Class Act: Teaching: Pace

You are feeling the pressure to get through as much of the required course material as quickly as possible. In your rush to cover the material you talk rapidly, move quickly through overheads, and hold class questions to a minimum.

You are presenting new concepts and new vocabulary so quickly that the interpreter or captionist is frequently asking you to repeat information so that he/she can catch up.

Although you are not aware of it until later, often the interpreter or captionist finds himself/herself in the situation of conveying just the core of the information presented; the interpreter or captionist does not have time to signal the deaf and hard-of-hearing students when there is a change of topic because the information is being presented at such a rapid pace.

NOTE: The handout at the left provides you with strategies you can use to slow the pace of your instruction and reduce the amount of material you cover in class.

Interviews with faculty have found that new faculty members feel more pressure to cover a significant quantity of material in each class whereas more senior faculty are selective of the concepts to be covered in class and present those concepts in more depth.

NOTE: The handout at the left provides you with an in-class evaluation form you can use later in the term to obtain feedback from students on whether or not your strategies for slowing the pace are successful

Suggestions for strategies you can use if you believe your pace is too fast to follow.

Slow down. We know it’s tough, but you should be aware that the rapid pace of instruction was one of the top areas of concern by deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students in responses to a recent survey.
If you are presenting the material at a fast pace, and you know it, slow down; if you have never thought that the pace was too rapid, reconsider this as a possibility.
Rethink – and reduce -- the material that needs to be covered in class. Present additional material in alternate formats such as in homework assignments, as part of a required group project, as a reading assignment, or as an online learning activity.
When you are presenting material in class, provide pacing clues by clearly indicating when you are changing topics. Verbally indicate that the topic is changing, pause, point to a new line in the overhead, draw a line on the board, etc.
Check with the interpreter or captionist if present or with hard-of hearing students who may not have an interpreter or captionist, to make sure that they are able to keep up with the lecture.
Write important words and formulas on an overhead or the board. Do not speak until the words or formulas are completely written. Use this method to force you to slow the pace of the lecture. If an overhead is prepared, provide students – and interpreter, captionist, and notetaker if present – with a copy.