Hi Jeremy,
This is a great way to expand your instructional delivery options. By talking with other instructors as I am sure you already know you all can share what does and does not work and then you can go from there with your own instructional delivery planning.
Gary
I like the idea of constantly researching topics. The concept of being a lifelong learner is important, and I believe leads to higher quality instruction.
I enjoy and find value in observing other instructors. In doing so, I learn new approaches and methods. Every instructor I have observed has provided me with at least one new insight into the teaching process.
Fellow instructors and I get together a couple times per month to discuss recent successes and failures in our classes and how we dealt with recent challenges.
Hi Barry,
Great way to develop both respect and rapport with your students. The fact you have worked through coping with learning disabilities sets you up in a great position to support student learning efforts. They know you know what many of them are going through and that creates a powerful connection for both parties.
Gary
Hi William,
One way with bigger classes is to offer instruction in the four different learning preference areas at different times throughout the course. This way students can learn to learn in other preference areas as well as have the comfort of knowing that parts of the course will be offered in their preference mode.
Gary
I try to find a way to connect with each of my students and to there learning styles during lectures and demonstrations. This way I am connecting with them and there is less confusion and I come off to be very focused on their needs. At the same time meeting the requirements of the materials being covered.
Because I have two learning disabilities, I suppose I can identify with students who don't learn as quickly or easily as others. I have found sometimes that if I play the student, and they play the professor in a form of role play it helps me not only to see their perspective, but also which topics they may be having the most difficulty with. I also offer them the opportunity to disucss these ideas in a public forum to get further input from the class -- if they agree, they normally benefit greatly.
how do you accommodate all the learning styles of your students?
Prepare better lesson plans, know the material, interact with students, speak confidently, maintain control of classroom environment
Every class is different so every approach should vary by the class but, if you enjoy your field it's simple to reflect that in the classroom and actually be engaging in your classroom discussion. Staying current on trends should be second nature and discussions on these trends should be easy to discuss with an interested student. My style is simply to enjoy what I do and how I teach, this style and attitude is infectious.
Get the students engaged in the discussion, make it fun for them. After a reading assignment, give the students a reality check quiz. They must answer a 10 question T or F quiz, to see if they really did read the assignment and if they understood…
In my restaurant operations class, students are often nervous about communicting with, and serving guests; as a class we will dissect the menu to instill confidence and expertise. In this way, the student / server is armed with knowledge of a topic they love; food.
I call this programing; the student is pre-programed with information or having practiced a skill before presenting in public.
Hi Robert,
Thank you for sharing how you keep your students involved in current events in relation to your subject matter. They need to be helped to see application and relevancy to what they are learning.
Gary
Hi Travis,
This is a great way to show your students the connection between the classroom and the world they are going to soon enter. The more application and relevancy they can see easier their transition is going to be into their careers.
Gary
I have been keeping up to date with issues that have been taking place in our world today and discussing this in class. Examples of this have been the congresswoman shooting in Arizona and the current crisis in Egypt. I believe this gets the students more involved in what is happening in the world, as well creating discussion in the classroom.
I monitor other instructors to determine theie instructional styles and evaluate which styles are more effective for the type of students aattending my classes.
I tell my students about past practical applications of current topics being discussed.
I do the same as well. Being I'm an IT instructor, I like to keep up to date with the current events and relay that information to the students to keep them knowledgeable. On more than once occasion, some students were like "get out, really?" when it came to some of the current trends and topics that were in the headlines. It makes them more knowledgeable and helps them understand the importance of trying to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to new trends.
Subscribing to educational magazine/journals that discuss new teaching techniques, attend in-services, and research teaching styles to gain additional information and techniques to implement in the classroom. You can also speak to other experienced instructors to gain insight into techniques that have and have not worked with students.
