If we do not understand the different dynamics of a person's characteristics when it comes to learning, we would just be "shooting in the dark" when it came to trying to teach them instructionally. So, understanding the learner's characteristics help the instructor choose which instructional methods to use, when and how to use it, and gives the student a better chance of being successful.
There are so many factors that go into how I structure a class (content, size, time of day, etc) yet learner characteristics drive so much of it. I spend a good deal of time getting to know each student through interviews / introductions the first session and activities throughout the quarter. I hope it helps me present the matereial in a way they can best learn.
Every student has different backgroud information and needs. If you don't take the time to discover those needs the students will not have a successful classroom experience. You need to be a master juggler to help, encourage and move students forword.
Hi Gary
Understanding learner characteristic start on the first day of class teacher need to understand each student and there characteristics, but also student like to know the backgrouds of there teacher to build the trust and not having fear in the classroom , for the first day of class is the most inportant.
Eric
The communication process can be adjusted to the audience (the students in the class). Furthermore,by knowing the goals of individual students,I can find ways tocommunicate to them the relevance of the class toward the achievement of these goals.
I do teach culinary class.
1- Line up before enter the classroom and check if the students wear the proper outfit. I have a check list, that help me to recognize them,after 2 days I call all of them by their first name they appreciate it well.
I do lecture, students participe that mean they read for each over
Demo of course,my students want practicing more than everything else
Home work,chapters they have to read before starting the course.
to customize the class twards the learnig style of the students. getting to know each student helps to manage them in differnt ways, and get better outcomes.
I look for patterns - what students have in common. It might be interests, jobs, or in my field, writing and speech patterns. But whatever those patterns are, identifying them makes it easier to design curricula that are most useful to the most students. The reverse is also true, though - it helps me to identify what the outliers are, and those outliers are just as useful. When I know students have something in common, I can capitalize on that. But when I know they differ in a particular area, I know that I might need to find a variety of approaches to account for it in class and in the curricula. In my experience, one class doesn't very often differ from another in vastly meaningful ways. So if something 'clicks' for one class, I can be reasonably assured that a similar technique will click for the next group of students. And, again, the reverse is usually true as well.
Students at career colleges especially are there to learn and to turn their lives around. Implicit in that is the fact that many times, not all, students have experienced failure in school or in a former career. As teachers I believe our job is to help them turn their lives around - not just provide hurdles toward their progress. School should not be a hazing ritual. Understanding where your students are coming from is crucial to helping them get where they want to go.
Well I feel that if you make time before and prior to make small conversations with the students then, thats help you. Also as your planning your lesson plan, try to squeeze in time for questions. This will help you to see some of their characteristics.
Isn't it more difficult to learn each students characteristics when you, as an instructor, only has a specific and short amount of time to teach all required course methods?
I agree that if you understand who your students are, it is a lot easier to plan your lesson.
Knowing what concerns the students have & acknowledging them & letting the students know you can help them thru helps to create a level of trust & a feeling of "safety" in the classroom.
Also understanding that eachone has a different reason for being there & learns in different ways & sharing that with the students helps to make them feel comfortable.
It allows you to direct and taylor your teaching approach the best way toward the individual student. I teach at a school with many working adults and non-trad. students. Knowing where they are coming from early in the quarter, allows me to best serve their needs. Mary B.
you have to know your audience not as a whole because they are all there for the same reason. But rather know each student individually so that you can somewhat customize your processes to compliment their specific styles and needs.
we must always be more creative everyday. If we do not push ourselves to be more creative how can we expect our students to be more creative as well
(1) helps me develop better and more effective lesson plans
(2) helps me organize my classroom activities to better reflect the varieties of learners - try to provide something for everyone
(3) helps me better relate to the students in conversations, activities and lectures
(4) improves assessment of students
(5) forces me to provide a variety of activities and means to relate to the different students in the classroom
(6) should academic problems arise in individual students, helps me better understand them.
(7) forces me to be "more creative" in the presentation of my academic material - I must provide a variety of presentations to impart knowledge instead of just sticking to one that is comfortable to me
(8) forces me out of my "comfort zone" in how I teach and present material
(9) helps me realize that "one size does not fit all"
(10) I must be more careful in planning learning activities and not just stick to one. As I said before, try and provide a variety of activities
I hope this answers your question. If you need more info, then feel free to contact me.
Ken Sell
It reminds me that my students are individuals, not a group. They are individual parts of a group, like parts of a body, each one unique (the eyes are not toes), but each one similar (cells, etc), and each one needing some of the same things (blood, water, etc).
Hi Heidi,
I like to use these activities as well. I am always on the lookout for additional ones to use. What are some of them that have worked well for you?
I use the airplane activity at the beginning of my courses and the students really get into helping their team members build better and longer flying planes so they can beat the other teams.
Gary
If you don't know your students it is difficult to reach your students. One way that helps me to learn about my students is to do some team-building exercises that challenge students to accomplish a task in groups. The only way to accomplish these tasks is to work together. I usually learn alot about the students by doing this.
