Joseph,
You are right on with your understanding of how to construct instructional deliveries. The more you can engage the senses and offer application of newly acquired knowledge the greater the retention will be of the key concepts. So your approach is a sound one based upon learning theory.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think the key to this issue is focusing on student learning rather than instructor teaching. It is also important to understand that the information being presented is handled differently by the brain of the instructor and the brain of the student, since it is already known by the instructor (long term memory or recall), but new to the student(working memory or connections).
I don't think that just "Understanding the basics of learning" will benefit me as an instructor. Since I facilitate at a vocational school, I believe it would be appropriate to have my students understand the basics, as well. At this point, I'm leaning towards a short exercise that would allow me to determine: "Who fits into which category". After evaluation, it may be of great benefit to discuss with the students, which type of learner they are & how I arrived at the conclusion. This would be akin to developing a "Troubleshooting procedure" for, say, a complex piece of machinery. Once you know what the parts are, what role they play in the machine-works, and how they're designed to operate, you're on the major road-to-recovery. When students can see, touch & feel the when, where, how, and why of their personal learning-experiences . . . they may be more inclined to organize input.
Bob,
I like your way of dealing with the cell phone issues. I am sure you get some surprised looks when you do this, on the other hand I am sure you and your students learn a lot from the student research that is done.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Earle,
This is a good approach as they need to be able to see the content in smaller segments and then put those segments into a global format. They don't become overwhelmed this way.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
If i see a student starting to nod off during ppt, or using their phone during lecture I will say something like "good while you have your phone out, can you look up (insert relevant topic) and tell me about it it in 5 minutes. On the flip side we have a lot of students who are not familiar with newer technologies so i will spend more time with lecture and going over it with them even while they are doing it on the bikes so they get some "old school" information delivery still as well.
It will help us to better appreciate how students will approach the work and assignments. This reinforces something I started which is to break the work into smaller 'chunks' so students have more opportunity to absorb and process the info.
What I've noticed often in my classes is that when I ask students to move from listening to a lecture to considering how what I lectured about applies to other areas of their lives, there is always a pause and what I perceive as a moment of confusion. Up until now, I haven't really understood why confusion comes when moving into this realm of application. After learning about concrete versus abstract learning, I can begin to see how/why this happens. During a lecture, students are taking in concrete facts or information; when I ask them to take those bits of information and extend them beyond the lecture, I am essentially asking them to dive into abstract thought. I am asking them to take the knowledge they've gained out of its familiar context and put it elsewhere. Aside from now knowing this shift is happening, I think I might actually articulate to the students that the shift is happening. I might say that we are moving from information to application, and in doing so, in verbalizing it, perhaps they'll be able to more smoothly shift gears. I think this will be very useful in future classes.
Jesse,
I call this "connecting the dots" for the students. This way they can see the value of the course content and how they are being helped to move forward in their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Making sure that students are able to relate a concept to a life situation will help them to retain the material. It may be difficult to come up with applications consistently but it is worth the work.
Carroll,
This makes your content real for them because they have all experienced having a vehicle fail at one time or another. By showing them how to fix such a problem you are making your content relevant and that is a strong motivator for learners.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Michael,
By incorporating your experiences into the class you are showing the students the relevancy of what you are teaching. This is a powerful and necessary connection they need to make. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
i present automotive technical classes to adults, having them recall how their vehicle may have failed helps them to understand the new complex systems
I always try to incorporate my experience in the field with my instruction to encourage and give value to episodic learning.
Tim,
Good way to adapt your delivery to meet the learning needs of your students. This is an effective way to keep all of the students engaged and moving forward in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Larry,
Glad the content has been of help to you. I wish you continued teaching success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As a technical instructor, my students come to me with widely varied backgrounds. Some are older and more experienced while some are just out of high school, with little life experience. Because they have such huge differences in how they take new information in, it is very helpful to understand the different ways in which people learn. for instance, if I am trying to explain camshaft funtion to an older, more experienced student, I would try to relate some of the principles to his/her past life experiences. For a younger, less experienced student, I would try to relate the principles to something they can visualize, mentally.
Understanding a little more of the basic ways the brain registers and how the age groups, (infants, teens and older students)is something i have not considered to this point. I think this will be very helpfull to me in the future.
Latoya,
You have a great rotation going with your class format. This way you are keeping your students engaged and applying what is being taught. This is what expands student content retention greatly.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Christopher,
Glad the information was helpful. Your students are going to benefit from your new knowledge and increased effort to expand your instructional expertise.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
