Episode 21: Break Up Your Lecture with These 5 'Unplugged' Teaching Strategies
Description:
For the past decade, I’ve been traveling around the country facilitating workshops and talking with educators, and I have observed that some of the most powerful learning experiences sometimes happen when we step back, put down the clicker to our slide decks, and focus on interacting with each other and sharing ideas without the use of technology.
And that’s why I wanted to do one episode on this podcast about breaking up your lectures with what I call “unplugged” teaching strategies. I call them “unplugged” because they don’t require the use of technology. Tools like index cards, whiteboards, flip charts, and sticky notes don’t need to be plugged in to work effectively!
This episode is based on my book, 101 Unplugged Flipped and Active Learning Strategies which I wrote about 3 years ago after reflecting on a workshop I thought was a complete disaster.
In this episode, I share:
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My story about what I thought was my worst lecture ever and how that experience inspired me to re-think how I design my lectures.
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3 reasons why you might want to consider stepping away from the technology for part of your lecture.
- 5 unplugged strategies which I hope will inspire you to try these ideas in your own classes.
Challenge yourself and your students to put away the phones, laptops, and tablets and connect with each other in a different way. You may find you connect with each other even more when you disconnect from the devices!
Show Notes:
- Listen to Chad Littlefield's episode about connecting with students.
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Learn more about cognitive overload in these two articles:
Adesope, O. & Nesbit, J. (2012). Verbal redundancy in multimedia learning environments: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology. Vol. 104. No. 1. Pgs 250-263. Available online: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232469670_Verbal_Redundancy_in_Multimedia_Learning_Environments_A_Meta-Analysis
Madda, M. (January 19, 2015). Why your students forgot everything you're your Powerpoint slides. EdSurge. Available online: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-01-19-why-your-students-forgot-everything-on-your-powerpoint-slides
- Roll virtual dice using this link or this one.
- Join the free Lecture Breakers Facebook group
- Don't miss an episode! Be sure to subscribe to the show!
Transcript:
Some of these resources contain affiliate links (indicated by *). If you purchase a product or sign up for a program through one of these links, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you. I only endorse products and services that I think will be helpful for you and that I have used myself. Thank you for your support.