The majority of the classes I teach are around 5 hrs long. This can be even difficult for me to stay motivated for some classes. I usually like to start class with covering our goals and objectives for the day. Then a short lecture. I like to send them to break and when they come back I give a demonstration or group activity. I try to give all learning styles I can for each student, but it isn't possible everyday. I do try to add in lecture, visual, and tactile to most classes.
Presentation of the materials is varied between lectures, group work, field trips, demonstrations and student presentations.
Mark,
Right you are. What are some ways that you get to know your students so you know what techniques to use that will be most effective with them?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You have to know how your students learn and incorporate as many techniques as possible.
Angela,
Great use of multiple intelligences in the learning process. This way each student has an opportunity to internalize information in a way that gives value to that individual and is made a part of their working memory.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach Early Childhood classes and I strive to incorporate Gardener's Multiple Intelligences into every lesson. I try to model how to prepare lessons that incorporate different learning preferences. At the end of each session, I have my students identify which activity was meant for which particular learning preference. Then we discuss how I could have done things differently.
Stacey,
Thank you for sharing this example with us. It is a great strategy and I know it will be of help to other instructors, especially those that are just starting their teaching careers.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I have learned how each student learns. I had a student that had issues doing care plans. I took cp and broke it into sections so it was not so hard and over whelming. folded the paper into quarters. when she unfolded it the care plan was complete and she was able to see the picture as a whole
I try to have a variety of different styles of teaching throughout my week. If I do lectures the first day, I try not to do that again until the end of the week of every other day. Now that I have read about lecturing for 15 to 20 minutes and giving breaks I may change that. But I have found that different styles of teaching keeps my students more engaged throughout the course.
Students learn in a variety of ways, and it is our jobs as instructor to insure that we incorporate several of these methods into our teaching style to ensure that we engage all the types of learners in our classrooms.
We used accelerated learning modules which aim at preparing students for entry level positions in a medical field. Most of these students have chosen this type of schooling because they are not comfortable in a more standard college format with semesters and lecture based instruction. I still need to present the content via lecture but I have learned to break up lecture with group work, case studies, and labwork.
MICHAEL,
Repetition is a powerful learning tool that many classrooms and labs no longer use. The human brain needs repetition so the information and skills can be embedded, stored and be ready for use later on. Good strategy to follow.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I teach computer drafting and much of it it is repetition. I teach the student to understand how the software thinks and the repetition comes naturally. They love it.
DAVID,
This is such good advice for instructors to consider, especially new instructors. By taking a "reading" of students and their body language you are able to adapt to their needs and provide support as required. This is what responsive instruction is all about.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
You can typically get a sense of how the information you are delivering is being received and if the students are grasping the concepts through involvement, body language and facial expressions. I make sure I remain vigilant in watching for these cues to see where I may have to provide a new and different approach. Being a father of a child with disabilities has actually been a blessing in this aspect. I have become very familiar with the fact that many people don't learn the "standard" way, but are capable of learning nonetheless. So when I notice what I call the "twist face" I elaborate more using a different method, be it visual, tactile or other. Being aware of your audience you can often save that student that would otherwise flounder because they are too embarrassed or uncomfortable to ask a question.
Jared,
Students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery and you are offering just that with this approach. I know your students appreciate how you keep their interest.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I mix up different approaches. Normally start with lectures and then by showing examples. After that I give students time for their own trial and error. I talk to individuals and then go back to lecturing the class as a whole.
Jenalee,
This is a good balance for all students. They get to see relevance and application both in the lecture and the lab portion of their classes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
John,
This is a good practice to follow as it lets the students immediately apply their newly acquired knowledge. This helps to seal the content in their working memory and they then can have it available for use when needed in the future.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Our career is majority hands on work. However, there needs to be a basic knowledge behind the work prior to performing the required skills. Our setup is 1 hour lecture prior to a 2 hours in clinic time for the clinical course classes. There are definitely students who are more comfortable in the classroom setting and students who are more comfortable with the hands on setting. Learning about the different types of styles helps in teaching different students.
