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It is very important to be prepared for any lesson and to use different teching styles for learners to understand the content

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MOLOI PALESA FLORENCE

What I think about the points raised..
Well I for one teach Business Studies from Grade 10 to 12. Business Studies is more theoretical work, calculations are done only in Grade 12 on the 2Topis. All other topics are just theory and requires a lot of reading. Most of the time I instruct learners to read one by one and I explain, at times I ask them to explain to each other to ensure that they don't lose focus or interest. I pick them randomly to check if they are still following and they will either read or explain.  Usually I give them notes on different topics, so as to compare with that on their text book. I avoid speaking a lot during our contact session, I leave enough time for assessment. I'm all about TEACHING & ASSESSING learners to test their understanding.

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Teaching 101 : be prepared and know what and how you want to explain the topic. I try to use an introduction to the lesson which is both interesting and also a pre-runner of the outcome which I aim for. In maths I always have learners who do not have the basic foundation. When I reflected on the video I realized I sometimes assume that because I taught them in grade 9, 10 they would remember it in grade 11.

The teacher voice: a monotonous unchanging voice is sure way of boring the learners. I have attended presentations which were terrible, because the presenter simply read the content from the slides. You start taking notes to keep awake, but after a while even that doesn’t work.  You leave thinking: what was the point, just give me the notes, I will read them by myself.

On the other hand, I get too excited and enthusiastic in class, then the pitch of my voice is shrill and my body language too animated. This doesn’t work well either. I was recommended to do some voice training exercises, and it has helped me a lot.

In a previous activity we reflected on connecting prior knowledge with the new concepts. Only then can deep learning take place. The students in the video knew  that a circuit needed a battery, conductor and a lightbulb, but they couldn’t link it to a real situation, building the circuit. We think we or our learners understand, yet the don’t. But in our loaded curriculum, we have to rush on with the new topic, and don’t get time to do reteaching.
There was an article I once read about how the speaking voice matters in the Age of Social Media.
When I started  teaching online, the first thing that bothered me, was how do I know if learners are engaged. My voice gets more fatigued than when I teach face-to-face. In class, you can point to a certain step in the sum and learners will focus on that. But as in the video on the collisions of molecules, the concepts were highlighted, and specific parts of the diagram was zoomed in to draw attention to that part. The important concepts were spoken a  bit louder, and the pace of the voice varied. In online teaching learners will have to take ownership of their own learning, and rewind and watch it again for understanding.  There was an article I once read about how the speaking voice matters in the Age of Social Media.

I will still break up the lesson into smaller sequential steps, and add a transcript with time to indicate where the  concept, or step is discussed.

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A great lesson for me of always assuming that learners learner or they will learn. Therefore formative assessment, that assessment for learning or   adaptive assessment is crucial. And should also have practical assessments in the teaching process for practical subjects.

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When teachers read to learners rather than speak, the result is that learners lose interest in the lesson. Those who do well in the subject memorise what is in the text book just for the sake of passing a test. Such learners cannot link new knowledge to prior knowledge. Their problem solving skills become very poor because they are not able to apply what they have learnt to real life situations as is the case with the graduates in the video, who could not use a wire and a battery to light a bulb. In lower grades, I believe that the teacher can read a text with the learner and then proceed to speak about the text so that there is connection of knowledge.

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They can use the information to help the kids high

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I agree that we should link prior knowledge to new knowledge presented.  But we should also make sure that prior knowledge is founded correctly and that students know how to apply this knowledge, as is said in the video, if the foundation knowledge is misunderstood, everything else will be probelmatic.  I would present most classes, engaging students as actively as possible, allowing them to be hands-on in applying their knowledge and also assessing the depth of their understanding afterwards, making sure that deep learning has been obtained.  As a teacher I must be passionate when presenting, using variance in tone of voice, facial expression as well as body language, creating a light atmosphere conducive for learning in the classroom and involving students' emotions, as to motivate them to want to learn.  Be interesting.

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This is so true, that we always assume it shall be easy for leaners since it appears easy to us as educators. For the first time, in my Physics career I struggled to help learners understand a concept on Doppler effect. I had to do several examples to get that "aha/o yah!" moment from some learners. Hence this brings the importance of actively engaging learners during the learning process by guiding/probing questions!

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H.R Letjoko   As a teacher sometimes it is good to acknowledge when you do not know something. Being able switch tones helps learners to remember what they have heard. Using your body to express yourself especially when you read novels to the will be unforgettable in their memories

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I agree that we need to link prior knowledge to new information, to help learners think about what they'll be learning.  I second the point made that we need to adopt more of a "speaking voice" rather than a "reading voice" as this makes the lesson more authentic, connected and meaningful.  Learners want to receive from a voice with a "vibe" to it.  That is fun.  As an English teacher, I go into character mode often when reading to the learners and I can actually sense that they enjoy and stay with the story as I read.  I try to engender the same stylistic habit of reading into my learners as well.  Not all are confident readers, but those who participate, end up making the reading experience so fun and memorable, so much so that when the bell rings, you can hear sighs of disappointment being released.  A conversational voice makes education feel like edutainment to learners and when they're having fun, they retain information better.

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It is very important to start any lesson prepared as that holds the attention of the learners. They know when we are not prepared and that can lead to the learners not paying attention as they don't see the importance of a topic if the presenter is not prepared

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Teaching provides opportunity to both teachers and learners to learn new things and to improve in what we are doing. teachers should master what they are teaching because learners view them as source of information, thus requires a through preparation before standing in front of learners. Time and again we need to improve our teaching skills in order to reach our goals. Learners can notice when you are not prepared, because you would be reading the material for them, instead of speaking from heart, and automatically they lose  hard gained trust and interest in you and also in future engagements.(N Moji)

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Reading kills the lesson, when the presenter reads he/she loses the interest of the audience however with illustration notes audience become actively and tigers the interest

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I think that there is a difference between sharing something you know and teaching it to someone else. We get carried away sometimes when we have decided something is easy, only to find out that we be shallow when teaching it to our learners. Which is why after a failed assessment, one decide to be creative and re-teach it such that learners understand it.

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It's important to know how we learner and learners' learn and interests them. We have different learning styles.

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Jim Mohokare

My thoughts about the points I read.

What the lecturer speaks about makes much sense. The module itself involves multimedia in a very special way. To start with, the module is introduced intentionally. Lecturer speaks with confidence, pauses intermittently to alllow knowledge to simmer. She also changes.tone of her voice and one would listen to the end. During presentation, the beautiful sound can be heard. The computer flows and opens up and this reminds us that the lesson is coumputer based. The body language is in line with the presentation.

All these are contrary to my lessons. I have had boring lessons, I suppose. Activity lacks, the same tone is used and I understand why at times I have to order learners to wake up. I realise  why my learners could not listen continuously in the lesson. Honestly speaking one needs to change. I speak alone most of the times. Although my lessons involve pictures, I have not made it more lively by involving much Behavioural, cognitive and constructive engagements.

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I speak rather than reading because I prepare thoroughly to understand the content I have to deliver and this allows me to actively engage learners on the topic at hand. There is no use reading what learners can see or can read by themselves when they are at home. As you speak, you can explain to learners but reading does not allow you to do that.

The voice and tone as I speak while teaching varies, more important aspects of the content are emphasized by increasing the volume of my voice, or I pause to indicate to learners the importance of the section of the work. I also repeat to learners what I say if its even more critical for their understanding

I have been in presentations where the presenter reads what is on the slide rather than speaking about the slide, and all I can think of ,is when will he/she finish and just give me a copy of the slide. I cannot follow because I read faster and they may be reading slowly. So, if a teacher does the same thing ,there will be no effective teaching and learning. I will often listen at the beginning of the presentation but if a presenter reads I will not follow and therefore cannot remember 80% of what they were saying.

Learners in my class listen attentively because my lesson is well structured, I speak to them and not read to them. In having thoroughly prepared the lesson, I already link what they have learnt in previous lessons to what they are about to learn now. Furthemore, I engage them and allow them to speak so as to inform me what they already know about a particular concept so as to measure the depth of their knowledge which then informs the direction and activities for my lesson

To make learners  understand better ,the teacher should speak about the content that is being taught, encourage learner participation by allowing them to ask questions, ask them questions and build up to content assessment activities as and when learning is taking place and refrain from assessing learners only at the end of the lesson. The latter ensures that the teacher can detect misunderstandings, content gaps and misconceptions during the lesson before moving to complex content

When teaching online, time management is critical and learners may not have the ability to ask as many questions as they wish during the lesson or they might be viewing the lesson later on, the implication is that the lesson must be fruitful from the onset and not be boring because learners are not under your supervision and therefore can loose interest easily and not go through the lesson.

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It is of importance to always assess learners prior knowledge by asking the baseline question before going to lesson Development. This is also enhanced by detailing the lesson objectives to the learners

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When presenting a new concept one always start from the know to the unknown in order to connect the learning process. The learner needs to know that knowledge builds on it is like building a house foundation first before roofing. The important items are always to be highlighted. When presenting the manner in how the voice is pitched also plays a very important role. I was once in a class where a particular presenter was using one tone throughout and it was really not so good to the ear, one could not even discern the level of importance in the concepts which was done.  T.M Sebico

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I believe what was highlighted from the points raised in this section are extremely important in the presentation of lessons. tone of voice, pitch, expression, body language, classroom atmosphere and preparedness are points that i believe that are important for learners to pay attention and for deeper learning to take place. Prepare like a slave and teach like a king.

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I believe proper presentation would ensure that teachers or presenters talk rather than reading. keeping record of preparations ensures that previous lessons are fully linked and connected to the current and future lessons with ease.  My learners knows that i sometimes call them to order by simply changing the tone and pitch of my voice. I sometimes ask rhetorical questions like "why do i see people still writing" they automatically know that the time is up and they need to submit their work. Another important aspect that teachers should avoid is to teach examples, a lot of teachers teach examples rather than principles, this creates a challenge when learners have to apply the knowledge/principles in question papers and real life situations. Lastly, i teach the way i assess.  That is, using the question paper language in every lesson so that learners become familiar with it.

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I try my best to also get learners interested in the topic I teach. I create PowerPoint presentations for my learners which are carefully planned to include key points and allow me to explain all work to them.

I have noticed over the years that learners cannot focus for full lessons of 50 minutes each with just me explaining. Getting learners to actively engage with the content requires more than just a good PowerPoint and me teaching.

I try to use my voice effectively in class to keep learners focusing on what I say, and I try to emphasise my voice where needed. I will speak a bit louder when emphasising key points and will also speak faster or slower to keep learners interested.

I have sat in many boring sessions before where the presenter simply reads from the slides in one tone of voice and that is very counterproductive to teaching and learning.

When the presenters simply read everything, I can read on my own, I start to doubt whether the presentation will benefit me at all and then lose concentration. In my classes I start with the outcome of the lesson and then linking previous content to current. I try to include explanatory and relevant images with minimal text so that I can speak about the content and the learners can make notes.

I remember a lot more when the teacher / presenter uses images and then and then explains the content rather than me reading from the presentation.

I encourage note taking in the class and then I use very small informal assessments to test their understanding. I believe learners listen to me attentively for most of the lesson. This could improve to 100% of the lesson.

I could maximise the efficiency of my PowerPoints and get learners to actively engage with the content throughout most of the lesson. I could also use group work and think-pair-share in my lessons. During this course so far, I really have many items I would like to try to get learners to engage with the content and that deep learning can take place.

When learning happens online, all remains the same besides the online pedagogy that must be applied correctly to make learning active, intentional, and constructive.

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Teachers need to engage with their learners instead of just reading to them otherwise they will not know if they they understand the lesson /concept. Learners when they are not engaged with lose interest in the whole lesson much quicker therefore a teacher has to prepare thoroughly for the intended lesson  and allow learners to reflect and apply what they have learned

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Preparation,no need to read out when prepared given limited time you have,reading consumes time and also it could be less interesting as learners would loose focus when you read a lot of information.The tone of the teacher is also important as it could make learners loose focus

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LEVI ME: Generally from what I have learnt from the comments made by colleagues and what I have experienced there is no how one can just read to learners and claim that he/she is teaching. We need to understand our duty as educators and be the best to our learners. How interesting it is to engage learners in our teachings. one at times finds that these learners are  more knowledgeable than we think. As we move from what they already know to what they don't, gives them the sense of trusting in themselves that they are eligible to progress in their studies because there is something that they know which forms the basis of what they are to learn. As a result they get motivated. Learning becomes interesting to them and on the other hand they turn to enlighten us as teachers of the things we also might have not known, especially on how to engage them through learning about their prior knowledge. It is best that we speak to our leaners and not read to them  especially now that we are going digital.

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Having productive conversations requires learners to listen deeply, reflect on what is said, express ideas clearly, sustain attention, ask insightful questions, debate respectfully, and develop comprehension of information taken in. But reading the whole lesson instead of explaining it thoroughly should be avoided. Anynone can teach any subject just by reading, but explaining it in a way learners listen and learn is something else. I have noticed that a  teacher's tone of voice is a powerful instrument. It sets the tone and environment for the entire classroom in terms of engagement, behavior, and rapport with the learners. It contains some valuable insights from teachers who have experimented with how their tone of voice affects the functionality of their classrooms. There have certainly been times where I was quietly following a presenter with my eyes and nodding in agreement, but not processing a word of what they shared. Even worse, I may have thought I was listening until I realized I did not understand or even remember what had been said. In those moments, I was motivated, perfectly compliant, but not engaged.  When listening to a presenter with a monotonous voice I have come to the following conclusion:  First, there is a broad serial position effect. The first thing presented in a sequence is best remembered. Information presented toward the end of a presentation  is also reasonably well remembered (though not as well as what you presented at the beginning). The middle of a talk is least well remembered. I think learners listen the best especially when you say this is important for an exam, lol. Then they wil make notes, but I have seen that there are a few strategies that I use then they listen and do so much better. Teaching learners how to listen is critical for their academic futures, one way of doing this is by  Minful listening meditation, this meditation teaches learners how to tune out their thoughts and tune into the sounds surrounding them, a strategy that directly connects to active listening. I know sometimes there isnt any time, but once in a while make learning fun. If you make learning fun, learners tend to learn more.

The digital classroom comes with its own set of challenges when it comes to active listening, primarily since the devices students learn on often double as the culprits of their distraction. Since accountability may become less visible in a digital setting, it becomes even more important for the learner to be engaged with their environment in order to get the most out of their online learning experience

Developing listening skills in the digital learning environment has become a vital skill for the learner to master (and for the instructor to facilitate). Without it, learners only gain access to the surface level of information.

To a learner coming from traditional instruction, e-learning can feel distant and stiff at first. Although a learner may be aware of the supportive community and leadership available for them to access throughout their course, it can sometimes be helpful to remind them that you are there on the other side of the screen, perhaps through a form of videoconferencing (Zoom or Teams).  Individualized feedback is critical to boosting accomplishment. When learners receive personal feedback, they are able to develop and iterate on ideas to their full potential. The initial validation from a facilitator or mentor will allow learners to feel more empowered in shaping their opinions, so that they feel confident to continue contributing.  Perhaps an even more effective way to instill this confidence in your learners is to build a community where peer-to-peer exchange is the standard. Having collaborative discussions all start with helping your learners feel welcomed and heard. Learners are more likely to listen to each other in a community that encourages the exchange of new thoughts.  Giving them a clear list of the big topics that will be covered enables them to know what to listen for when the topic comes up. Minimizing abstraction wherever possible allows the learner to feel like the end goal they are striving towards is achievable. When milestones are visible, learners are more empowered to listen deeply since they know exactly how to get to what they are striving for.  Learners are more likely to listen actively when they are able to associate new concepts to ones they have been exposed to previously. Additionally, linking content to a learner’s existing knowledge makes new information more meaningful to the learner.

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Reading may sound boring especially when dealing with learners who have different attention span.  Again A change of tone may help when a teacher tries to reinforce and elaborate a matter. In order to do all those a teacher has to prepare himself thoroughly before presentation. Hence I prefer to use 3Ps. Plan, prepare and present.  Nhlapo Nomvula

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Although not 100% possible, reading must be avoided as far as possible. Reading is really boring and kills a lesson immediately. Varying your voice and tone immediately catch the learner's attention. In presentations where the presenter just read to the audience I usually only pay attention to the introduction and perhaps to the ending. To improve the lesson I must a) Improve on my presentation layout. b) Link pre- knowledge with new knowledge. c) Link new knowledge to practical examples. d) Do more practical exercises and assignments. In an online lesson the theory can be done by means of presentations and videos, practical work can de done to a certain extend through simulations, but to really conclude a lesson new knowledge must be applied in real life assignments with video feedback.

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Rekha : I fully agree With Ms Mabizela,Educators must not think that just reading out of the text book will make the learing process fun...A whole lot of Preparations must go into the one lesson and its outcomes..The fundamental understanding of things and how it operates must be explained for complete undertstanding , we must never assume what the learners know as each Learner in Unique..i also want to comment on the sep 29 post , where the writer say its an insullt to read a power point presentation or a book when the audience has both..We as teachers have to make the learning process fun and also have an active participation of every member of the class...

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I agree whole heartedly.  When I started at my current school I used to dream at night that I had a fully stocked Laboratory where learners could investigate the structure of leaves with handlenses and disecting microscopes.  Where they could actually take the moss plant and study it under the micrscope and see what the sporangium looks like.  That they could take fern sporangia and put them under the light microscope and actually see how the light makes it tear open to disperse the spores.  At a previous school where I taught I did have a lab and I was able to show them these things.  At my current school we do not have enough equipment.  One or two micrscopes work and only some teachers teach in the labs.  The chemicals are old, no gas or bunsen burners or most of the equipment needed for a subject such as LS.  I have a passion for my subject and I would have liked to wow the learners with hands on experiments where they could do it for themselves.  That is not possible.  Besides that, the classes in most cases are normally too big.  Not even a demonstration is sufficient to let everyone see what is happening.  That is when you have to make use of technology.  Show them the experiments on a screen.  Use a simulation from pHet.  We are not all able to teach at schools that have labs with enough apparatus and small enough classes.  This is where technology comes in handy, to make up.  Pilots also train on flight simulators!  Antoinette Oosthuizen

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Susan Nieuwoudt I fully agree with Nomaswazi Mabizela.

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Susan Nieuwoudt Planning is also a crucial part of the success of a lesson. If all teachers are prepared for the class, reading from the slides of textbook is not an option. Be active in class. Be positive when you present the new topic.  Bring the real world into the class. It depends on the subject, but the attitude of the teacher towards the subject also play an important part of the success of learners. Maybe it is a new topic that you as teacher also find to be difficult, but seek help and become the master of the topic. There will always be topics that you prefer but present every topic with enthusiasm and it will flow through to the learners. Pretend to be you sitting in the class and ask yourself will you enjoy the class and be able to master the topic after the teacher presented the new topic? It is easy to be in class but as you making a difference in learners ability to excel?

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The "battery and light bulb" experiment. I taught Natural Sciences and Technology to grade 4's and 6's - and this experiment never let me down! Many of my "top pupils" - who got A-averages battled when it came to the do! My average pupils - well it took less than five minutes to get the light bulb shining!!! Thus, they all got to get the light bulb shining - they used one another's abilities. Currently I am teaching grade 1's and I hardly ever sit, maybe when I am reading a story and then I use different voices for different. Teaching grade 1's - you need to talk and explain, very few of my pupils can read from the start. I vary my voice many times a day, depends on the topic and the content. I have an "inner voice", "sad voice", "happy voice", "sad voice"... I have sat through many a presentation where a person read from his/her notes and caught myself falling asleep and couldn't recall a word. I listen, remember and understand when a person speaks, as I wait for the eye-contact or the nodding of my head when a agree. When I teach a make aye contact with me pupils and their eyes tell it all - I do not understand, help!!! Because we are in a dialogue they interrupt and ask for help "I do not understand", they are also eager to show their work, when they got it right. My lessons are practical and concrete - lots of interaction takes place before we go over to semi-concrete and abstract. During online sessions their is a lot more talking/speaking - if you are only going to read your notes the pupil can upload a YouTube movie or a PowerPoint show. It also depends if it is one-on-one or a whole class online-session. During a whole class session I mute my students microphones (believe me - grade 1's ALL talk at the same time) in the beginning and ask individuals questions - everybody gets a chance - towards the end I unmute the chaos and they soon get the hang of waiting their turn, some even raise their hands like in class. I try to use different types of voices when I teach online, my pupils enjoy it.

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I think, online learning is way more personal than when you are standing in class, in front of 40 learners who distract each other with nonsense.  There is hardly time during a period of 35 minutes to give each of the 40 learners your undivided attention.  With online learning, using the methods that R. v.d. Lingen mentioned you can keep the undivided attention of the learner.  Learners can also work at their own pace, go back to concepts they do not understand.  You can use video clips of experiments to illustrate.  It is really difficult in a classroom situation to demonstrate an experiment to 40 learners at the sae time.

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I completely agree with R v.d. Lingen.  There is really nothing that I can add.

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Nomaswazi  Mabizela
As an educator you must always know that preparation is key to delivering an excellent, informative and educational lesson to your learners. Preparation leaves no room for standing infront of your learners and reading out of a textbook, preparation enables you to speak out bodly on a topic allowing variation of pace. When you are reading you end up lacking expression and mantaining the same tone in your voice. Seating and listening to a presentation where the presenter just reads causes one to lose focus and hardly remember what he or she is saying. However when a presenter justs speaks and has expression you are bound to follow through and give then un divided attention. Learners tend to pay attention when you as a teacher have studied the concept and speak about it making examples they can relate to. Asking learners to participate while you delivere a lesson helps them remember and understand better. As an educator I will definetely use the strategies of aid connection to draw attention from the learners by changing pace of my voice and tone. Learning online encompasses all the aid connection as aid selection ol key items is used allowing us to follow through.

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I think when a teacher does not apply all the aspects mentioned in the notes, there is very little satisfaction in teaching. Preparing well, and using appropriate teaching aids lead to a confident teacher and respect and trust from the learners' side. Coretha

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To me it is an insult to the audience if one reads of a PowerPoint presentation or from a text book (when the audience has the book in front of them).  It is as if you are telling the audience that a) you think they are illiterate and b) you do not value/respect  their time because you came unprepared.  Asking student to explain in their own word is my golden rule to capture misconceptions and "grade" understanding - I think it was Einstein who said if you can't explain it in simple words you do not understand it.  I could improve my teaching by making use of power points presentations. AO van Niekerk

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If you want to have a successful lesson you need to plan. With online teaching it is one of the most important parts of teaching. If you planned the lesson you can present it with out reading, putting emphasis on the right places. You can use different techniques like animation, videos. You can structure the lesson that it starts a activity that will hook their attention and then you can start with knowledge your students knows. Using it to discover new things. One must get the students interested and hold their attention, with interaction. If there is no interaction they can be busy with something else, while you are teaching online. Ask questions like: What will happen ? Ask them to explain concepts , do an experiment, because then you know what they really know. Give them tasks to complete and with that knowledge they can may be play a game or compete against the other students.  That will also help you as teacher to understand what they didn't understand or what you didn't explained well. The sessions must not be to long, because most people can't concentrate for hours with out breaks. Keep it simple. Use the full working memory.  Build concepts step by step. Make sure there is not a lot of unimportant info. Make sure it is structured. Let students test their knowledge with different task that will be a challenge.  People can mislead themselves by thinking they have all the knowledge they need. Give activities or games to help them see if they really know, if not ask again for more help or other wise it can build their confidence.  Think like a student. R v d Lingen

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In the past, when I wasnt too prepared for class, I would read and attempt to explain what I have just read. But truth be told learners are well capable of reading if they want to read. Now I know better and make it a point to know my learners in order to prepare for the specific learners I teach. the lesson has to be engaging and forcing learners to think from its introduction. the introduction that requires learners to think about what they already know and attempt to solve the problem presented to them. there needs to be a clear outcome for the lesson, for example knowing how to power the light bulb using a battery and a wire. it shouldnt just be an electricity lesson that learners have not idea where they can apply it. When there is an inquiry made on the learners, every information during the learning process becomes a link to what they already know and building of new information that will get them closer to answering the inquiry. at the end of the lesson deep learning has taken place, new knowledge has been developed, and most importantly this new knowledge can be applied to everyday scenarios. I have sat in meetings where we were provided with hard copy of a power-point presentation as well as being displayed on a screen. it becomes very tiring if that presentation is read to us word for word. it is not an engaging meeting, in the process one might miss important information because of not being actively involved in the meeting. the meeting doesnt require you to think or analyse anything you just want it over so you can go home. I believe this is exactly how our learners feel when we read to them and not speak to them. Suzan Thupane

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Students / learners at most times they are taught and the theory of bulb ,battery and wire to them its possible because they never experiment it , therefore theory is not an effective method of teaching. Learners need the knowledge of  components  facilitating light , identify the ability to produce light ,perform an experiment and analyses / critically evaluate their experiment to find why their hypothesis failed

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Engaging this content allowed me the opportunity to reflect on how I teach my learners and how some times they struggle to understand different concepts even after differentiation in my teaching methods have been applied. Understanding now how learning happens in the working memory will afford me the opportunity to choose interventions that are aligned more actively, more intentionally ,with a purpose and  more constructively.  Introducing concepts by using diagrams  but not to exclude text complete but rather to find the balance between text and diagrams so that less distractions are available and more effective learning occurs during lessons. Now that one understand the selective attention test and the monkey business illusion, one should be more sensitive when planning lessons assuming that something's that are obvious to you as a teacher  is not always obvious to learners. Q Hugo

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The moment someone reads when addressing an audience, that is when my concentration stops.  When someone speaks when addressing an audience it shows that this person has the confidence and knowledge of the subject he is talking about.  Speaking allows a person to interact with the listener and that the speaker is open for interactive communication. Teaching is difficult when a teacher assumes that the learners understand a certain topic.  The teacher has to help the learners to interconnect between prior knowledge and grasping a new concept.  Through using your voice, facial expressions and the tone of your voice, you can keep the learners attention and help them to understand a new concept that is taught.  J Richter

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I have been in meetings/ courses and talks where the facilitator reads only, from either the presentation slides or piece of paper. Reading does not allow for open discussions like speaking does. When speaking during a class, it allows for open communication and discussions between the teacher and learners during a lesson. Learners have the ability and opportunity to ask question whereby the teacher can aid them in coming to a conclusion or to explain a topic better. Teachers often times assume that learners already understand a topic because it seems so logical to a teacher.  With speaking any of these assumptions and misunderstandings can be ironed out, Speaking rather than reading not only engages ones audience but allows for different tones to be used and gives off more confidence and that the facilitator knows what he/she is talking about. Speaking rather than reading off a script online, portrays that confidence and captures the audience. Learners will be more likely to watch a video and engage in an online lesson. S.Otto

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I usually have the textbook closed in front of me with a piece of paper on top with just most important topics and sub topics written down so I know what I need to speak about and I speak to them. But I could make use of more imagery when teaching to help the students who are right brain orientated understand the work through pictures and imagery. I have noticed in lectures while I was on campus what one of my lecturers would do is have on slide with the image on and explain using the image and the following slide with written words as a summary of his explanation which appealed to both right and left brain orientated students in the lectures and that also helped majority of the class pay attention. - Chenelle Salley

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Busani. at times teachers assume that after teaching their learners , the learners would grasp the concepts taught, and yet that may not always be the case

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@Charmaine I usually ask my learners to pre-read content before coming to class; which they don't do. I talk a lot reading is just not possible during a lesson, because i assume they've read the material, so I just explain the topic and link it to things around them as much so they can understand better. But it does not always yield effective learning especially for slower learning students. When I'm going to teach a new concept I encourage them to read the content and tell them that I am going to pick a few of them to present to the rest of the class. This way I get to discuss the content easy knowing that they might have read out of fear that they might be asked to present. After explaining or discussing the content only then do I assign two or three to present certain parts of the lesson.

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JD Cordier... The biggest question of all is focused on the learner AND the teacher. If the teacher and the learner have the same goal(s) to relevant knowledge in a lesson, no matter what happens, learning will take place. But to improve on that, the teacher must have a goal to the lesson and so too does the learner. The better the teacher prepares a lesson, looks the part, sounds confident in what is being taught and using good vocalization, the learners will in part, begin trusting in what the lesson brings and in the future lessons to come will start learning better. Very important as well is that the teacher bring about a good atmosphere in the class where the learners are engaged and almost forced to think to learn.

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@Thaele. I mostly feel like i am crazy when i am teaching my learners. Reading is quiet not my style and I though i am failing them. I always felt it important not to always read but to speak the knowledge. Learners can connect to the content when it is spoken but not read. It is also easy to vary tone when speaking than reading through a text. I agree with comments made by colleagues in here that, a tone plays a vital role in a lesson presentation. Using different tones helps to motivate learning and helps the teacher to reach almost all the learners. It is important as a teacher, to wonder about the mood of the classroom, to be able to at least be understood by all learners even not at once. The movie is important in a sense that it shows how students relate prior knowledge and the knew one. If a student can do so, it becomes easy to them to believe that they know or can do somethings that is been asked.

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The movie is a good illustration of how connection between concepts can lead to misunderstanding of conepts. Graduates from a prestifious instution like MIT are stryggling with a basic concept. During my lessons I avoid reading at all cost, by first aquinting my self with the content of what Im going to teach so that i can explain it in my own words. When you talk to your audience, you connect and grasp their attention and its easy to vary your tone as you ellaborate on important topics. Most of the presentations one attends, presenters will give out pamphlets and handouts, and read from these documents. The audience loses interest in the presenter and starts reading from the documents discussing amongst themselves. Most of the times I use words in my teaching, spoken and written and give activities with images. There is room for improvement when it comes to imaging and visual stimulation. This is where one must improve by making posters, and using apps like power point....TW Mokoena

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Henriëtte Botha:  People who present in monotonous tones tends to put everyone in the audience to sleep. There are people who struggle to vary their tones (that's just the way they speak), so for many it's a skill that has to be learned. I think it's good that learners have to do what they say - like how if you answered you can light a lightbulb, then they actually had to demonstrate it. It also has a connection with the type of questions we ask. A lot of times, when learners are given the option between A and B, and the teacher ask who chooses A, learners raise their hands. The moment the teacher asks why the learners chose A, they tend to change their answer to B.  A lot of learners (grownups included) believes that if you have to explain/demonstrate your answer, then it's incorrect.

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I Eksteen: I have asked myself countless times why you get the most knowledgeable person but it seems like they can't explain something. You come to the conclusion 'They are to clever to explain'. Think about this it's actually all about breaking concepts down. You have be able to get learners interest in the beginning of the lesson, and with careful planning you will be able to do that. Linking the topic to prior knowledge or applying it to something practical in today's life. Activating the working memory by not only talking but using images, simulations, keywords ect. All of these things are just as important with online teaching and it is possible to apply all these principles online.

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By BEDIAKO, A. I fully agree with Clausanne's submission. The failure of learners to understand the basics in any subject could be attributed to many factors but linking prior knowledge to the current content seems to be a main factor. This is because learners learn from the known to the unknown and if educators fail to maximize that, the chance of the learner understanding the new content diminishes. More importantly, some teachers keep telling learners to "keep quiet, stop the noise", etc., failing to recognize the a change in the tone of voice could have put the class back on track instead of the constant yelling. Sometimes, all that learners need to stay focused is the teacher's visual signals or a frequent change in the tone of the voice. However, interconnecting learners' experiences may need lots of active involvement of the learners themselves. In that case, the learners assume responsibility for their own concepts and make them durable. For online situations, since the teacher only has virtual contact with the learners, the best thing to do would be to ask the learners as many questions as possible so as to activate their prior learning to the new concepts.

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By M Bloem: Teachers sometimes forget about the link between prior and new information.  Teachers assume that learners have the prior knowledge to aid them in gaining the new knowlegde and neglect to check wether they have that knowledge or not. Teachers are often not comfortable with the content of a subject due to the circumstance, where they are giving a subject that is not in their field of specialty. This sometimes happen more often that suspected. Learners learn and remember more when they are actively engaged with the material and the teaching of a new concept. When a teacher is comfortable with the content and left to interpret their own spin on teaching, learners will learn more because when the teacher is inspired ro do more, the learners are also inspired to work harder to prove themselves to the teacher. When you are comfortable your tone of your voice will vary and you will teach with much more effort than before and instead of reading you will teach to your fullest potential

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Irini Moutzouris: I think learners will view you as their educator as credible if you are familiar with the content you are teaching and can discuss it without simply reading it. A colleague above mentioned how you need to master the content before you can teach it and I agree with that statement. Only once you as the educator truly understand your content can you experiment with ways in which to teach it that will not only require learners to access their prior knowledge, but to use the new knowledge they have gained in their every day lives and to see the relevance and importance of it and be able to apply that knowledge. A large part of deep learning requires the students to engage with the knowledge and if we as educators read the work out to our students in a monotonous tone, we are not allowing them the opportunity to engage with the new content being taught and to build on their prior knowledge. Personally, I try to speak and discuss topics by asking probing questions and keeping the learners involved through interactive activities. It isn't always easy, but I believe with more effort in the preparation of the lesson, it can be done. That is something I would like to put more effort into myself. It's a little more tricky when it comes to online learning. But I believe discussion forums, videos and activities can facilitate deep learning. It is just important to make sure all learners have access to the required resources.

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by T-Banda. with enough preparation a teacher become familiar with content. this also encourage learners when they see and feel confidence of teacher to the knowledge. speaking and being able to emphasis important aspects of the lesson and raving different tone make lesson dramatic and interesting. making communication more effective. tone changing its very important when giving a class

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Ntee Mphanya - I find it very boring when a facilitator reads what he prepared himself. Sometimes this leads me to think that he is not familiar with what he is  presenting. Speaking about the presentation shows confidence and much deeper knowledge about the topic. Most of the times speaking more than reading increases chances of being holding your listeners' attention far better than reading to them. Speaking allows for active engagement and use of non-verbal communication to enhance learning, it also allows the teacher to move around and thus make his presence felt. This will further give him a chance to use different tones as he will be aware that his position in class necessitate the change of volume of voice.

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This is one of the most important issues to me. You need to master a subject matter and not just 'know' it. A pilot can't sit in cockpit and read in his textbook how to "make the plane fly", a surgeon can't stand in front of an open body and google what to do next. In order to know if you fully grasp something you need to be able to master it. And this takes time and practice! So a classroom isn't just a teacher standing in front, reading from the textbook or slides. It is an engaging environment of learning and mastering skills. This is also one of the pitfalls for teaching science online. Yes, the theoretical work can be done through presentations and videos, and some component of practical work can be done through simulations. However, to fully master something such as chemistry, one needs to be in a lab and make the mistakes and see before your own eyes what happens when you combine two things. Here touching, smelling and tasting are just as important as theory. It is also with the practical aspect that the real connection is made between previous knowledge and something you where just taught. Clausanne

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I have been in presentations where whole presentation was read. With better preparation we as teachers can avoid taking our learners through that experience. I agree that variation of tone and pace go a long way in keeping/maintaining learner concentration levels. One of the colleagues' comment refers to  "failure to reactivate learners' prior knowledge" and how it can hinder learning. It is clear that these facts cannot be overlooked in preparing material that can be remembered and understood. Molatoli JJM (Jerry)

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Teachers sometimes assume that learners know something without verifying that assumption. Teachers could pose many questions that allow learners to display their prior knowledge before adding any new content. Failure to reactivate learners' prior experiences could cause a break of the link between the known to unknown.

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There is an important role a tone variation can play in teaching, learners will be able to switch on/off from the learnt knowledge in relation to the  application of practical skills learnt prior.

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Students can have a lot of knowledge without the ability to apply that knowledge to the real world.  That knowledge is then not linked to the knowledge they already have.