Varied Instructional Delivery keeps the students engaged. With adults only have a maximum of 18 minutes of attention span, varying the ways of delivery course content is key. I personally am a person who learns by "doing". I will be teaching at a career college, so this type of instruction will be my most common way instructing.
Varied methods are needed due to the different ways individuals learn. At my previous school, we would have all incoming freshman take the Learning Styles Analysis. This would give us a better understanding of the students we were dealing with, and allowed us to introduce additional methods of instruction in addition to the traditional lecture format.
Jeff
Because students learn from various methods you need to be able to reach everyone. So being prepared ahead of time allows for the class to run smoothly as well as have all students in engaged
Offering a variety of instructional delivery methods allows the instructor to reach more students. We all understand that student learning styles vary and it is important to employ visual, auditory, and tactile skills to ensure learning takes place.
Chloe,
Good point about alternative delivery forms. This is how instructors keep students engaged and appeal to their different learning preferences.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Nazanin,
In order to engage students there needs to be variety of delivery and change of pace in the flow of the class. Your comments reflect how this can be done and why they are effective. Good points.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think it's important not only to meet students' learning needs, but also to communicate the material in different ways. For example, one concept might make more sense to teach in a lecture, while another concept might be best taught through a written exercise.
Repeating the same things over and over again in the same manner and the same method is a waste of time. If anything is to be stressed and focused on, it should be delivered via different methods. A good instructor needs to make sure that with each method of delivery he/she is getting through and reaching out to at least part of the class. If the instructor offers enough variety of instructional methods then it can be assured that the class as a whole has retained the knowledge.
Virginia,
Learners like variety and change of pace and if they have both then they will be engaged at a much higher level and for longer periods of time.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Offering Varied Instruction Delivery is important because every student/patient is different and have different situations or challenges they need help with. I use my personal experiences with students/patients to help them to think, work and address the areas they are having difficulty with.
Dorothy,
Students like variety and change of pace in their learning process. The more instructors can do this the more engaged their students are going to be. Also, you make a good point about needing to be flexible because it seems every class meeting something comes up that requires a redirection of the instructional plan.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You have some student's that are hands on and some that are visual so working in the instructional field you must be flexible
Tammy,
Students like change of pace and variety in the delivery of content. By introducing the different delivery modes you will keep them focused and engaged for the duration of the class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is important to offer a variety of instructional delivery methods because varying delivery methods helps students to maintain focus during class. It is more enjoyable to learn if multiple types of stimulation are offered rather than just having to sit and listen to an instructor drone on for hours.
As an instructor we must teach too many learning styles. If we teach to only one type, many of the other students will be lost, and confused. We as instructors must teach using the tools that best fit the students learning styles whether it be to have some of the students come up to the board do write out what the just learned while others follow along on a data show. I like to incorporate many different types of activities to stimulate learning of all learning styles. From data shows, Excel spreadsheet, text, internet and even creating poster boards.
Scott,
Students like variety and change of pace in their learning. You are offering them such with your strategies. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is important to offer varied instructional delivery for many reasons and doing this can really help to create a successful course. If an instructor were to relay information to their students in the same format, week in and week out, the students would become bored very easily and would not retain information as well. I have found that when you change the delivery it helps students to stay focused and keep their attention on the material and they retain it better as well. Just as with anything in life, learning in the same format can become boring and students will check out. When they are unsure what delivery method will be used next they will pay attention better, focus on the work better and hopefully retain and apply the knowledge gained. Also, by using a variety of delivery methods you will be reaching a variety of different learning styles and thus different students. I do not think any two people learn the exact same way and because of that when an instructor can vary the delivery method they are allowing for more students to learn to the best of their ability and more often than they normally would. This could also give students the chance to become more comfortable in a different learning style as well.
It is important because not everyone will learn at the same level and what one person may understand another may need for this to be explain in a different mannor.
I enjoy variety in my own experience and it just makes sense to do it as an educator. I like to start with a little lecture, give some real world examples and the do a demonstration, followed by letting them get their hands on gear and experiment.
It keeps it interesting for them and me.
I think that it is important to offer several different instruction techniques to provide ample opportunities for the student to learn where they are most comfortable.
