Posts by Eliana Osborn
May 1, 2012, 01:53 PM ET
When It Falls Flat
Maybe the
classroom is too hot. Maybe you aren't feeling your best. Maybe
there's just something in the air. Whatever the reason, your
well-planned and executed lesson just falls flat. I can usually
tell about 10 minutes into class when things just aren't
jibing--rather than blank stares of confusion, I see only glassy
eyes of apathy. I try to do a lot of things to prevent classes from
being boring, especially since I teach at night and we only meet
once a week. We do a variety of activities, I try to get people out
of their chairs and learning in multiple ways. But sometimes it
isn't enough. 
How do you resuscitate a floundering
class? I find that a quick break, acknowledging that we're all
struggling with interest, can do wonders. Sometimes I change the
order of activities -- e.g., instead of writing at the end of
class, I'll shake things up a bit and do that earlier. Other times
I...
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April 16, 2012, 01:37 PM ET
Life Crisis
Recently, my
three-year-old son went a full eight days without having a
seizure--the first time we've made it so long since he was
diagnosed with epilepsy seven months ago. I had hoped that around
the six-month mark I would have found a new normal, with treatment
plans and stability and whatnot. That has not proven to be the case
with my son; we are still working with his doctors to get things
under control. 
I find that my brain has fragmented
a bit since dealing with my son's chronic illness. There's a
segment of my mind always worrying instead of focusing on the task
at hand. In terms of my career, teaching hasn't been a problem. I
love teaching and don't think my classes have suffered from my
distraction. Preparing and presenting have been ways to get outside
myself. The other half of my professional life is writing though.
Here I haven't been so lucky. I'm really struggling with my...
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April 22, 2011, 09:45 AM ET
Better Night Classes
The semester is half
over. It is 7:45 p.m. and eyelids are hanging low. But there's
another hour of class, and new information still to cover. I
realize, after the second or third question I ask lingers in the
air waiting for a response, that it is time to try something new.
The years I spent teaching high school come in handy in my night
classes. Most students arrive wanting to learn but struggling with
a lack of energy after a long day of work or of wrangling kids.
While some things have to be taught with direct instruction,
keeping lecture time to a minimum is crucial. Luckily students are
good indicators of when you need to change things up. I have a
stable of activities that I use to vary class and keep everyone
engaged. Tip 1: Get students out of their seats. Everyone groans
the first time you make them head to the back of the classroom, but
class is no time to get comfortable....
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