Hi Mary:
The use of your portal opens a lot of varied options for your students. Although a bit time consuming at first, the addition of narrarated slides is a great example of using mutiple senses using existing resources.One caution, because it's a one way type of presentation, students will sometimes get a bit tired of the same voice without the nability to interact. A blended course or presentation would make a lot for a great course. The other media you listed is great - more variety leads to better attention and retention of needed information.
Regards, Barry
Hi Gregg:
Really, there are probably a gazillion methods that could be incorporated into a lesson and student study time that would assist learning with emphasis on sensory stimulation. When these techniques are employed, we end up with improved retention of information, transfer from short to long-term memory, and perhaps, better prepared students.
Regards, Barry
At my institution we have a portal site available for every class where we can engage with students online in addition to office hours and class time. I am investigating using PowerPoint slides with recorded explanations to combine auditory and visual learning. I use many hands-on activities, instructor-led labs, and occasional videos where appropriate to engage different senses in learning.
Hi Kevin:
Culinary is unique in that senses are intimately required in many if not most of the lessons. Still, it demonstrates the importance of how using the sense can be effective in the learning process.
Regards, Barry
Hi Dixie:
Using senses in learning can mean not just what the teacher does to present, but also how the student learns in their preparation, study, and interaction with classmates. For instance, suppose a student spends 30-45 minutes studying, then reelaxes with a reward of a small meal or a treat? Then repeat that experience. Or, on a cold day, wrap up in a nice snuggly blanket while reading or using the computer (ooh, the feel of beeing all tucked in!). Anyway, although these example may not work for everyone in every case. My point is that evry stimulus (sense) that be added to the learning and studying process is bound to have a productive outcome.
Regards, Barry
Some of the vocabulary can be put to music which involves nearly all of the senses. It breaks up the monotony for learning difficult medical terms. Having multimedia presentations such as with a well developed PowerPoint which includes graphics, animations, and sounds are good for keeping the students attention from wandering. Another sense that can change the pace of the class is touching realia. What does a stethescope feel like? How should the pulse feel when felt properly? Hands on is wonderful for getting the students involved! Then we're back to the student-centered learning environment again.
In a culinary school all of your senses are fully engaged for learning. One simple example is to have a student really on both their sense of sight and sound while sautéing.
That interplay of listening and adapting is certainly applicable for communication skills classes. Now if I can just figure out how to get my students to smell and taste successful verbal communication....
Hi Gail:
Great example of an application where senses in the classroom are essential. Another use of senses is when students learn, getting them to use their senses to retain information can be helpful. Examples: Re-writing their notes; reading their notes aloud; recording themselves reading their notes; enjoying a favorite beverage while studying.
I would imagine handling instruments would be component in your curriculum. Skill labs or just time for practice handling, feeling, pick-up/lay-down repititions might help develop fine and gross motor movement. Basically, the more senses involeved in teaching and studying contribute to improved retention of information.
Regards, Barry
Hi Johnna:
Great. The more active and engaged the students are in their own learning, the better they will remember, retain, and use in their profession.
Regards, Barry
In our environment as Surgical Technologists we need to use sight, sound, smell,and hearing and use it circumfrentially. We cannot always be looking at or towards the words being spoken or that sound that is a little off, but it must be in our "focus" nonetheless. This is what I try to convey to my students. We wear masks, which muffle sound, so we must be articulate and enunciate in order to be understood. Without going into so much detail we practice and wear masks all the time in lab. We try to get underway with our task while their is alot of activity else in the room. Training my students to be atuned to the whole environment and respond accordingly. Repetition is key here, keep the focus on the fact we are limited but our other senses need to be heightened. Much of this can be explained that as a blind man develpos his other senses to compensate for his lack of sight.
Gail Marvin
As a Chef Instructor it is important that my students use all the senses while learning. During the cooking process most people believe that only, sight, smell, touch and taste are used. I like to teach my students that the use of listening is just as important. A simple example is listening to a product when it is placed in a hot pan, with oil or fat heated to the right temperature or the wrong temperature. I purposly show my students the difference to put emphasis on the use of all of the senses.
I make sure to have the students participate by coming to the front of the room and doing "show and tell" with different things we are going over in Anatomy.
Hi Rick:
Students can use multiple senses in their study as well. For example: Writing and rewriting notes; summarizing notes to index cards, reading aloud from index cards, recording themselves reading notes; playing back and listening to themselves. Seems like a lot of time but once started it's really not that much extra time. But the results are quite beneficial. Retention successfulnes is related to repitition.
Regards, Barry
i use the powerpoint, white board, pass out training aids, and use some noise diagnostics as well. seems to be well rounded sensory usage.
Hi Erik:
I think the examples you give are graet, and I believe they are applicale to most classroom situations. Variety in media choices keeps interest and facilitates retention of needed information.
Regards, Barry
In what I feel are my best presentations, I try to engage students in as many ways as possible. I would start out with a verbal "quiz" and have the students question their perception of the topic. Then move onto a ppt. presentation, then I would bring out the physical examples and relate the subject to real world experiences. And I would finish with the application of the knowledge to a project.
All the while stopping and asking if any one had a question, getting a bit more specific on the white board, and re-enforcing key points with notes.
Lucky for me, all this is possible when you teach in the graphic design field...although for us, the sense of smell, and taste usually don't work into our favor (although I have had a few paste eaters).
:)
Hi Kym:
Be a facilitator. Have your student engaged in many aspects of job interviews, meeting people, etc. Maybe you can create intentional conflict situations and have the students watch their classmates deal with it. Then discuss the "performance".
Emphasize voice tones or yelling (sound), body language (sight), arguments for and against (critical thinking). I'm sure if you put some thought into it and examined your learning objectives, you could come up with great teaching examples that invlove the senses.
Regards, Barry
Hi Kym:
A whole other aspect of using senses is integrating the senses to facilitate learning and retention of information. Point: A cooking class. Smell the ingredients; hear the sound of boiling, sizzling, simmering; look at the color of the fruit or the the appetizing way the plate is set up; etc. In a cooking class, senses are very obvious. The point is that the more senses we can invlove in the learning process, the better the retention. So, maybe recorded mock interviews; how do you sound; look for cues about body language that is positive or negative. That sort of thing.
Regards, Barry
This is what I am trying to figure out in my Academic and Professional Success class. I will try to use touch somehow. The only exercise I use now that includes touch is a hand-shaking exercise where they have to shake 5 hands and introduce themselves in the process.
