Incorporating all four learning styles is a great way to make sure you are connecting with all your students. "Hands On" is one of the most used techniques, as I am an instructor at a culinary school. I demonstrate using a variety of learning styles through my demonstration. After my demo is over, the students then get to be hands on and mock what I just have shown them.
HI Alicia- Thanks for your post to the forum which gives us an excellent example of how to teach to the kinesthetic learning style! Do you find that most of your students are kinesthetic?
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Discussing instructional approaches for the kinesthetic learner should come of ease because my instruction caters mainly to that learner everyday. Since kinesthetic learners need to do it to know, we as chef instructors, provide them a hands on demonstration. For example, if we are making a mousse, we blend the ingredients in front of the student, then allow them to taste. This allows them to feel the texture while obtaining a visual of the item. The student is then asked to complete the very same item at their own station. We provide feedback during their grading giving them an instructional approach that they can relate to.
I like the concept of making the students do what they will be doing when they leave the school. I teach veterinary technician students and have found that if I give them a lab task they are more comfortable with the learning and the lecture starts to make more sense to them. Hands on is the only way for them to fully understand the in's and out's of the profession.
Hi Matt - Thanks for your post to the forum. I would have thought that students in culinary programs would be constantly doing "hands-on" tasks like chopping, measuring etc. Were you speaking of the Supervisory class that you teach?Best wishes- Susan
Hi Joe- I like the idea of drawing a concept a lot! It really makes the students think about it on a deeper level and therefore reinforces the concept in their memeory and understanding.Thanks for sharing! Susan
In a lecture class it is difficult to do Hands On - I teach in a culinary school so I have the students perform hands on activities that relate to culinary and supervision.
One of the activities is to have the students train other students on some culinary operation. The student has to design the training program following a training plan and then put the plan into action, the student is evaluated by their peers on how well they performed the training and how well the trainee learned.
Each unit in the supervision class I try to have a hand on component to practice what they have learned.
I enjoy having students attempt to draw (althouh being an artist is not a requirement) a concept on paper, utilzing colored pencils and paper. Utilizes the touch.
Hi Andy -Thanks for your post to the forum. Although there are exceptions, I agree, most of the Graphic design students I have encountered are indeed visual or kinesthetic learners. Best wishes- Susan
I think I have an advantage here due to the fact that I teach graphic design/visual communications and in my 8 plus years experience I've seen that these types of learners a quite successful in this field. The assignments they complete are learning a particular style by seeing it first and applying that style to a specific project with contrasting objectives.
Hi Lindy - Thank you - that's a good point! We probably too often "clear the decks" in an effort to have our classrooms appear more organized. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
As an instructor, I always found it important to keep the hands on learning out. Meaning, I have always found that if you leave the materials for the demonstration out on the desks/tables, students can constantly work with the materials and also it helps the viusal learner at the same time.
Hi Bernie - thanks for your post to the forum. Another benefit of having students volunteer to demo is that as you coach the student through it the technique is reinforced in their minds. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Good idea. I leave plenty of time during demonstrations and also ask my students if they want to try what I have demonstrated. I tell them that this is the best time to get practice because all the tools and material are there, and I can give the volunteer individual attention.
Bravo Germain- You are demonstrating active learning at its best! Best wishes - Susan
It is true that connecting multiple learning styles takes more time. This is why I would suggest not waiting to do so until after a first class session including a learning styles inventory (contrary to the module's suggestion). It would be best to pre-plan for this at least a couple of weeks before the class is scheduled to meet. If, after the class has begun, it is apparent that a majority of learners fall in one or two categories, adjustments can be made so that those learning styles receive the most reinforcement.
When I do demos, I use the step-by-step method referenced earlier in this thread, and combine this with the "do's and don'ts" approach you describe. So, for every step I discuss possible pitfalls.
Because each student is an individual with a unique creativity, I encourage students to provide possible solutions before I step in as the expert voice with the "textbook/traditional" solution. This way, they feel ownership of the technique and find it easier to remember what they learned.
Incorporating all 4 learning styles into each class, keeps it interesting for all types of learners. It is not hard to please the kinesthetic learner with teaching in the medical field. There is a lot of moving around with learning
Hi Eric- Thanks for your post to the forum. You have described our kinesthetic learners perfectly! How do you approach the necessity of learning to read manuals etc.? I know that this can be a real problem. Susan
Kinesthetic learners prefer to learn "hands-on". That being said, instructional approaches should including doing a task, not talking about it. For example, rather than discussing a wiring schematic, I would have the learners build and test the wiring harness. With this type of learner, spending hours discussing the topic will just bore them. In lecture or demonstration you will only have their attention for about 20 minutes tops. Give them the need to know information and put them to work. They will learn best through their own mistakes and discovery.
