How do you do this before you meet the class? We have to have our lesson plans on file with the department chair before the class starts. It seems to be a state requirement.
I never know who I will have in class, they could be just out of high school, adults changing careers,or young adults realizing they need to have more education to reach their goals.
I have students who don't know how to read, or have no math skills. Everyone is a visual learner. Mostly meaning I did't read the book so show me. My classes are hands on and demonstration. I have a huge amount of material to cover in a short time. We do not say no to anyone that wants to come here as long as they have 2.0 GPA. I don't see how I can accommodate learning preferences.
Hi Dr. Norton,
Real life experiences help to reinforce what has just been covered in lecture or lab. These examples help the students to see the consequences of their actions in terms of medication or recommended therapy. For each animal brought in for treatment there is an owner that has put trust in the skills of that person. That trust should not be violated through a lack of effort or knowledge. Well said in terms of how you use your life experiences.
Gary
I am fortunate to have a lot of real world experience in the field in which I am currently teaching. Just one example that I utilize frequently to make the day's content relevant is to discuss how I incorporated it into practice personally. Stark examples of mistakes I have made with a particular medication or circumstance can be very educational for students, I believe, and may help them prevent themselves from making the same mistakes. Sharing success stories is rewarding, as well. At least I hope :)
I try to have a combination of all learning styles in my lectures and demonstrations. This gives me the opportunity to assess which learning style is most prevalent in my class.
--Jeannie
Hi Marife,
I agree. I like to establish an understanding of what my students know coming into my classes. I use baseline assessments and then I know how to format the course content based upon the assessment results. This helps me to be more targeted in my instruction.
Gary
I think assessing first your student needs may be a good indicator to organize what type of activities we could incorpoate into our course curriculum.
I make sure I have a variety of course delivery methods including: lectures, demonstrations, activities, group work, visual aids etc.
Hi John,
There is a saying that I really like and try to follow. "The beginning of understanding starts with the willingness to listen". This is based upon the comment you made about being willing to listen to student feedback. Listening is one of the key parts of being a successful teacher.
Gary
I try to make sure I listen to student feedback as I go through my lecture and ask questions because it tells me what to accent - what material may have been confusing. I also try to keep material practical and relevant to their needs by focusing on how useful certain skills are.
I try to tie each days mayerial to its relevance in the indusrty. It is important for the students to make the connection between the work they are doing in class and how the skill set is important to the students success in the industry.
I used games and name tricks to get to know students. Try to keep a running tab on what's due and going on in the class
I always realize the importance of putting the relevant course content in the delivery. Although some of the time you do have to mix in some of the relatable other material that is necessary to either keep the attention factor there or to give small doses of boring required knowledge of the field.
Hi Fiji,
The first step is to see what the students have to have to meet the standards of the field at the conclusion of your course and then work backward to the first day. What foundational knowledge must they have and the what sequence of instruction will help them progress each time the class meets? Also, stop and reflect on the content and then break it down into bite size chunks of content. This will be the core of our outline and lesson planning.
Gary
This is the area as a new teacher I have no idea how to get started. I am teaching a LVN program and the course objectives have been provided by the school. The book assigned for the class comes with a teaching outline but how do I develop a lesson plan to teach from an outline. There is so much information to provided to the students I dont want to forget any important detail.
That is good on the show and tell discussions.
The students love and appreciate visuals that come with a life experience from instructor.
I make sure my curriculum has a little bit of each learning style incorporated.
I try to accommodate all different learning styles by using all different techniques in my lectures. I add a lot of videos, pictures, graphs, along with PowerPoint's lecture that have the information clearly outlined. I also follow up the lecture with a lab. I'm fortunate enough to be teaching a lecture that requires a lab so this helps reinforce what my students are learning in class.
I like to add personal experience and relate to the students in a way that exemplifies our profession.
I want to work up to the more difficult parts of the profession by offering glimpses of what it is really like out there in our field.
I will take materials to present that are those actually taken from the real world.
I am definitely going to break up my lectures into smaller periods of time modules. I will have more physical activities and less info on my power points. However, the problem still remains about the physical limitations and board space once the power point and projector when on take up all the front board space.
