Heather,
This approach increases the value of the course content to the students. When they can hear and learn of examples of how the content can be applied they become more excited about what they are learning. Also, they start to see the relevancy of the course in relation to their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I like to do group activities where they work together to organize definitions and terms from the lecture or organize information into appropriate categories. It is also helpful to go through clinical case examples and use the information they just learned and have the students discover how they can apply to these cases. Having a practical example helps with retaining the new information.
Andrea,
Right you about the need to help students to make application of the new content as well as see the relevance of what is being taught. This increases the value of the course to the student.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Students will retain information the more that they apply it to relevent and real-life situations. As mentioned in the previous section, case studies or lab work can be a more tactile way of putting lecture and notes to work, and can help the students more fully understand the importance of what they are learning ... and help them see just how much they have learned. By letting students work in groups on these kind of exercises, it also takes the pressure off and can make it a more fun experience.
Hi Richard,
This strategy is definitely adult friendly. But one thing is to try to control debates as they may transform your class to a talk show activity. But it is a very effective strategy.
Tammy,
There is a saying that supports this approach. The saying is "To teach is to learn twice, once as a student and again as a teacher." For students this is true as well. Helping others has them in the material or skill area both as students and as a learning leader. This increases the retention level of the content for the helper students as well as those being assisted.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
The best way for a student to show what they learned is to teach someone else how to do it themselves. Once the instructor has reviewed the procedure, student had applied the concept and had time to practice. Each student will have the opportunity to show another students how to complete the task using the instructions given. The task given should not be very technical in nature and be fun.
Bruce,
Students really perk up with stories from the field. Sharing them increases the value of the course content to the students as they see relevance and application to what is being taught.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Open their minds with your stories of failures and successes.
Nathan,
Having had the opportunity to "play" with some of these mannequins I am amazed at how effective they are. You and your students are fortunate in deed that they are available for instruction and skill development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
As a clinical instructor, I use the simulation lab to apply theory into the practical world. It is an excellent and safe way to provide direct care to patients without the risk of injuring them. Our high fidelity mannequins simulate real physical responses. Our RN and LVN students appreciate the realism and gain the confidence and critical skills needed for the "real world." I believe that our sim lab is a tool the bridges theory to hands on application.
Billy,
You have developed a good sequence to your instruction. Immediate use of newly acquired knowledge is valuable to students in terms of seeing relevance and application of content. This is what increases the retention of content but also increases the value of the course to students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Even though I am new to teaching. I have found that after I give a lecture and then I assign an reading assignment and then have the class perform that new skill right away. I have that the retention of the new skill was greatly increased.
Raina,
Repetition is a powerful learning tool and you are using it in multiple ways to get your message across and your content shared. I know you are engaging your students through these methods and their learning is being enhanced. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I help my students retain knowledge by covering a single topic in a multitude of ways. I'll lecture, wach videos, and break them up into groups to cover any given topic. I also try not to lecture for long amounts of time with out activity breaks because I've found they seem to start tpo tune out about 30min into a lecture
Edwin,
You are using a good strategy to help your students acquire the foundational knowledge and skills of the field. The more forms of repetition you can use the better. There is a saying that "to teach is to learn twice" and I believe it is true. By having students to demonstrations they are getting the chance to learn twice and share with others. This is going to help them get this information sealed in their working memories for use when they are out in the field.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
When I teach I use a lot repetitive information of what I expect them to retain and I will usually start off with "this is important to remember". A lot of what we do in the course requires the students to perform activities on HVAC equipment where they will demonstrate their abilities. When I ask for a student to demonstrate a particular task I want it to be the student who has the least confidence to do the demonstration since the other students will remember more what was done wrong than was done right. Always give feedback on assignments or tasks even if there are no errors since students are not always sure that they were correct in their responses, procedure or content.
Nieva,
This is what instructional planning is all about. This way everyone is on the same page in terms of expectations and understanding. This enables the learning process to go forward to the benefit of each and every student.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Students get the program calendar at the beginning of class and for sure they forget what is in it.
I create a checklist which has the calendar for the week , and i add the assignments for every day in the following pages.
Students condition themselves that they have to be in class for the lectures and discussions because these will help them with the assignments and projects. It is almost the same routine daily and the repetition of the routine reinforces.
Edward,
"Ah-ha" moments are what keep many of us coming back to the classroom or lab year after year. We do impact the lives of our students and help them create a future for themselves and this makes all of our work worth it when such a moment occurs.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
