored

Visually and Linquistically

Brain-based education

An emerging field Considers how brain learns best Considers how to optimize opportunities for

learning

How you teach impacts how well students learn…..

Learning physically changes the brain How the brain changes is based on: * the relevance of the information

provided * whether repetition is provided * emotional state at time of learning

Thus, the greater the relevancy and quantity of associations between learning

and the way students can connect with the materials the stronger student

understanding.

Important considerations for Lecturing

The amount of information your students can acquire, process and learn.

What you want students to acquire, process and retain.

Students’ engagement and attention at the beginning. Develop an emotional connection to lecture

Opportunities for students to do something with new information.

Incorporating High Yield Instructional Strategies (Marzano, 2001)

Identify similarities/differences

Summarize/notetaking Non-linquistic

representations Generate and test

hypotheses

Cues, questions and advanced organizers

Cooperative learning

Before a Lecture: Importance of beginnings

Grabbing students’ attention to signal brain Sets tone for thinking Helps to maintain interest

Rituals to handle start of class

Teacher spot Signals End of song, visual on D.C. Trigger an emotion with something novel Pose high level question about previously learned

information Create mind maps, venn diagrams of previous class’

learning Generate hypotheses Cues, questions and advanced organizers

Hold off on passing graded papers out or providing new information about upcoming

classes until end!

Important Considerations During a Lecture

Brain needs support to retain information during an 1 hour our longer lecture..

Brain does not work well if there is non stop information coming in.. Learning is best when it is focused, diffused and then focused again.. Brain needs time to process before moving on.. Adults can manage 15-18 minutes of direct instruction Tap into brain’s uppers - Amine activation - fuel for the attentional

system Commit information to long term memory Repeat to remember, remember to repeat

Effective Strategies During Lecture

Physical breaks Raise levels of amines - change, movement, excitement Talk with the brain tasks Create drawing of understanding (time lines, venn

diagrams, visual representations, etc.) Note taking using guides lecture notes, graphic

organizers….stop and review during lecture New information in small chunks….ask for predictions or

write brief descriptions

Strategies continued…..

Stop and repeat--repetition strengthens connections in brain

Stop and make links Stop and have students summarize Stop to share with partner Vary presentation tools (power point, video, etc.)….the

brain seeks novelty Use metaphors

Important Considerations After a Lecture: Commit to Long Term

Memory Build retrieval system--future reference to information If you said something important at beginning, repeat at end Repetition consolidates information, provide opportunities

for this

Effective Strategies After Lecture

Use during lecture strategies to end Summarize important aspects of lecture Make personal connections to learning Form visual representation Respond to Whom, when, how and why Create mind maps with a partner Student created metaphors Ask elaborating questions

Create your own metaphor

In groups of 3, come up with a metaphor that explains or describes the idea of maximizing student learning within a lecture format.

Try to “play out” the metaphor Our example (?)