1. Engaging Learners During Lectures
Beverly Wood MD, PhD

2. The power of the first minutes On your index card:
Write one question you have related to the topic of this session.
Write a fact you know about the topic
Form a pair
Share your question and fact.

3. Session Objectives Plan effective lectures
Participants will be better able to:
Plan effective lectures
Use the “pause procedure” to improve learning
Use five methods to engage learners

4. How can you engage learners to enhance their learning?

5. Attention How well do listeners retain information?
of first 10 minutes

6. Attention How well do listeners retain information?
of last 10 minutes
Rickard et al, 1988 Teaching of Psychology 15,

7. Attention Lecturer Level of performance Students 5 min. 50 min. Time
effectiveness
5 min.
50 min.
Time
Adapted from DH Lloyd
Visual Education,1968

8. Students’ Heart Rates in Class
Break 90
Beats/minute 80
Student question
Lecture
Discussion 70 25 50 60 90
Minutes
Adapted from DH Lloyd
Visual Education,1968

9. Your brain asks questions about incoming information.
Have I heard or seen this before?
Where does this information fit?
What can I do with it?
Is this the same idea I had?

10. Why your brain needs to be “on”
Link what being taught > What already know
To save the information----->test, recap, explain, use in activity

11. The ‘Pause’ Procedure
Instructor paused for 2 minutes x 3 during lectures.
Intervals of minutes between pauses.
Students discussed and reworked their notes
Students in the ‘pause’ class performed significantly better on free recall and comprehension testing.
Ruhl, Hughes, Schloss
Using the pause procedure to enhance lecture recall
Teacher education and special education 10: 14-18, 1987

12. Quick activities..ways to improve a lecture
Build interest
Involve students during lecture
Maximize understanding
and retention
Reinforce the
lecture content

13. Examples,Application & Practice
Each 1 Hour of Lecture
Connect
1-3 minutes
New Information mixed with “pause procedure”
≤30 minutes
Examples,Application & Practice
Close
5-10 minutes
Activity connected to content
Mini-lectures of minutes each.
After each mini-lecture, 2 minute “check for understanding”
Activities that encourage application and transfer of learning
Check for understanding
Ask learners to summarize session

14. Active learning is more than listening:
Apply learning
Analyze
Synthesize
Evaluate
Solve problems
Read
Write
Discuss
Students

15. Learning is enhanced when learners “do” something with information….
State the information in their own words
Give examples
Apply the learning to a new problem
Use the learning in a different situation
State the opposite or converse
State the consequences
Teach it

16. QT
‘Quick Thinks’
Susan Johnston

17. #1 “Support a statement” QT
Flu vaccine should be administered whenever possible
to appropriate patients because…..
Activity:
Support the statement,
and/or give 1 example
Work in pairs for 2 minutes

18. Select the best responseQT
Select the best response #2
What is the best reason to use evidence-based practice guidelines
A. Practice is standardized
B. There is data to support decisions
C. You can measure outcomes with validity
D. The research is always strong support
Think Audience Response

19. Compare or contrast (in pairs-trios)QT #3
Compare or contrast (in pairs-trios)
Identify 3 parallel elements
Focus on similarities
Pollock
Miro

20. Compare or contrast (in pairs-trios)QT
Compare or contrast (in pairs-trios)
Identify 3 differentiating elements
Focus on differences

21. QT
Complete a statement
The major concern about industry reps or device manufacturers helping design CME is ……..

22. QT #4
Reorder the steps

23. QT
Reorder the steps
Choose a procedure. Mix up the steps; have the students reorder them.
Why is this a useful exercise?
When might you want to use it?
Think procedures

24. QT
Reach a conclusion #5
In a review of published papers related to the outcomes of trials of an antidepressant, 37 with positive results were published, and 3 with negative or questionable results were published.
Why might this happen?
Turner, Matthews, Linardatos, et al
Selective Publication of Antidepressant Trials and its influence on apparent efficacy. NEJM 2008;358:

25. Effective Lectures List 3 methods to make lectures more effective
List 3 practices that make lectures ineffective.

26. Effective vs. Ineffective Lectures
Characteristics of the “Effective Lecture”:
• Lecturer-participant interaction
• Active learning
• Problem-solving activities
• Frequent discussion
• Limited note-taking
Characteristics of the “Ineffective Lecture”:
• Lecturer “tells” participants
• Passive listening
• Few if any questions
• Few if any pauses
• Copious note-taking

27. Summarize the Session
We hope you have learned during this session, and that you can state in one sentence the essence of what you have learned.
Can you distill the session into <10 words? Try it.
Can you distill the session down into <4 words? Try it.

28. Summary Opening exercise to engage
Mini-lectures to provide content with interactive examples
Check for understanding

29. Learner engagement: References
Small Group Instruction in Higher Education
Cooper, Robinson, Ball 2003
Chapter 14: Active thinking tasks in lecture
Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom
Bonwell & Eison 1991
The Ten-Minute Trainer—150 Ways to Teach it Quick & Make it Stick
Sharon Bowman Pfeiffer, 2005