I am currently teaching in a medical assistant program whose demographics are basically that of slower or poverty sticken, GED students. No one person likes the same boring everyday routine humdrum. Variety is the spice of life or so I've heard...
I use a variety of methods to teach - powerpoint presentations, having the student repeat the medical term, hands on doing homework assignments, & listening.
when I tutor a student - I ask them how they learn. I recently had a student who is slow in writing, so I suggested he print out the already downloaded powerpoints & just highlight the important parts so that he won't become frustrated with trying to write so much.
by learning the learning styles of my students, Im more able to adjust my teaching methods to accomodate them so they will engage in the class.
I also give suggestions of what worked for me to learn - Reading, Re-reading, repetition, flash cards, taking breaks, breaking up the assignment into smaller pieces so it's not so overwhelming. I also encourage questions - it's how they learn.
No one is ever to old to learn something new... if you stop learning then there is no where else to grow.
If you know a student is a visual learner, you deliver the content in a visual manner. If you have class of 10 students where 9 are visual learners, then you approach visual then remaining one student in that particular manners. This way, your delivery is effective towards your audience.
Having a class of many students can be difficult to adhere to all students. However, a lot of times the students have similar learning styles. Finding the majority style of the class can greatly benefit your lectures.
By knowing the learning styles of your students you can better plan your instructional delivery methods. Having this knowledge and applying it will help you reach more students. I believe it is critical to attack the senses of your students in order to keep the material interesting.
Knowing the varied learning styles of my students is a saving grace. I an a Graphic Design Instructor and my teaching styles are a direct result of the existing skills that my students bring with them.
Most of my classes have students with some computer and software skill experience, some with limited past experience, and a majority with no prior experience. The daily challenge is to gain and keep the students engaged with active participation and involvement in class.
Knowing the varied styles of learning and their skills level provides me with a basis for planning my daily educational presentation.
Presenting information that meets ALL of the students' individual needs and meeting the objectives of the courses would be almost impossible without evaluating each individual and using a variety of techniques to accomplish that goal.
Ned
Thanks for pointing us to some assessment tools. Just about to ask that question.
What recommendations do you have for turning lecture material into Kinesthetic experiences?
I agree with your style and add that changing the why of delivery every 25 to 30 minutes keeps their attention and also helps all learning types.
Hi Brandon - Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, spending even a brief time individually with students gives us great insight - time well spent!
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Knowing the learning style of students can help greatly in teaching them the material by using various techniques for each style. For instance, for those visual learners, ice breaker type activities really help them see the importance of a topic. Of course, lecturing helps those audio learners. I also use handouts and conduct hands-on projects.
Taking a short time to visit with my new student gives me insite to how they learn. Once I have that knowlege I can talor my presentation to suit the majority of my class and the do some more specific exercises for other individuals.
Knowing the learning styles of my students has helped me tailor presentations more effectively and has helped to make the course more engaging. I've also found it helpful to explain to students who may not be familiar about their particular learning style. When students understand what method best works for them, there's an 'aha' moment where they seek out and internalize content best adapted to them. Knowledge of learning styles helps me be more effective because I can include a variety of options in bringing across a message.
It helps you teach the materail so the student understands and is not just a body in class, it helps make the class more exciting.
By knowing your students learning styles ahead of time or allowing them to take a brief survey before lectures start you as an instructor get ahead of the game. If you are struggling throughout the term figurung out the best ways to connect to your students learning styles intead of focusing on the content of the material, you put not only yourself but your students in a pickle!
Taking the time to learn the students learning stlyes allows you to deliver the material smoothly so that everyone in the classroom can understand.
I have found that knowing the learning styles of my students assists me as well as my students in the class. It allows me to effectively target areas with the different styles of learners making the class more effective and enjoyable for the students.
By knowing the learning styles of my students, I can better plan my curriculum to reach the majority of learners through different methods. If I can utilize different methods in the platform, this is possible. For example, live seminars are great for both auditory and visual learners as long as I include powerpoint slides to illustrate my points. Discussion questions and written assignments work well for those that learn via the written word. I often ask students to engage in a hands on activity throughout the week in order to reach the kinesthetic learner.
If I can assess learning styles, I may uncover otherwise hidden reasons for disparity among student scores in my classes. I can also motivate those learners who had not been insprired by classes that did not tap into their style.
This is the key to knowing and understanding each student that you have in class. It will allow you to assist each and every student to the best of your ability. In my opinion it is critical.
If I know the learning styles of my students, I can more effectively tailor my presentation to a format that is more easily absorbed by the students. For example, if I have a small class where the majority of the students are visual learners, I can incorporate mediums that are more visual in nature into my lesson plans. The difficulty is when I have a large class. Then there is almost always a guarantee that several learning styles will exist among the students. Then it is necessary to use a varied approach so that everyone can experience lessons tailored to their learning stlye.
That is what i apply as well in that way you the the attention of every single student.
The benefit of knowing your students' learning styles is that it creates a less frustrating learning enviroment. You can become a more effective instructor because you will spend less time spinning your wheels when you come across a frustrated student.
I do think that knowing the learning styles of ones students is useful knowledge. Unfortunately, I don't have the class time to find out. But I do try to present the course material in various ways so as to appeal to as many learning styles as I can.
