I constantly change my instructional style based on the students I have sitting in my class. We obviously have to appeal to the visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc., learners, but also realize that what's effective with one group of students is not necessarily going to be effective with another. I think it's important to really get to know and "feel out" who your students are and what they are looking for.
I teach Medical Billing and Coding. It is important for us to know our material but it also very important for us to bring "real life" examples to the table, so they can see why we are emphasizing the things that we are. It is one of the reasons we were hired because of our experience in the field so to incorporate it is also very important.
You are absolutely correct. Knowing your audience is the key to connecting with them. I have some students with a vast amount of experience and others that are new to the field - all in the same class. Even with the same material each term, my instructional style changes and adapts depending on each new set of students.
Hi Gerardo,
Good strategy. What are some ways you engage your students in the day to day class preparation?
Gary
Engage the students in a day to day class preparation
Hi Patricia,
Good comments about finding balance with your students and their learning differences. This is what being an observant instructor is all about. You are customizing your instruction without lowering your standards which is critical in the preparation of students.
Gary
keeping up with the industry changes and government guidelines in coding and billing. By being prepared for the next days / weeks class assignments, but not getting too regulated so that I can address their individual needs as we go. I don't want to hold back students that seem to pick up medical terms and coding easily but at the same time not run off from the struggling students.
My instructional style is more on a personal style. I share my work experience with my students, as well as, some personal experience that I think would provide the students motivation and encouragement. Each student’s comprehensive and learning ability is different, so I feel that getting to know each student’s ability in this area is a plus. Basically, keeping an “open-door†approach whereas the students feel they are able to come to you when they do not understand a specific topic.
Tunessa, in agreement with Professor Meers; this approach as mentioned is a great opportunity to build student confidence. Addtionally, for students to receive immediate feedback and reinforcement allows them to later reflect on those things that they are doing correctly. Also constructive criticism at such an appropriate time will bring to light those things being performed incorrectly.
I teach 2 very critical courses- Anatomy and Physiology and Microbiology. I usually lecture using power points and I provide handouts to break up the content and make it easy for the student to understand. It is always very important that I keep my students engaged and focused or else i often lose them. So, I always make sure that my lessons are very structured and systematic and I like to keep my class very interactive and make sure that everyone is participating rather than just me lecturing. I go back and forth between previously taught concepts so that students understand that in science concepts build upon each other. This way students not only learn how to weave concepts together but also review previously taught materials.
Hi Tunessa,
This is a good way to build student confidence. By letting them perform these tasks independently you are helping them to see what they can do and what they need to work on. It is a progressive building of skills that will really prove valuable when they are on their own.
Gary
Hi Anthony,
So true. Passion is catching as is enthusiasm. If you are excited about your area and are prepared to share it with your students they in turn will get excited about learning it.
Gary
Hi Shaun,
Good professional development idea. Watching someone else teach can give you much insight into how you want to approach your own classroom.
Gary
Techniques that I can employ on the day to day clinical is allowing my students to perform as many independent hands on task as posible. I like to take a step back and safely observe offering guidance and constructive criticism.
Display a passion for what we are teaching. Instruct,motivate,engage and create an environment for true learning.
An instructor could mentor with a successful instructor or take additional classes to improve instruction. An instructor could also observe other classrooms.
Hi John,
There is something about grasping an object and viewing it up close that really helps to reinforce the knowledge retention for students. Good strategy in using the pass-a-rounds.
Gary
I try to always incorporate some pass arounds to go along with the lecture portion of class. This way the students can see what we are talking about,how it works , and can identify where it is located. This helps all types of learning styles and makes the classroom more enjoyable. When i do get the students in lab to practice what we have talked about, it seems to go very smoothly with lots of Q&A on other things involved with lecture.
Hi Gale,
Thanks for sharing your ideas and this strategy with us. I know it will be of value to other instructors.
Gary
I am not new to teaching. I've taught in elementary and high school. The college atmosphere is the RIGHT place for me!
One technique that I use is...on the first day of class we determine what our learning styles are (Visual, Auditory, Read/Write and/or Kinesthetic) and I accomidate their learning styles. I hope this assists someone.
