I completely agree Ken. Often students have been very successful in the work force but out of academics for many years. They also may not learn in the same ways that the younger students do. Younger students like to use all different kinds of learning methods with a range of available technology, while some of my older learners prefer supplemental information with real life scenarios. Thanks!
It will help me as the instructor, assure that they have a supportive environment for the learning to occur and the tools needed to achieve that learning, combined with an instructional model of behavior that addresses these needs.
Christine, in an online environment, responding to their discussion threads, emails and assignments with their name helps ensure the student that they are receiving individual attention and feedback.
All people are different. They are motivated by different factors, they have different reasons for deciding to return to school, they have different methods of helping them retain information (visual vs. auditory vs. tactile) and it is important that we as instructors recognize these differences. While it would be extremely difficult to accommodate each and every single student separately, we can instill various learning tools within the classroom. In addition to the text book, we can offer discussion forums, teleconference, web conferences, PowerPoints, links to other resources etc. in an effort to facilitate learning within the classroom.
It is very crucial part of learning.
Understanding your students and how they learn is key to the success of any class. As we all know we have many different types of students from a
large array of backgrounds. If you know how someone learns, it makes it that much easier to instruct that person. Fortunately, since our school relies heavily on demonstration and lecture, we are fortunate to have a student body that relies heavily on visual learning.
I think it is extremely valuable to understand your students and their individual needs. Many times I have made adjustments to my educational plan based on a class or even individual students. Many of the evening class that I teach are much more adult learner focused. These students have different needs wants and abilities than the traditional student
. . . increases your potential to build successful learning tools. Methods of instruction, types of learning activities, and reinforcement methods can be more applicable to the current student audience.
Understanding learner characteristics helps one develop more effective course learning materials. I have always generally strived to have a diversity of formats in presentation methods (lecture, discussion, charts, demos, activities, etc.) as well as assessment formats (projects, objective and written quizzes, tests, etc.). Being familiar with demographic diversity also helps in the planning process. In addition, understanding one's own institution and all, varoious aspects of the educational program helps in the overall planning process.
Understanding learning characteristics helps the instructor determine if the student is ready to learn. Learning characteristics is multi faceted and include many areas such as environmental factors and situational factors which can present unique challenges. Understanding developmental stages is critical. Understanding HOW students learn helps the instructor better understand how to help and plan a lesson. Using a variety of techniques that will reach learners in many ways (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) are methods to embrace all types of learners.
Hi Jeffrey,
Welcome to the profession. I wish you much success as an instructor. I know you are going to do fine in teaching based upon the comments you made in the forum. You have a very comprehensive approach to your teaching and this is critical for success. Your students are going to benefit from your experience and no matter their age will be looking to you for educational leadership.
Gary
Hi Scott,
Good way to open a new class. This also gives the students time to get to know you and get settled into the class. Then the next time they will be ready to go and you know how to approach them.
Gary
Hi Carol,
Right you are. This knowledge enables you to customize you instruction and helps to provide support for your students.
Gary
Hi Tom,
I really like your idea of creating a baseline for your students. I do the same thing and it really helps me to plan my delivery because I know what my students are like and where I can be of help to them.
Gary
Hi Kristina,
By knowing your students you can see how you can be a part of that student achieving the goals and dreams they have for their life. This is a very important part of who we are and what we do as instructors. We do have an impact on the lives of our students so we need to do all that we can to make that impact positive.
Gary
Hi Madelyn,
You make a good point about knowing your students. It really helps you to zero in on that student and provide the kind of support that is needed for success.
Gary
Hi Rebecca,
What have seen to be the biggest pay off for you and your students when you have use learner types in your instruction?
Gary
I can relate to the varying ages and skill sets that enter the classroom. I have asked gifted students who are familiar and excited about technology to assist those students who want to learn through a personal demonstration. These hesitant students want the reassurance of someone who has knowledge. This is very helpful during a lab period since I as the instructor am only one person who simply cannot assist everyone by myself. Enlisting the help of others who are willing participants promotes a team spirit, recognition, and reward, as well.
I am a new Instrucor and I teach CADD. My class demographic is usually such that I have a group of students that are 10-15 years younger than myself, and a group of students that are 10-15 years older than myself. And honestly I hadn't thought about learner characteristics with any great detail until I started this module. Looking back over my first couple of terms I can see that, although everyone is learning CADD, the younger students typically need help in certain areas, whereas the older students need help in other areas. Generally speaking, the younger students need help in academic areas such as attendance, attention to detail in assignments, reading assigned material etc...whereas the older students need help in technical areas such as working with computers, applications, folders, files as well as encouraging and modeling patience when something (a command) doesn't perform as they had expected. I think understanding learner characteristics is helping me to tailor my questions and comments to these students in a way that lets them know, that I understand (a little bit) of how they are thinking and that I am with them. It has also led me to integrate into the my lesson plans common "themes" that I see recurring from either the older or younger students in order to eliminate, or at least minimize, those issues before they arise.
I spend most of first class period asking students questions about educational background, experiences as a student, how they see school and what they see as challenges. With this information I can better tailor my instructional methods and comments to meet their needs.
If you know how students learn, you can plan various activities to meet their learning needs.
