Use a Variety of Teaching Methods
How a student learns can very from student to student. Using a variety of teaching methods and presentation techniques will help to reach the whole audience.
Yes- I always take a survey the first day of class to find out everyone's learning style so I know how to better align that quarters class to meet their needs.
Someone once told me to think like a 30minute TV show. Every 8 minutes the show breaks for a commericial, thats planned in order to keep your attention. So since I teach a 4 hour class, every 45 minutes I change teaching/learning styles. Maybe change from lecture to handson, then from handson to learning.
It's a challenge for me and my students seem to like the change.
I know, also, that saying or teaching the same thing in a variety of ways can bring on the "aha" moment from different students. Their understanding and retention gets deeper and deeper by getting the same information in a variety of ways.
Not only do students learn by different methods but teaching in a variety of methods also helps get the information across in different venues and it makes for not so boring classes. I know that I myself get bored teaching the same way all the time and enjoy teaching in different arenas.
I know that everyone does not learn in the same manner,so why teach one way. You will reach more of your students by using diffrent methods of teaching.
