Most of our student body is now nontraditional learners. By understanding their characteristics/needs I am able to tailor and vary my teaching style and methods and assesment structure to more highly enable their success in the program of their choice.
Retaining students can be a challenge! This area of teaching has taught me to be more resourceful and proactive than I have been in the past. As I see students slipping, I connect with them quickly, hoping to keep them from losing the momentum they have, which is important. Once the confidence begins to wane, it can be challenging to bring them back to the level where they were.
I think the recommendations that Gary has listed here for additional resources is a great idea. You never know what approach or tool will help to make the information click as we explore new information! It was a video on YouTube featuring actors from The Office which helped one of my students "get" the concept of classical conditioning!
Thanks.
Melissa
Understanding learner characteristics is a complex process as an instructor. I teach solely online and I do have a few years of in-class teaching experience. When I transitioned to the online environment, I was nervous about being able to read the needs of my students as well as possibly losing the personal connection with them.
I have found that paying attention to questions and feedback from students is a good way to understand the characteristics of students and how they learn. Students, especially adult students, tend to tell you what is working for them and what isn't - we as the instructor need to be paying attention to that feedback and use it to improve our courses and teaching methods. For example, I have had two students in the past month ask about live lectures in the online classroom. Since then, I have offered a live conference call situation where we can meet live and discuss the material. Both students who inquired about this have attended - plus a handful.
As for the personal connection, I have found more opportunities to get to know students online than in the classroom. I make the environment personal and welcoming, which is done with the goal of helping the student to feel connected and confident. I deliver the message of support to my students, the internal support that was mentioned in our lecture.
Thanks.
Melissa
Hi Lori,
You are using a number of great strategies for your career development students. I like your use of Linkedin. Many students, no matter their age forget the value of networking until they are in need and then they call on their network. By having a network already set up that is working and active then when it is needed it is much easier to use.
Gary
As a professor of Cultural Diversity, I am highly conscious of diverse learning styles and how they can be applied in the classroom to reach a wide range of learners. It is, therefore, crucial to begin by identifying how our students learn and what they want to get out of the program. In the past, I have had good luck with self-inventories on the internet (students are usually fascinated by these) and essays that ask students to reflect on themselves. Many are quite liberated to learn that they are not dumb, but simply use different strategies to learn.
I think understanding learner characteristics is essential in planning the course and interacting with participants. Understanding the diversity of the class helps me respond to student needs and frustrations. I think it also helps to draw some of this information out so that the rest of the class can benefit from a particular student's knowledge and experience. Some of my older students have many years of work experience to draw on to help them understand subject matter. Talking about this experience in discussion boards (I teach online) can help students who don't have that same experience have a similar understanding of the topic. Although younger students sometimes don't have extensive work experience, their knowledge shouldn't be discounted. Although they may not have years of work experience to draw on, they often have more technical expertise and understanding than some of the "more experienced" students. This can be particularly useful when it comes to things like social networking. We are adding a LinkedIn component to my career development class, and I expect the younger students will see the benefit of this pretty quickly since they are often already users of Facebook and/or MySpace.
I have taken something that a past instructor used and have developed something that allows the student to be more open to respond while helping me see their skills that I need to assist them to develop.
Hi Amy,
You hit on a critical component of teaching--trust. If you have earned the trust of your students you are going to be in a great position to develop respect and rapport with them. It makes it easier and better for everyone.
Gary
For me it helps tailor my teaching style and the way I present information to ensure I am addressing as many of the learning styles in my classroom as possible. If I can address multiple learning styles then I feel that the chance of success is much higher and I feel like I am connecting to my students. That helps me build that trust that they need in me as an instructor and guide. If they trust me it is easier for me to instruct them and easier for them to learn from me.
Amy Davis
The characteristics of a learner will help us in the instructional planning process by getting to know their needs and where and how to help them. Most of our learner will have different backgrounds of education and by doing an initial assessment, the instructor will get a better understanding of where they need the most help and how we should assist the student.
Hi Kim,
I have found like you that by using a baseline measurement I get an accurate picture of where my students are in relation to the course we are starting. Did you develop your own baseline measurement or do you use a commercial one.
Gary
Knowing and identifying what students need only assist with the flow of the classroom. For example, I have them complete an assessment which can show me their skill level. With this, I can provide them with opportunities to learn based on their level of skills, while still maintaining my syllabus and staying on track with our learning objectives.
An understanding of learner characteristics helps in the instructional planning process since it gives the instructor an opportunity to tailor the classroom activities to the students' needs and experiences. For example, some students may need a review of certain specifics such as APA guidelines. Other students may be in a specific career already, and the instructor can offer case studies or role playing activities to enhance the students' skill sets in that specific career field. By tailoring classroom activities to meet the learning characteristics of the student population, an instructor can provide real-world applications that make the course more authentic and often increase student participation and retention.
Hi Nancy,
What a great complement to you and your efforts. You have selected assignments that are relevant and targeted to the learning needs of your students as evidenced by the student evaluations. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Because there are many forms of teaching, knowing the learning characteristics of yours students will help in choosing the best way to teach your materials. This will help keep the students attention and keep the class "fresh".
Understanding of learner charactoristics gives the instructor an insight as to "where the student is" in terms of experience, autonomy and learning style. This allows the instructor to plan and provide a learning environment that will enhance the students learning potential and increase the students potential for success.
I really feel that discussions should be relevant to the material being studied and that the purpose should be to help the students understand the material in greater depth. I require a high level of participation in the discussion boards in my classes and my students always comment about how much they enjoy that. On the midquarter surveys last quarter, I had a students comment that there were no assignments in the class that were a waste of time. That comment really meant a lot to me.
Hi Heather! Yes, when I taught medical terminology in a classroom setting, I developed and used games in my classroom. It really helped the students learn the material.
By understanding the learner characteristics we can plan our instruction to maximize student learning and effectiveness. In other words, we better understand the need of our students as well as how they learn. Therefore we can taylor our instruction toward the students and help them to be successful.
Hi Solita,
Thank you for sharing this example of how you can work with a student in a way that is supportive and assists with success. It sounds like she was able to to acquire the skills necessary and complete the course. I am sure she is excited about her future as result of all the effort you and your college put into her development.
Gary
