How can you use guest speakers to bring diverse perspectives into your classroom?

Guest speakers bridge the gap between the school and its immediate community. They bring in a wealth of experience from their respective fields, by incorporating diverse cultural perspectives into the classroom, thereby connecting the classroom to the rest of the community. These are supposed to be specialists in their respective fields, so the classroom is in direct contact with real life situations, they are able to ask questions and receive answers through application

Guest speakers can add amazing value to the student learning experience. But there are a few key bases that need to be covered off if you want to make sure this is the case. 1. Be crystal clear with students how this person's knowledge and experience connects to their own learning journey. 2. Be crystal clear with guest speakers with regards to what your ask of them is. Content, style, delivery mode and duration should always be agreed in advance...and stuck to! 3. Properly open and close the session, explaining what will happen and what the value is and how students might wish to use it. As I said, guest speakers can have an incredible impact on student learning if the opportunity is used to its maximum potential.

It is often helpful to narrow in on what perspective you want to hear (manager vs employee, man vs women, provider vs patient, etc) and try to offer people who understand the lived experiences of all who might be in your classroom. It makes for much more interesting discussions and gets some students out of their shell who wouldn't have otherwise.

An easy way would be to think of topics that you would like to include, but are unable to because you lack the expertise and knowhow. That would help to focus your search for a particular guest speaker. Networks and relationships are helpful in finding guest speakers as well!

At our school, before every unit begins, we organize a collaborative meeting with parents to discuss the theme and the possible suggestions they would like to contribute towards realizing the expected learning outcome. This has paved way in identifying guest speakers who they know or themselves willing to share their expertise and also suggest places known to them which would give students the best learning experience.

Many of the guest speakers that I have used were alumni of the school. The alumni are very happy to give back to the school community by sharing their knowledge and experiences. The students benefit because they learn what they could do in the future and how they can be speakers one day too. Other guest speakers have been family members of the students. For example, I had a speaker who was the uncle of one of my students. He is a chemical engineer, and he made his presentation over Skype.

One of the best speaker sessions I ever organised was a history one: parents and teachers came to speak to the students about their experience of learning history. The difference between how history is seen between Leicester, Sydney, Mumbai and Berlin was the best introduction to historical perspectives I ever held.

Hi All, it depends on the forum you would speakers who are qualified and experienced in their fields of practice and work. I have been a guest lectures in many leading Business schools both in India and Overseas. I share my experience in Implemenation of Digital Transformation projects across Inudstries and geo's. Linkdyn is a very source for getting genuine business contacts who have the desired professional levels.

I think the best way is to build upon those family connections in your class. Setting up a space where passions can be shared with the learners in the class to give a different perspective to the learning process. For example, we have been very fortunate to have parents passionate about environmental education and making it accessible to the kids by coming to class and modelling lessons for the teachers and sharing their experiences.

Finding suitable resource people is challenging. But some important things like saving a data base of the guest speakers who have already come to our institution or identifying parents who would be willing to be part of academic activity in school would be of great help. This can be done in the beginning of the academic year and followed through.

It is essential that a guest has a good understanding not only of the context of their visit to the students, but also an appreciation for the level of prior learning as well as some anticipated responses to their interactions. As a facilitating teacher here, we are moderating both presenters and audience to maximise the experience for all.

Now that many classrooms are optimized for video interaction, a new world has been opened up for bringing in guest speakers. If you have chosen a speaker who would not normally have been available because of distance (we recently hosted an officer of a national trade organization from across the country), it's important to have preliminary discussions about the technology. Particularly, how will students access any material that is presented? Will the speaker be able to, for instance, share their screen so that they can use a PowerPoint presentation or so that they can give the students a tour of an internet site? Most speakers are nervous and will be grateful for a dry run in advance of class to relieve any trepidation about technology.

If you know the speaker well enough, and have already built a certain rapport with your students, dare to experiment! If both are well-prepared as to the topics and learning objectives of this guest "lecture", and the speaker is truly well-versed in the topic(s), perhaps you could forgo any formal presentations, and allow for a natural dialogue to unfold. Incentivize students to ask questions in whatever way fits your course.

The guest speakers are not professional teachers. For example in accounting courses, a professional accountant may be invited to make the students familiar with the accounting softwares. But the course teacher should prepare him how to involve the students during his presentation. The question of the students should be entertained after the delivery or presentation. The result of inviting a guest speaker immensely depends on how he is guided by the course teacher.

Encourage interactive sessions rather than just traditional lectures. This could involve Q&A sessions, panel discussions, or small group activities. This engagement allows students to actively participate in the learning process.

There is a perception that the students of business are greatly benefited from guest speakers. The practice of inviting guest speakers will achieve its goals if the guest speakers and the students as well are properly prepared to be supportive to each other. The role of the course teacher is to act as a guide both for the students and the guest speakers.

Yes, students need to know everything about the guest lecture. They have to be psychologically, emotionally, physically, and mentally prepared for the lecture so that they can learn something substantial from the guest speaker

Students preparation plays a pivotal role in maximizing the educational benefits derived from guest speaker engagements by fostering active engagement, critical inquiry, and knowledge application. By integrating comprehensive preparatory measures encompassing speaker introduction, knowledge activation, behavioral expectations, and post-engagement activities, educators can optimize the learning outcomes of guest speaker interactions and empower students to develop essential skills and competencies conducive to academic and professional success.

I think it’s important that the students have some background around the speaker. Understanding the context and perspective from which they are speaking from results in a richer experience for the audience. Having a biography, website or pre visits videos from the speaker builds the excitement around the visit and connection.

I try to create some hype - these are industry leaders and generally extremely busy. So it's a unique and valuable opportunity that few students experience. Students also need to clearly recognise the purpose of the guest lecture. How does this relate to their professional journey? What insights and value can they expect? A brief introduction to the topic or content, a week before the guest lecture, allows students to prepare questions. This will make the lecture more of a discussion, making it more engaging for students and our guest lecturer (hopefully they enjoy and come back every semester).

The success of the practice of inviting guest speakers truly depends on mutual respect of the interactive group. The course teacher will bridge the gap between the students and the guest speakers.

In my experience, guest speakers bring immense value and give students a different perspective. Making sure the session is maximized would also need some prior preparation. When you select the guest speaker, you will also know the expertise the person brings in. Link it with the subject taught and what more you want your students to learn about—do a bit of homework yourself and frame questions—so the session is interactive and lively.

É fundamental que o convidado tenha domínio do assunto a ser explanado e tenha "fit" com o público nonqie diz respeito à metodologia . Desta forma o impacto será mais estratégico e o compartilhamento melhor aproveitado por todos.

As a guest speaker for UCD Innovation Academy I bring in real time my learnings in business ..what can work , what to look out for , when to let go etc. There isn't a book to match it!!Feedback has been terrific.

Gather feedback from both students and the guest speakers to evaluate the effectiveness of the session. Use this information to refine your approach for future guest speakers.

Si partimos de que siempre hay más de una forma de ver las cosas, el tener speakers diferentes durante una formación tiene un impacto muy positivo en los procesos de capacitación. Los participantes se enriquecen de más de una postura y agregan otro tipo de herramientas. La diversidad siempre suma. En Dipe estamos corriendo actualmente una formación en ventas consultivas y en cada módulo traemos a un experto que profundiza sobre los temas desde una perspectiva diferente o una postura que sabemos que para los participantes puede ser desafiante. Esas pláticas han sido de lo que más les ha gustado y han sido un complemento ideal para la formación.

It is a refreshing experience for the students to meet an actual practitioner who can add some interesting and practical insights from the industry. Experiences consisting of how to handle the practical problems will enlighten and prepare the students for the practical world. It is good to tie up an assignment with such a guest lecture.

Students may struggle to come up with questions on the spot so tell them in advance to know a guest speaker is coming and what their background and expertise is so they are able to ask good quality questions direct.

Vet the speaker. Watch their previous talks. If they aren’t dynamic in some way, then don’t bring them in. There’s nothing worse than a boring speaker that doesn’t give your students at least one nugget they remember. Then it’s just a wasted learning opportunity.

Guest speakers can contribute to by providing real-world experiences and cultural backgrounds, raising cultural sensitivity, and serving as role models for students. Additionally, by fostering empathy and multicultural thinking, by sharing their unique experiences and insights; by providinge insights and expertise from diverse backgrounds, enhancing the incorporation of different perspectives in classes. it has been shown that guest speakers, can bring about various learning outcomes for students, including outcomes, personal outcomes, and resistance . Simply said: guest speakers connect academia and community.

I’ve been a guest speaker at high schools . When invited I reach out to the teacher to find out the purpose and objectives for my presentation. I follow the plan, being careful to entertain, educate, and present from an unbiased perspective. I want the students to understood that life has possibilities for all people regardless of their differences.

It's always good to start with the why. If you have a clear purpose for the visit, not just to fill in time or tick a box, a guest speaker is invaluable. I have invited speakers into my classroom, but I have carefully selected the when. Its important to make sure they are engaging, relevant and come recommended.