Hi Clayton:
Great blend of see, do, practice, remember. The more repititous lessons that are given this way, the more the students will remember and learn from the experience.
Regards, Barry
Hi David:
I agree that too much information on PPTs, including fancy transitions, animations, etc., tend to distract more than instruct. A little bit goes a long way. The focus should be on the instructor and the information they're providing, not the tool (PPT).
Regards, Barry
We have a set powerpoint made up for the instructor to teach. Alot of the material taught needs a second form of media. Not that the first doesnt work, but it helps to share another way to look at it. After going through some slides and a general idea and understanding has been laid out, find another way of looking at it. Most common for me to do is after discussing a topic, leave the seats and go see it live. We have the benefit of the lab being in the next room, so no time is waisted. I select multiple medias for each item to get a broad range of learners and keep all of us including myself interested.
Enhancing and simplifying the presentation increases students' attention and interest. I prefer Power Point because I can list the core pieces and expand as much as I want. I also prefer PP with no animation, so students are not distracted but stay focus on the information.
Hi James:
You got it! More variety will always add to your lesson. When students use more senses in their learning, they're more likely to retain the information.
Regards, Barry
When selecting media for class, I feel it is very important to use more than one media.Example-When using the power points, I will
pass around parts of the assembly involved. I will also write key points on the white board.This keeps the students attentive and involved instead of bored.
Hi Misty:
The more senses and variety invloved in a lesson will nearly always add to the students learning curve. Just throwing in stuff to fill time is plainly a waste. But when its integrated into the class topic and engages the students - that'll be the payoff!
Regards, Barry
Hi Edward:
I agree that the more opportunity a student has to get their hands on something related to their field the better understanding and retention of information they'll receive.
Regards, Barry
I have shown videos to provide more indepth or background information on a subject. Bringing the material to life is another reason I have selected certain media. To emphasize a point, to enhance content, and to illustrate a concept are also reasons I have used media to support my material.
I teach automotive and diesel classes at a Technical School. Power point and Whiteboard are fine for ideas and theory, but students need the "hands on" that parts or components give. I show pictures and videos of a synchronizer (to allow shifting gears in a manual transmission) and I see blank stares. I pass around a shaft with a working synchro, then you see the "lightbulbs" come on.
Hi Joe:
It appears you're using a lot of variet, which is good. Using multiple semses and delivery modes contribute positively to students understanding and retention of information.
Regards, Barry
Hi Brian:
Great! Mixing it up not only provides real world examples but helps keep variety and interest - two challenges instructors frequently have to overcome.
Regards, Barry
Prior to selecting a type of media, I review the learning outcomes and material. Different material lends itself to different media. For instance, statistics are often better presented with graphics such as power point and charts. Explainations of the charts can be further explained using chalk or white boards to emphasize a point, discussion or question. More motor oriented objectives may be better demonstrated with a model, video, or demonstration. I find many instructors donot invest enough time in analysis of their content and tend to fall bacl on what they are comfortable doing.
I often use a plethora of media selctions for my class...however this is dependant on the type of class I am conducting and at times the maturity level of the students...for instance on teach a Sanitation course I utilize video.....for an Cost control class I may use Power Point. This assists the students in providing how they can apply what they are learning to "Real world" examples.
Hi Armondo:
PPT can be quite a dramatic and impressive format for delivery of course content - perhaps especially for larger groups. Just have to remember that the media choesen should not be the focus of the class, rather it's the information contained in the media.
Regards, Barry
Hi Armondo:
Great! There are a lot of models out there. I suppose anyone of many is good as long as it gets the job done. Relating to classes individually tends to produce better results than boiler-plate instructional models.
Regards, Barry
i like the powerpoint presentation because it is a more clear and concise way of presenting information to a larger auduience.
I beleive every class is somewhat different in the ways to implement a learning enviroment to every student. Here at our company we've learned four learning styles that if we can manage to at least touch on in our lectures and labs we can capture a very large audiance.
Hi Myron:
It is apparent you try to do well by your students. That's terrific!
Breaking things up into constructive sections, or instructional sessions that focus on just 1-2 teaching points usually will be retained by students more readily than longer, jam-pacdked sessions.
Good luck as you continue to develop your craft.
Regards, Barry
Good question?
It varies class to class. I don’t like to keep the same bread and butter approach to each session. I try to base what I do and how I select it on the size and attitude of each class.
Some are more cohesive, while others are more separated. I might use media that tries to bring them together as a group.
Another reason for selecting media is the short attention spans of your average adult. It is anywhere from 5-15 minutes. And a long drawn out film or video seems to go in one ear and out the other if not broken up into sections.
