I like to have former students that have either just graduated to seasoned employees come in and help reinterate to the students that what is being taught in class both the book work and hands on experiences are used in equal amounts in their profession. I think students can sometimes believe that either all or part of the book work is just "busy" work and that they won't use it in their everyday professional life. Having a former student that is actually working in the field tell them that they felt the same way about portions of the program, but now realize they are using all that they learned in each class and no assignments were given just to give them something to do.
The students I teach are a very diverse group of individuals. Everything from their ages to their work/school backgrounds can be totally different, so by understanding how they learn and tailoring a lecture, game, or an in-class activity can be very challenging albeit useful way to impart the information that they must know. There have been some "epic-fails," as well as, sucesses when trying out a new or different way of teaching the content of our program. I do believe that even if an approach fails miserably, it still has a purpose, even if only to prove to some of the students that not everything goes as planned even if it was well thought out. Sometimes you just have to "roll with the punches" as they say. There have been times when the epic fail actually challenges me to retool the plan and it turns out much better than expected the 2nd time around.
By understanding where the student had come from, their past educational experiences, and what motivates them can assist when planning instructional strategies.
When in classroom with a mix of nontraditional adult learners and traditional students, using a variety of teaching methods such as hands on, guest speakers, group learning, and utilizing past experiences, can enhance the learning process for the entire class.
Every single student is different. If you walk into a class with the mindset that you are going to teach a specific way and not vary your teaching style to suit the needs of your students, you will not do your students any good. It is imperative we take the time to get to know our students and their individual needs in order to make a good decision on how to teach them. I have found that a good mix of lecture, focus groups, hands-on-learning and student lead learning are usually what will meet the needs of the majority of students.
Learner characteristics can dictate the method of instruction used or supplemental resources used in the classroom. Adult learners may appreciate case studies as they highlight direct applications of the lessons.
Ed,
I haven't reviewed learning preferences research recently so I can't give you references within the last year but I would suggest that you look at work that has been done by Dunn and Dunn. They have done extensive research in the area of learning styles and cognitive processing.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Most of my students are older and are hands-on learners. When it comes to teaching basic concepts it becomes a challenge. Trips to places they may be employed or hands on soon after the concepts was introduced helps.
Hi Gary,
I always tailor my courses to the particular group of students I have paying special attention to student contributions. If we are working on a section relating to toddlers I will try to get parents, both ones with current toddlers and ones with older kids to contribute. As far as learning types (which I saw mentioned below) I've been wondering since I haven't found any good research demonstrating that this is a useful distinction for an individual student. Is the research out there?
Gail,
Right you are about knowing what the motivators are for your students. Having this information sets the stage for you to customize your instruction in a way that engages the students and reinforces their motivators.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The more an instructor understands a students motivation,needs, and how they best learn, the more prepared the instrctor can be to successfully teach. Keeping communication open throughout the course helps the instructor track the students learning sucess and make adjustments as needed.
Mary,
You make a very key point in your last sentence. The student is there to learn and be a part of the career developing process and we need to keep this in mind as we do our instructional planning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
If you plan and carry out a lecture without thinking about what the students will actually be hearing/learning, and you really aren't con- sidering the way your students process the materials being presented, then I think you have
failed. Where are your students in the program,
rank beginners without even the vocabulary necessary to put the information into real thoughts. Or are they entering their final classes ready to do field practice...The instructor will have more successful students if they are more open to considering the students as being apart of the process not just an audience.
It helps you to learn more about your students therefore you may create a more receptive learning environment.
It helps you to place in your presentations many ways to learn. We sometimes are focused on how we learn and think that everyone learns the same way.
As a teacher you must understand the various backgrounds of your students in order to take into account those differences and therefore, be able to modify your course content delivery method if necessary.
By knowing the different characteristics and being able to find them in your students it will enable you to plan and create class activities to meet the diverse needs of all students.
Vivian,
It sure does. This is why an effort needs to be made to help the different age groups interact with each other and develop respect for what each group brings to the class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Paul,
This is a good observation. By having an understanding of the students you have in class you can target your instruction more accurately and keep them engaged at a higher level.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
There is usually a varity of learning styles within the classroom depending on the learners age, culture and motivation. The charateristics help the instructor decide on "hands on", guest speakers,etc., and/or a combination of styles to promote the process.
Teaching students of different age groups within a classroom make you realize the importance of understanding learner characterictics and its impact on the building of empowering the student to stay motivated and thrive for success.
