Mindy,
I wish you much success in helping this student to overcome his/her fear factor. You are right about drawing upon their experiences so they can use them in the class. This really helps with their self esteem and confidence as well as over coming their fears.
Gary
It helps the instructor gear lectures and classroom activities to learner characteristics. In this manner, the students will not feel overlooked and can participate in some of the activities if not all.
It helps the instructor gear lectures and classroom activities to learner characteristics. In this manner, the students will not feel overlooked and can participate in some of the activities if not all.
Understanding the learners characteristics helps in preparing and relaying the information to the student for better understanding. I have had students in my class where I could sit down and talk with them and know exactly what it is that I need to do to assist them to be success in their chosen field. Taking the time out to understand your students benefits not only the student but the instructor also because the information is delivered properly to the student the first time with understanding. The instructor needs to understand what it is that he/she needs to learn also to be a helpful source to the student.
I think that it will help insturctors plan more purposeful lectures and keep things from getting stale. Most students will tune out very quickly if things are given in the same old monotone. As the course has said, adult learners want to know how the school subjects are going to be used in "real life." Just last night, had some students say that the medical word "stump the student" game I presented was fun and they learned a lot that way! It helped them see that the word endings they were learning now were used in everyday medicine. Mindy Smith, RN
I'm not sure if I'm correct on this, but it seems that with adult learners who come from different backgrounds and different skill sets that they have learned from other educational courses and jobs that there might be a way to tailor a little bit of the class material to their way of working with things and make them feel a little bit more relaxed about a course. I like the comment that someone said that if you acknowledge a learner's fear they can start to move past it. I'm working out a plan right now for someone with a fear of computers. Mindy Smith
The more I know about my students, the more I can feed into my instructional development plan for any particular lesson. On the first day of class we do a cartoon type introduction. Where the students describe (Expectations, Hope for improvement, Proudest accomplishment, and How others perceive them) by uisng simple drawings on the board. This exercise is fun, informal, and creates an incredible amount of insight.
Nicholas,
You are right on target with your thinking. I think it is a bit of mental paraphrasing but that is ok. Don't want to get hung up on that but do want to stay focused on meeting the learning preferences of the students and providing the needed support.
Gary
According to the lesson, understanding learner characteristics is the basis for coming up with methods to better support the learning and retention of the students in the class.
That makes sense to me, but, maybe I'm jumping the gap somehow, I feel like determining approaches to the students to better show tailored support is already a support mechanism in and of itself.
Am I not seeing some part of the greater picture, or am I just mentally paraphrasing...?
By understanding learners characteristics, you can more easily adapt to their learning style and be able to teach them on a more personal level
This is so important in the learning process. You have to know your student and what is going to help them retain the information forever. Not just to pass the class.
I feel that it is necessary to totally understand the characteristics of all learners
I agree totally, you have to reach all students in your class and their individualized learning styles.
I teach in an environment where the majority of the student population is made up of adult learners. So knowing there individuals characteristics pairing that with the fact that they have experiece helps to prepare course materials that create a dialog on how they have similar/different experiences with the subject matter. This helps retain the material to be learned and create acceptance among classmates.
A person can structure his/her planning process by utilizing both the strengthes and weaknesses of each learner characteristic
allows you to plan a course that well rounded for all your students
I try not to focus on one type of instruction. I tend to mix visual and tactile activities in both my classroom as well as lab so that I can allow the majority of my students to engage in more than one aspect.
Use open-ended questions to draw out students' knowledge and experiences
Take time to clarify student expecatations of the course
Treat questions and comments with respect
Engage students in designing the learning process
Use a variety of teaching materials and methods to take into account differences in style, time, types, and pace of learning
I attempt to address different learning styles by using handouts, writing on the whiteboard using illustrations, powerpoints, the demonstration of the new skill and referencing the skill in the real world.
When you can illustrate where the new skill can be used, they are typically more enthusiastic about learning it and see the need to aquire the skill.
I think understanding leaner characteristics helps in planning the direction of the course and the method of the instruction. Most of my students are adults who are working full time and have families. For many, they are sacrificing valuable family time for the long term betterment of their family. I try and understand this sacrifice and try to make the most of class time. I also try not to give any unnecessary assignments that require more time away from family. Many times I allow the last 30 or 45 minutes of class for students to complete an assignment or work on a project.
