The passive learner!

[Fluffy agglutinates]

As a teacher of scientists I often get frustrated at the lack of enthusiasm & involvement shown during presentations, lectures & seminars. Some people just want to sit in a room & be talked at. They don't like to be asked questions or made to think out loud. I was wondering if this was a uniquely 'scientist personality' or perhaps just Britishness! Is it fear of looking daft? I always say there's no such thing as a stupid question.

I would hate to think it's the way I teach! I try all sorts of tricks to get the audience to share their own experiences & drag the knowledge I know they have screaming into the daylight. Some are shy I know & will eventually get there.

Anyone have any tried & tested techniques to share to get the most out of the students?

I use powerpoint to deliver the main info with quizzes, interactive activities, web sites, books, journals & practicals too.

Any advice out there? Tell me your pet hates & what floats your boat in a teacher...

[RR1]

I hate long powerpoint presentations. I don't think these should run for more than 15 mins max, I tend to switch off after that. Slides need to be specific and not visually overcrowded with detail- this can always be put into a separate handout.

I love the discussions after a presentation- you tend to learn so much from others, unfortunately there is usually insufficient time afterwards to discuss issues, and these tend to be hurried. I have to admit when I was younger I never really participated at seminars- this was probably a lack of confidence.

I would enjoy a more interactive approach, rather than being 'talked to'. The MHRA recently held some seminars where folk had to work together to problem solve, in between brief presentations...it was an excellent and enjoyable day.

Getting people to work together in groups to answer questions might be a better approach- as it could build confidence of the shyer ones and encourage networking.

Edited May 12, 2009 by RR1
forgot something.

[blut]

First, you use varied approaches to stimulate interest and the mere fact you're asking suggests that you are already an accomplished and successful instructor. I've found that it's mainly the good ones who are interested in getting better.

These tips may be 'old hat' but over many years of teaching they have been successful. About powerpoint presentations (PPT), I agree with Rashmi and would add these observations and practical tidbits:

1. Unfortunately, participatory activities take more time than force feeding information. Instructors always have to balance available time with "covering the material", usually at the expense of interactivity and learner participation.

Think of ways to maximize the quality of F2F time. If it's straightforward info, put it in a pre-session handout, ask if there are questions, and later require them to recall and demonstrate the knowledge via short quizzes or case studies.

2. Remember that PPT is a tool meant to supplement a presentation or seminar, not to replace it and become the whole darn thing. Think of what PPT does best - what it does that's unique and would not normally occur in a lecture or group discussion. To me that's the use of informative and interesting graphics and photos drawn from worldwide sources, including videos.

3. I've tried experimenting with giving entire PPT presentations using mainly graphics with almost no bulletted text. It keeps the audience awake focused on what you say and ask them.

4. Use lots of blanks in the PPT handouts that participants must fill in. Without activity most become comatose in ~15 mins. or start to fantasize about ___ (fill in the blank).

5. Try having the audience complete mini-quizzes at logical section breaks. If required for competency assessment, there can still be an open or closed book quiz at the end.

Toss in some fun bonus questions, like a series of photos to identify football stars (e.g., Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Torres, et al.) I doctor photos of real transfusion service staff, donors, patients with the heads of these guys - the pics always get a good chuckle.

6. Those not keen to respond usually belong to one of several camps. In my view, mainly it's because they are adult learners with well developed self-images about their competence, experience and expertise and do not want to threaten that by answering inappropriately and seeming stupid.

I tell colleagues that "Anytime you ask or answer a question you risk saying something dumb." Then give them this quote: "To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing." (Elbert Hubbard) It's pretty harsh but makes the point. To use an analogy, growing old may be awful but the alternative is worse.

Other possible drivers of a reluctance to participate include

* Boredom - discussion questions are (or seem) too easy and obvious

* Material seems irrelevant; perhaps it's not "just in time" or not perceived as essential to their jobs.

* Information overload

* Audience is exhausted and unable to focus.

* Someone is dominating the discussion and turning off colleagues

7. About stupid questions, try this quote (edited), supposedly from Confucius: "They who ask questions may seem to be fools for a moment. They who never ask questions are fools forever."

It helps to model and explain that it is okay to admit not knowing. The instructor sets the tone and atmosphere. See, for example, "I don't know": the three most important words in education from the British Medical Journal (8 May, 1999).

8. To encourage colleagues to respond and draw on their knowledge and expertise, make questions as non-threatening as possible, i.e., open-ended with no clear right or wrong answer that participants can discuss by drawing on their first-hand experiences, e.g.,

* Don't ask, "What's the matter with using patient records alone to determine a patient's ABO and Rh group for purposes of RBC or plasma transfusion?"

Ask, "What's the weirdest (most striking) case you ever saw of patient records being inconsistent with current testing and what was the cause?"

Mine was a young woman admitted for a therapeutic abortion under the complete identity of a married friend, who just happened to be in our records due to a prior transfusion.

Giving questions an experience-based context also increases interest, because most people like talking about themselves best.

Anyway, some food for thought.

Cheers, Pat

UA: http://www.ualberta.ca/~pletendr/

TraQ: http://www.traqprogram.ca/whatsnew-chrono.asp

TM blog: http://traq.blogspot.com/

[Fluffy agglutinates]

Thank you both so much for your considered replies. Certainly lots of helpful hints for me!

I'm planning on giving a case study tutorial where I split the students into groups, give them the 'patient' results & then get them to present their findings & conclusions to everyone else. Hopefully this will get them thinking a bit more than usual.

At the moment the courses I'm involved in are based on theory in the morning with hands-on follow-up pracs in the afternoon. It's funny as the difference in the students is amazing - we scientists seem so much more relaxed sitting at a lab bench with a pipette in our hand!

[csjuarez]

Personally, I really dislike group work in an educational workshop. I like group discussion, exercises, cases studies, etc. Of course, you'll almost always have a mixtrue of learning types and will almost never be able to please them all!

[Marla]

I think Pat had a good idea with asking students for anecdotes that relate to the topic. I try to tell funny anecdotes (carefully selected and 'masked' for privacy) to get the audience thinking of their own unique experiences. Of course the work is serious, but there's always an oddity or a light bit that you can use to loosen everyone up a little.

It seems to me that, when it's clearly acceptable to introduce a humorous incident into the discussion, people don't take themselves SO seriously that they avoid asking questions or making comments for fear of embarrassment or indignity. At least that is what I strive for - a relaxed atmosphere that allows for an occasional laugh.