Classroom Strategies
What strategies have you used to accommodate different learning styles in your classroom?
Juan,
I like the use of Legos. That helps a lot I am sure.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
In the automotive tech. field, we have a lot of theory on how something should work, plus varous unseen operations. I have difficulty making sure that students grasp those "invisible" concepts. I use some basic activities, from using legos labeled with concepts, to having them associate different colors with concepts.
Ricky,
You have a good mix of strategies here. Do students have access to the movies outside of class? That would be a great resource for them to refresh what they have learned in class.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
I teach the basics of hydraulics, I mix up the lecture material between a straight lecture and questioning where some student will reply to the questioning and some won't. Then, I swap out to a animated movie on how the how the hydraulic system works and how the flow work in relation to the lecture we just covered. Ask more questions associated with the movie and how the components work within the system. If they still have difficulty understanding then I can related to other things that they do have an understanding on to the components of interest and to keep them motivated.
Anthony,
When lecturing I use active learning strategies, mostly focused on group work. Research indicates students retain 50% of what they learn through discussion and as much as 90% when teaching others. Mostly, I try to limit straight lecturing and make sure it is as interactive as possible. For the lab portion I have students working in small groups and move around observing them, asking questions and provide comments. Again, in the group work the students are retaining at a higher percentage.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
