Interaction

Interaction with the students is important both in lectures and in seminars (small group teaching). In the latter type, for obvious reasons, interaction is more frequent than in lectures, but also here the teacher should strive to involve the students as much as possible.

A basic form of interaction is when the lecturer talks to and not in front of the students, for instance through signposting with remarks like As many of you already know…, During the break some of you asked…, Let’s look at this…, Last time one of you pointed out to me that… This is a very banal, but at the same time very efficient tool: It makes the students feel that they are being seen, heard and taken seriously.

The interaction can also be more direct, for instance through question-answer sessions. In this context, a deliberate technique is a crucial. Use the 7-seconds technique:

• Ask your question – formulate it precisely and in a short form. You may want to write it on the blackboard or on a slide if it is complex.
• Let 7 seconds pass – ignore the students who (always) put up their hand immediately.
• If you do not see a suitable amount of hands, repeat the question in exactly the same way as the first time: the same words, the same intonation, the same pace.
• Let another 7 seconds pass, and if you still do not see enough hands, you may give further background and elaborate the question.

The thing is that we stress the students by posing quick questions and expecting quick answers. It gets even worse when we realise that our question might have been put differently and then start reformulating it or offering further information. This hampers the students’ working memory (their thinking processes at any given point of time): It has only a limited capacity and is easily disturbed; and talking while the students are thinking makes it difficult for them to concentrate and think of an answer.

The interaction may also take place in a more indirect way: through the performance of the lecturer. The openness that a lecturer can radiate through his/her body language, makes the students feel that they part of a learning process and not empty vessels that must be filled.