For as long as I can remember, I was told that learning occurred by hearing, seeing, and/or hands-on. I try to vary those options in every class. I need to vary using my senses in order to enjoy teaching the course too. Hopefully, these variations keep students awake and attentive.
Hi Jeff:
I think the best response to your question would be this - no matter what the topic, we instructors can be creative and make other learning methods other than lecture or demonstration. The potential problem is that doing so takes time, time that many may not realistically have to create new models.
Regards, Barry
Hi Miriam:
I think most students have a little bit of all three, but probably one is more dominant. If we can determine what sense is more dominat, we can cater to their individual needs.
Regards, Barry
Have the students discover what kind of learners they are: kinesthetic, visual, auditory or a combination. Then they can develop their study skills as well as the instructor adjusting their delivery skills so that the students can learn based on their learning method.
Hi Fran:
People in general rely so much on sight. That's OK, but suppose we could double the amount of information retention by developing our other senses? The senses aready exist, it's just a matter of developing a greater awareness of their significance and enhanced senstivity to the information they produce.
Regards, Barry
Hi Cristian:
Good example of senses. The trick is to use these senses in the learning process, which you've given a couple of examples. Actually, I think probably all classes could incorporate more senses in their classes, nearly ad much as culinary.
Regards, Barry
In culinary, all senses are envolved; I've had students do blind tasting for example; but also touch and smells of foods before preparation
It's a good idea to use your sight I like to teach my students it's always a good idea to put your self in the patients seat see things they see and hear what they hear so we can make them more comfortable
Hi William:
Wonderful! A variation of this exercise is often performed in anatomy and/or physiology classes. It's amazing how much we rely on multiple senses to function in our daily activities.
The creative part is to encorporate some of the outcomes of this exercise into the daily lesson plan in an effort to improve retention of essential materail.
Regards, Barry
Hi Kenan:
Super! I'm sure the dramatiuc effects of this exercise is remembered. Applying it to their lessons will also require some creative thought for it to be meaningful.
Regards, Barry
Hi David:
Creativity seems to be the key word here. Keeping a room ful of students intereted, attentive and focused takes a creative instructor who has put some thoght into how to involve senses in their daily activities.
Regards, Barry
Everyone learns in different ways; its important to know your students and its important to get the message across to each and every student. Its imperative to interact with each student and be creative in your lesson.
Hi Kris:
Usually, I've found that any activity that requires the student to get up and move around is going to benefit them ain a greater way, either because of the physical movement, or by virture of activities typically involve multiple senses and thus, better retention.
Regards, Barry
Breaking students into small groups and making them talk through problems and write down the ideas on a white board helps them get a better understanding of the material.
Hi Sarah:
Great examples! More sense is going to result in better retention and transfer to long term memory. Once there, it's more likely to add to the incredible capacity the brain has for information storage.
Regards, Barry
I teach Anatomy and Physiology at a massage therapy school and lecture through power point presentions. I think this is the best method for my class to incorporate pictures along with the most important concepts/terminology in the chapter. Students are required to take notes and follow along in their textbooks. I really think this eye/hand activity is helpful to process all the information. After lecture, they are able to have activities, handouts, discussion time to integrate the lecture material. When writing on the white board I try to use different colors for different concepts. Also I like to diffuse lemon and lavender essential oils because they help to wake up the brain so the students is refreshed and attentive.
Hi Angela:
Wonderful! All these are great examples of senses. Sensory stimulation by more senses will result in better retention of information. Color, demo's, labs, and critical thinking exercises utilize more senses, and can be used for enhanced learning.
Regards, Barry
Hi Robert:
Smell can definetity be used in many if not nost learning settings for the very reason you state - we can associate something we already know (recall, memory) with something we need to know, hopefully leading to long term memory. Creative teachers can always find a way to enhace learning through sensory stimulation.
Regards, Barry
Hi Robert:
You're right about the power of engagement through hands on. The hands, especially have nearly all of the senses that can add to tactile enhancement of learning through doing!
Regards, Barry
I like to start my classes with a hands on or exploratory exercise. One lesson planning technique I learned and use is the 5E Model: Engage, Explore, Explain, Expand, and Evaluate. I find it a very helpful technique to structure lessons. Hands on or multi-sensory learning can easily be incorporated into the Engage or Explore phases.
An example might be DNA extraction. I could start the lesson and, with previously extracted DNA, ask the students to feel how ropey and gritty it feels. Most students find it very interesting that they can actually handle this mysterious substance they've heard so much about on crime shows!
