Denisse,
Can you expand on this a little more so I can understand your thinking on this? Thanks.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It does seem that the longer that I am in education, the more personality types I come to recognize. I don't mean to stereotype anyone, but often I will have a new student come through, and after learning more about them, I will say to myself, "hmmm, he's going to be a lot like John Doe." Actually, this can be good because all of the methods that were used on that personality type in the past, might be successfully employed again, and you don't have to reinvent your approach - not entirely.
Having an understanding of learning characteristics help in the instructional planning process because it will give the instructor an opportunity to know what materials would be appropriate for that particular class and how it should be delivered.
Help create successful lesson plans
Brian,
I think this is a great idea because with a diverse student population you and your students will gain knowledge about all kinds of different foods and preparation. I love learning about and eating foods from different countries so I would love to be a student in a class like yours. You are so right about how this increases the engagement of your students from other countries.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have found that by incorporating my students ethnic background into the lectures has made a student who may otherwise feel disadvantaged (due to language barriers)feel needed and capable of adding to the discussion. For instance, in my nutrition class there is a lecture dealing with dietary practices that are specific to a nationality - Greek, Italian, etc. By asking my students that come from places not included in the text they add to the class and tend to participate much more. Additionally it also decreases the alienation they experience when discovering that "their" country was overlooked by the book publisher.
MALCOLM,
I have had this experience as well with some of the courses I have taught. Always a challenge to get everyone involved in contributing to the class. Your area is a tough one because of the mental math block that some many adults come into class with. I am sure you have some activities laid out for your students that provide them foundational information as well as lets them interact with the students that further along in their working knowledge of Algebra.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I beleave that good comunacation with my students helps me lern there lurning stiyle
As the College Algebra instructor, at a few different campuses, I find some older adult students that never took Algebra in high school. As a result I need to start with the very basic skills and concepts in my teaching. This is great review for most of the remainder of the class, but still there are a few that a very bored but patient young students.
Danice,
Great way to provide engagement for your students. You are touching on their learning preferences in a way that will help them be successful and see how they can acquire the needed content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It helps tremendously. I make sure i target every type of learning in my class and look for the "light bulb" so i can be sure that they understand. I try different methods, if the first one doesn't seem to be grasping I move on to a different technique. It also helps me to pinpoint which students need more help than others.
AMANDA,
Great to hear about your teaching success to date. It will be a new experience when you have larger classes. The opportunities for different types of group activities will greatly increase as your student population increases.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
We have been very fortunate during my time with SBC in the DT program to have very small classes of 2-7 allowing for lots of focus to be placed on each individual student. I am new to teaching and have only experienced classes this size so I am more then ready for the challenge of a larger class. These courses will surely assist me in being able to handle a larger class.
Bart,
This is such an important part of instructional planning. The more you can learn about your students the better because then you can select instructional strategies that will keep them focused and moving forward in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
During the first few days of the semester, I try to get a lot of information about my students, previous experiences, backgrounds, goals, etc.., in order to adjust my teaching characteristics to the class.
During the first few days of the semester, I try to get a lot of information about my students, previous experiences, backgrounds, goals, etc.., in order to adjust my teaching characteristics to the class.
I also discuss and observe the various learning styles of my students. I then accommodate my class. It seems to help my students along the way.
Understanding the characteristics of different learners and in particular the learners in a specific class can assist the instructor in shaping the delivery of the material. An instructor may have students who best retain knowledge through eperiential learning while others lean more toward cases studies and/or discussion
Emily,
You make a number of very good points about how to get to know student better and what the outcome will be by knowing more about these students. By getting to know them you are also displaying the human factor as an educator and this is something that your students need to see from you early in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
If we truly understand the learning characteristics of each of our students, we are much better equipped to help each individual succeed and prepare for their careers. Some students may require more encouraging than others, they may need us to function as a support system for them because they do not have any other support. Other students may simply need occasional reminders about due dates and need someone to carry on a conversation with them throughout the course that helps them learn and relate their own experiences to the material. Understanding the best way to approach each learner will help us retain the most students we can and to help them each individually succeed.
