Diversity as an obvious benefit
I feel that all students are diverse, individual. We need to remember to challange our students. If they come to class feeling that they can use crutches than they will. Not all students are motivated to learn. As teachers we have to push them to succeed. After they succeed they then push themselves to succeed again. Many career students have never been very successful in academic settings but that does not mean they can not be!
Hi Tremayne and Samuel! Thanks for your observations!
Also agreed, the diversity of student learning styles provides us with an exciting challenge to vary our instructional methods and tools to include learning preferences. Additionally, when we add the host of our own teaching styles to the formula, it becomes even more of a challenge. I suppose it comes down to our adapting our teaching techniques the best we can to cretae an active learning environment.
I think too (as has been discussed in other posts) that we need to take our students a little out of their learning comfort zones and create opportunities for them to practice processing information and applications (given the fact that learning disabilities affect this)in other ways. Perhaps this even better prepares them for the workplace.
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Samuel, I agree with your statement.
We must also remember that diversity comes in the form of learning styles as well, therefore as instructors, we have to make sure that our pedagogical methods are encompassing various learning styles.
If this is done consistantly, we will make our classrooms more inclusive, for all students.
Absolutely. We all have different talents. Students who have not been successful in traditional academic settings can be brilliant in their fields. We must remember that students can be very fragile though and motivate without crushing them.
I do believe that all of our students are motivated in some way or else they would not be in school. Some may be more motivated than others, but we must figure out what their determination is and work upon that. If we can tap into our students' motivation an encourage it, we will have even more successes in our classrooms.
This is so true, Patricia! I found that students each have their own definition of success, and many times that perception is very different from what I may see for them.
Thanks for your comments!
Jay
ED106
I have to agree! You can not paint every student with the same brush, nor can you give up on trying to motivate students that are having a difficult time learning a new language or career. It is important to try new methods to motivate for success.
Absolutely, if all students were motivated then, as teachers, all we would have to do is lay out the material and let them take it in. Our job would be easy!
It seems that, of course, many students in the hands-on trades are tactile learners; their academic "failures," or challenges, may come from the inability to process information solely from listening to a lecture or writing notes from the board or PowerPoint.
Diversity really is an obvious benefit if we see it as an opportunity to vary our own instructional styles and treat our diverse adult learners with respect.
I like your snowflake analogy! Heep up the excellent work, Harry, and thanks again for your participation in the discussion forums.
Jay
ED106
Our school specializes in teaching hands-on trades. Many students we get were academic failures in high school but find success in doing things with their hands.Students are like snowflakes, every one is different and needs to be approached in a way that has value to them.
