Hands on learning active learning
I teach at a culinary school which is very hands on and active? Would you say that this involves active learning or is there much more to that?
Hi Greg,
I agree! As an instructor we should have varied teaching methods, such as lecture, group projects, hands-on activities, scenarios, simulations, mock learning, field trips, etc.
Patricia Scales
Hands on works well, but we also need to reinforce the lecture and text with this method. Too often the student will fall to the " only way I can do this is hands on" most all adults can read they just fall out of it. They lose the habit of need of information. To learn and strive too be better we need all type of learning.
Hi Matt,
I like how you get your students involved in the lecture component.
Patricia Scales
Hi Jennifer,
Hands-on activities are great to determine if students are grasping a concept or not.
Patricia Scales
I also teach at a culinary school. A key part to remember though, is that while, yes the cooking element is active learning, we still have the lecture element too.
During the lecture portion, which can be 3hrs+ a day, I try to not only incorporate demos, but also involve the students with those as well. For example, if I am cooking, I'll have a student there with me walking through the same steps.
The student is chosen at random, and they alternate through the term. It often helps bring up questions about the work they will be replicating the next day.
Hi Yingwei
I teach at a culinary school too. I think we would consider active learning during the lecture portion of the class. For example- product ID, our demos and how the students help us, introducing new topics that require a hands on activity. Just some ideas :)
I teach IT and just about every project or class assignment I hand out is hands-on. Some people are afraid to "jump right in" and solve problems for fear of breaking stuff or looking like a fool, but I always assure them that just because I teach a subject does not mean I can't think of better ways of doing things or know everything there is to know about a topic. The trick is in trying to make it real and relevant while at the same time keeping it simple so that students can build up their confidence. Everyone is different but I believe hands-on to be very beneficial in a classroom because it's not very likely an employer will tell you to theorize a problem - they want results and the more practice people have hands-on the better off they will be.
Hi Yonne,
I know, students always want the application part, but we as instructors have to get them to understand the importance of the theory aspect so that they fully understand the application portion.
Patricia Scales
I teach medical coding which is hands on. My student are more eager to get to the actual coding activities rather than hearing the history.
Hi Dewayne,
Students love it when they can apply what they have learned. This is real learning taking place, putting book theory into action.
Patricia Scales
Hi Daneen,
You are right! Active learning is just getting the students involved. If they get to eat and share what they have cooked, this makes it even more involved/active.
Patricia Scales
I think that cooking is the definition of active learning. It gives students the opportunity to create delicious food while actively learning about the process of cooking
My pharmacy technician students really enjoy learning why pharmaceutical compounding is important and then using the different techniques they just read about.
Hi Yingwei,
Hands-on is certainly a form of active learning. Students love it when they can learn through utilizing hands-on activities.
Patricia Scales
