Let them use their hands. For example, in the classes I teach, letting the students handle a model of the heart, or bones in the skeleton.
Hi Julia, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, nothing beats that one-on-one with students! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hands-on projects that students can do to get the full experience of the tasks.
In class I will demonstrate a method or technique, and then watch over the students shoulder and help them and comment as they repeat the same technique. As much one on one at this point is really important.
Hi Andrea, Thanks for your post to the forum. Sounds like you aided in physical fitness ans well as mental agility! Great work! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I recently taught a very difficult pharmacology course to a group that was primarily kinestetic learners. Drug classes and mechanisms of action can be very dry and boring, but must be taught and memorized. I broke up my powerpoint lecture into 10 slide increments. After each increment, we would do a few minutes of physcial activity, from toe touches, to windmills, to side stretches, etc. It seemed to break up the content and give our minds a mental break and satisfy those students who need to be *doing something* rather than sitting still the whole time.
Hi Kathryn, Thanks for sharing a great kinesthetic activity for graphic design students. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Ronna, Yes, being able to handle and interact with materials does make a difference! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Kathryn, Thanks for your post to the forum. My first advice is to forbid activities like Facebook in the classroom. Let your students know that you will be constantly walking around the classroom and will monitor that. The diversity of computer skills is more difficult. I would determine what tutoring opportunities are available or whether you could get a student worker as a lab assistant to help with studnets who need help in basic computer skills. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I would plan an assignment which would include getting the students up out of their seats and involved in a hands on activity. I teach graphic design and I include an in class exercise to support a grid lecture where I have students bring in some print designs and we deconstruct by cutting them up and re-layout in a new way using an assigned grid.
I pass around alot of items that my students are able to touch, feel, and "play with". This really helps to gain the attention of the hands-on learner. Our labs make a huge difference for this group also.
have the students to get up and move around do some kind of assignment that requires body movement
I have to lecture sometimes in my courses and I find many students do not pay attention during lectures. I teach computer courses and Facebook is a huge problem during lectures. I can't have the students actually complete an activity along with me because of this. I also have many students that are at so many different levels when it comes to computers that it is hard to address advanced computer users and beginning computer users at the same time. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi Theresa, Thanks for sharing some great ideas for kinesthetic learners! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Susan
Susan Polick
As a massage therapy instructor, I have an over-abundance of kinesthetic learners. As this is not my preferred learning style, I have had to make significant adjustments throughout the years to be able to reach them and help them understand the material. My best strategies are: (1) Learning activities that require movement - even in lecture classes, a memory card-matching game or labeling on the board gets a kinesthetic learner engaged; (2) Frequent information breaks - stories, stretch breaks, walk-about breaks, etc.; (3) Demonstration of ideas in a kinesthetic way. For example when discussing boundaries, ask two students to get up and do a demonstration rather than just explaining the definition in an auditory or written format.
Hi Diana, Some very "interesting" exercises, I'll bet! Thanks for your post to the forum. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Carey, thanks for your post to the forum. Wonderful hands-on experiences that you are giving to your students! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
To help teach the concepts of teamwork and communication with these learners I have used group exercises using household materials e.g. uncooked spagetti and marshmallows to build objects, etc....they love it!!!!
Hands-on for example: If I teach Medical Assistants and we are discussing needles, I will hand out the different sizes/gauges/units of syringes. I also have a needle gauge demo that I received from a physician. This allows the students to see it, touch it, and then hear about the equipment they will need to be familiar with in the field. My favorite activity to do is take the students on a field trip to the cadavar lab and let them actually touch a human lung, heart, brain, etc...This seems to make them understand the body structures and puts them into perspective when discussing them again in other classes.
Hi Diana, Thanks for your post to the forum. You are using great instructional techniques for your students! Best wishes for continued
success in your teaching career! Susan
Susan Polick
