I teach interior design courses, and there are several ways I add additional sensory input to the normal visual and auditory learning experience.
1. When learning about the needs of special populations, the students have the opportunity to try their hand at navigating our building in a wheelchair, as well as wear special glasses that imitate various vision impairments.
2. When learning about interior materials, samples are passed around.
3. Field trips to tour various project types or observe potential clientele.
4. Doing - putting the lesson into practice via sketching, model-building, etc.
5. Soft background music during studio work times.
6. Samples of successful project work to show proper craftsmanship and technique.
Hi Carol:
This is a great idea to use the sense of touch in your class, which will definitely increase the learning for visual and kinesthetic types of learners.
Regards, Barry
a diversity of information by applying visual, hands on, hear and feel.
at the end evaluating the student on the above mention skills and see if student has acquired knoledge.
The adult learners in my math courses typically have been out of highschool for several years. They are nervous about taking the basic college math course for a variety of reasons. I have found that giving them visual and auditory demostrations of the concepts is not enough. They must practice the concepts, discuss the concepts and in most cases experiment with the concepts in an hands on activity. These types of inclusions help students understand and retain the concepts; as well as, break away their previous feelings of inadequacy.
Typically, I guide them through the hands on activity as an introduction to the concept. Then I demonstrate the concept. They practice the concept with in-class and out-of-class work. The next class period we revisit and discuss the concept before moving on.
Many students will comment during the term of the course, "I never knew math could be so easy. Why couldn't I get it when I was in highschol?" Another comment that I hear often is,
"This is the best math class, I have ever had. We actually do things that utilize the math concepts."
Hi Peter:
True, anyone who has ever smelled pseudomonas will never soon forget it! In general, if we can incorporate senses in learning, we increase the chance of addressing every type of learning style.
Regards, Barry
I feel blessed to be in the massage field. It is totally natural to use a variety of senses in the classroom. Even in the information heavy courses (kinesiology) I can use touch to emphasize and illustrate what we are studying. Movement is also important. It helps to get people out of their chairs and applying the things we are talking about.
Because I teach in the medical field, I large portion of our class time is spent with me demonstrating how to do procedures, and the students practicing and then performing the procedures in front of me. Each student is partnered with another so one can be the patient and the other can be the medical assistant. I rotate partners every few classes so my students can become used to working with different types of people - something I feel is a huge part of learning soft skills. So, in performing procedures, my students end up using all their senses to properly achieve a passing score. I hear so many of them say they learn so much more by actually doing rather than just hearing or reading the words out of a book.
I like playing games, such as Logical Fallacy Jeopardy. The students are playing for points and getting competitive while they are learning. Using media to create the Jeopardy game was fundamental to it's success.
A helpful strategy in helping students use senses in learning is encouraging students to be mobile in their class setting, getting out of te seat and engage the demo to get a better look at the material
I teach draping and pattern drafting for fashion design. I always have samples of the current project for the students to see and handle. I'll show them the completed paper pattern and finished sewn garment and continue to reference them as we work. The students then can come up and handle the samples as they work on their own. With the advent of cell phones with cameras and video, the students have started taking photos of the samples to aid them when working on the project at home. Some take video of me peforming some of the steps so they can study the technique. I haven't figured out how to incorporate tasting and smell into fashion yet, though!
My courses are hands-on. I give them demonstrations to show how something is used and then give them a similar situation for them to demonstrate what they've learned.
I totally agree with incorporating as many senses as possible. I teach general education courses that many students see as a "necessary evil". By constantly changing up how we deal with the concepts of the day, students' attention spans are better and students' involvement in the proceedings increase. I also find that "stories" grab their attention, stories that pertain the the concept at hand. It helps them to visualize and then add examples of their own.
Hi James:
You've made a great point about his applicaiton in a career. In the class, we're describing the use of the senses as another means of using variety in the learning environment, ultimately to try to address every type of learning style.
Regards, Barry
Hi Beverly:
In other words, using a variety of approaches can be the most effective way of addressing all learning styles.
Regards, Barry
Hi Sharon:
IN other words, by using the senses and/or a variety of teaching methods, we can more efficiently address all types of learning styles.
Regards, Barry
Geratric Massage: I ask them questions (verbal) for the class to answer. Give them visual back-ups for reinforced learning (powerpoints, pictures,role playing scenario flashcards, etc.) Remind them to go back in time and have them explain how a scenery in their grandmother's home either looked or smelled (smell). I have them start to massage a wrinkled piece of fruit or something frail(touch).
Having the students tie these together, is very helpful for them to connect with the fact that this generation is a tangible subject and their able to connect to the learning from an easier perspective.
We can encourage students to use multiple senses by modifying our delivery to include multiple elements. For example, instead of just standing at the front of the room lecturing, move around, engage the students, use the white board, keep them active and involved by utilizing the computers for some hands-on work. In other words, don't just concentrate on hearing a lecture, make it more involved and you'll get better results.
It helps to vary the method/media of delivery. Audio, visual, live animation all can be varied and therefore help keep the student interest high. They experience something new and on top of that, if your delivery is from you to them it helps to solicit responses from them to get them to deliver answers to surveys or questions to you.
The idea is to convey meaningful information to the students in ways that will have impact to make a difference so they learn and retain the information imparted.
Hi Dahlia:
This is especially true for career based courses, although, any learning environment that can incorporate a hands on style is most likely what will be recalled by the student.
Regards, Barry
Hi Cindy:
That's right! To broaden this a bit, using a variety of teaching techniques helps us as instructors to make sure we teach to every type of learning style.
Regards, Barry
