Matthew,
I think the way you get the students involved probably makes it a lot more fun for them too. This kind of activity gets the class past the initial nervousness and helps them interact on a more personal basis.
Kurt
One strategy I use in the 1010 lab, their first lab class, is to have them demonstrate the kitchen equipment to the class. I divide them into groups of 3 to 5, and assign various pieces of kitchen equipment to their groups. I demonstrate the equipment to each individual group, then have them demonstrate to their classmates. It seems to be more effective than just me demoing to the whole class.
Paul,
Nobody said the classroom can't be fun and I think your approach would certainly make the classroom enjoyable and interesting for the students.
Kurt
I teach a lot of programming courses so I always post new links to programs and programming techniques in the classroom. I also challeng my students with particular programming problems to discuss that they can work on and present solutions. This activity keeps the students involved in current programming practices and technologies.
The nature of the online classes that I teach also helps the class discuss relevant information in the discussion threads and most of my students enjoy the interaction on the topics.
I like to do the same: mix it up for my students. I use avariety of tools. Slides including clip art, videos, group exercises, role plays as an effort to accomodate different learning styles and keep the material fresh and relevant.
also i currently work in the field that im teaching (cool huh?) so i am able to add real life situations to the lesson plan and create conversation with the students based on a situation that happened at the restaurant the night before..
i teach culinary arts.... so for me product tastings and educating them on where different ingredients come from seems to be a nice change of pace...and its educational!
I plan my instruction by varying verbal, tactile and visual opportunities. While I find that many students within our industry learn visually and through tactile observations it is also very important to create a balance with verbal instruction so that all learning preferences are addressed.
I have found this course very helpful; I wish I had taken it when I started teaching!
I teach a draping which is a tactile class, with lecture and demonstration. The student is expected to review the material in the text before class, I review the text, and I lecture and demonstrate each step, one at a time while the student does the same thing. I walk around the class to make sure everyone is doing it correctly.
This takes up so much time; I find that 99% of my students will not review the text. They say they are visual learners. I would love some help on getting them to read the material. I know this would make the class go faster and improve their retention of the lecture and demonstrations. I find it difficult to finish draping in time to help them with the patternmaking and the sewing steps. They are required to make the sample of the drape and read the text for the next project as homework.
Any suggestions?
i look at the lesson plans and ask the students how they want the materials presented to them. most of my students are visual and tactile learners. they usually want hands on materials even when doing lectures.
In the online environment this requires the willingness to utilize the various technological platforms available. PowerPoint is a great way to capture the attention of students in the live sessions and so beneficial for those visual and written word learners too. The slide content reinforces what they hear in the chat and provides them with a written record of the session that they can actually copy and take with them.
Though these technological tools are great, the real opportunity lies with selecting appropriate course content (making the material relevant). I have found that students are much more engaged when the material can be applied to what they experience in their jobs and in their lives overall. I even notice that when I first introduce a topic, students may be non-responsive until I pose a real life situation, or give an example from my own experiences in the industry. I then open it up to the students to share examples and the conversation spikes! They love to talk about their workplace and the challenges and opportunities they see day to day. As we discuss real world examples we can even engage in problem solving as a group, when a student asks a question about how to handle a situation related to what we are learning in the course.
Additionally I have learned that variety (mini-lecture, problem solving, Q&A) more effectively holds their attention throughout the class.
I totally enjoyed the MaxKnowledge experience. I will be implementing several of the strategies I acquired through this online course. Several points were made that I will implement immediately.
I try to appeal to all types of learners...a little lecture...a little powerpoint...a little class discussion...group interaction and a little hands on
I find it best to show a real world example then have the students recreate it exactly. Pushing them to actually compose a real scenario.
Whereever possible, I try to relate what I'm teaching to how the student can use the information in the 'real world'
I like to start my classes with a news/current events section that attempts to align lessons learned to what is happening in the real world. I try to make the topic real for my students so they appreciate the reasons we are discussing the topic.
Hi Toni,
Good plan for enabling students to zero into their learning preferences. Through a variety of offerings you are providing your students a number of alternatives for taking in course content.
Gary
I usually try and have my students take a learning inventory assessment during the first class to determine styles. Before each class I review the material to examine the various opportunities I have for presenting it. I typically during class do some lecture, group activities, and some kind of hands on activity.
My students love PP games! I also encourage invidual students to maximize their learning style to learn the material.
Toni
Powerpoint lectures & audiovisual material were positive strategies to making the content relevant and applicable to the learning needs of the students. We also reinforced the course's content in theory class by using case studies and discussing real clinical scenarios. Teaching the didactics of a disorder in theory class & observing it first hand in clinical is a great way for students to learn.
Hi Charlotte,
Your approach is so important for the students to have a holistic exposure to their field. By having them smell, taste, touch and experience the various components and procedures of the field you will be building connections between the cognitive and physical aspects of your field. Keep up the good work.
Gary
