Jon,
The more of these types of examples the better. Real life examples reinforce the content being shared and increases the engagement of students because they can see the value of the content through the examples.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I try to use "real-life" situations. As many out-of-class settings that put the students learningability at a higher level, and gives them "real-world" application.
Jane,
I have learned a lot from cell phones during my teaching. I have learned they annoy me and that I don't want them used while we are in class. Good point, thanks for making it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have never really thought of cell phones as a learning tool. Thanks.
Lydie,
This is an important ability to have since each class changes and that requires adjustments in how content is presented and student interaction conducted.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
INSTRUCTIONAL STYLES CAN BE ADJUSTED DEPENDING ON STUDENT'S ENGAGEMENT AND MOTIVATION TO MEET THEIR LEARNING NEEDS.
Regularly assess instructional style based on student evaluations and consult professional development resources to make improvements where needed
Joseph,
This is a good point because as you mention classes take on a personality of their own and it is up to us as instructors to adapt to their needs and provide instruction that engages them. I teach 5 sections of the same course and each one is unique and thus I plan for five different courses if you will. The result is that I never get bored teaching the same content since it is done in different ways.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Knowing students is a prevalent comment for this thread, and this is certainly important. I've taught identical courses with sections that demand different approaches. For example, a few terms back, I had one class of introverts who would not participate. In order to get them active, I often had to break them into small groups and use small group discussion as a springboard into large class discussion.
I think part of this involves having some sense of reading the room. I adjust my style depending upon the situation. Sometimes I need to lecture for a bit, but other times, I need to pull back and let students take an active role. For example, in teaching grammar, I've found it more effective to write a series of sentences on the board and ask small teams of students to write the rules that they see. We then talk about what the rules are. This, it seems, is a strategy that calls for active learning. Instead of giving them a slew of boring power point slides, I like to make students the active agents of their learning.
Kevin Paul,
These are things we all need to be concerned about and aware of so we make sure we are good role models for our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I could probably think more about how I am dressed and how I present the material. Do I stand, sit, use my hands, speak loud or soft.
Jon-Paul,
What are some examples of how you introduce this style to your students?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I am a constructivist, learning is adaptive and determined by the learner
Bonnie,
This is a great way to get everyone engaged and become part of the learning process. Thank you for sharing this strategy with us.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have seen the polleverywhere.com demonstrated at a Teaching and Learning conference. It seem to get everyone's attention and we had fun using this avenue. I feel that this would be an excellent way to engage students because of the high interest they possess in technology and social media. I feel this meets them "where they are", so to speak and communicates on their level. It seems that everyone has a phone so it is a tool that is easily accessible.
I think that is a great idea, but tell me, how do you do that on the first day? Do you administer learning-style test to each student? Since there are four learning styles, I try to cover all the bases. But I would love to know how you do it.
Sandy
Matt,
You have set out a good professional development plan for yourself. Observing other instructors is a great way to get new ideas and then incorporate them into your own instructional style.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Dominick,
These experiences when shared help to reinforce the value of the content to students. They show the relevance and application for students and this increases their ROI for the course. Keep up the sharing!
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find that auditing other courses and/or co-teaching with more experienced instructors to be very helpful. Additionally, I try to pay close attention to the engagement level of my students. If they start to drift, fidget, etc. I ask myself why, what happened? I try to contrast that day's lesson with more successful/engaging days.
I believe that my instructional style incorporates my field experience I have gained through working in the Federal Prison System. I love to include experiences within the classroom so students understand the criminal justice system and how it really operates.
