I also use a variety of teaching styles for the adult learner. I find the adult learner will let me know right away what teaching style works for them and which one does not. To be able to incorporate a variety of learning styles in one lesson can be exhausting, but beneficial to the class as a whole. I encourage students to strengthen their learning styles by practicing one they are not comfortable using. When I do this, I have a great response from students because they are not only learning new information, but they are learning to adapt to the different teaching styles of each professor they encounter.
Many students have different learning styles. A visual learner needs visual aids to go along with their learning. Auditory needs pitch change. You can not have one type. Only those students will take something from your course
I have to agree. With many of the adult learners you have to be creative, because they learn differently. I have taught many different ways in order to reach all of my students. You really need to be aware that a class does not learn in the same way with all students.
We need to vary instruction delivery so we reach the greater number of students because some learn better from lectures, some demonstrations, some audio visual, some question and answers, some by doing or perhaps a mixture.
I have found that many adult learners respond well to a coordination of powerpoint slides and problem demonstration. Using real world examples seems to keep them focused.
Because student learn in these four different ways 1.Written Word 2.Auditory -3.Visualization -4.Tactile - it is important to have different delivery methods.
I use a video delivery style that is project specific. It involves 4 weeks of a 12 week quarter, and helps the students focus more intently on that project. The students write papers based on teh videos, and may review them at any time. A written dialogue is not available, but after taking this course in Max Knowledge, I am thinking of offering the dialogue as well.
Audrey,
Good plan that I know will help to keep your students engaged. You are helping them to be able to use their different learning preferences at different times in the course. This really reinforces their focus on the content.
Gary
It is very important to offer a variety of instructional delivery because every person learns in a different way, and it is extrememly important to meet those needs of each of them in some way shape or form. Whether it be through expository lecture, Interactive lecture, problem solving, and case study work. The best thing to do is cover all of those different styles to meet the needs of all students adequetly.
As we all know, students learn differently from others. Tailoring the lecture to each individual student is needed to allow all students to have the same opportunity to retain the information.
students learn in different ways and levels, if you keep your lectures in a montone way--students become disinterested.
also, you want variety to keep students wanting to come back to class--and the variety will make the learning environment fun, and maybe the instruction will make sense in variety as well.
by Ruth Whitaker
It is important, I feel, to offer varied instructional delivery for different reasons. The most important reason is that it helps to facilitate students in learning and comprehending the course content that the teacher is presenting to the students.Varying instructional delivery helps to maintain the interest of the students as well.
Offering a variety of instructional delivery methods is important to help hold the entire class interested in the presentation. Students, especially adult learners, want to leave class feeling that the instruction addressed their individual need.
Hi Wendy,
Looking forward to hearing about your teaching success with these new strategies.
Gary
Hi Gary,
Thanks for the suggestions. I do use some small groups and games during the year. I'll have to see if I can use some other strategies, as well. I'm thinking that there may be a couple of classes that I don't have to use the PowerPoints at all, this year.
Hi Wendy,
I can appreciate your challenge in terms of instructional delivery because of the volume of content you need to cover in a short period of time.
One suggestion I would make is to look through the content and see if you think any of it can be acquired in an alternative form, such as small group, role playing, or game format. If so I would try that. It will give the students a break from the PPs and they will appreciate the different delivery format as well. Don't know if it will work with your content area but thought it was worth mentioning.
Thanks
Gary
It is important to vary the instructional method to reach that "different 80%" each class (as someone below said), but it is a challenge over the course of the year. This is especially difficult in my classes where I have A LOT of content to deliver in a very short period of time (50 minutes/2x week).
I mostly use PowerPoints, and don't feel I have the time for hands-on activities on a regular basis. (I do use small groups, games, and examples, but just not enough.) Any suggestions that people might have would be much appreciated so I can free myself (and the class) from the PowerPoints once in a while!
This goes hand in hand with maximizing learning adaptations. Varied instructional delivery can help keep students much more engaged and it allows us to reach our students on seperate channels.
Because not every student has the ability to learn by the same means as another. While some may learn just fine from lecture as an auditory learner, another might be more of a visual learner or a tactile learner. It's our duty as teachers to assess the needs of not only the class, but also that of the individual students and vary our methods based on their needs.
First, people have different learning styles. Second, people have limited attention spans. Third, offering only one instructional method gets boring for the instructor and students. I typically begin class by putting the students into small groups to answer a few questions based on the readings for that day's class. Then, I will have the groups comment on the answers. I will then go into the second phase of class by doing a short lecture that builds upon the comments made by the students, and I try to incorporate may of the comments into that lecture. Lastly, I end with 1 or 2 problems that seek to engage the students with the content in small groups.
