Maybe I'm just naive but the best approach I have toward kinesthetic learner is to LET kinesthetic learners be kinesthetic.
Generally speaking they take care of themselves if you let them. I think that what a lot of instructions think are disruptions: unsolicited feedback during lecture, pen tapping, movement of students, etc. are kiensthetics being kinsthetics.
While classroom control and management is necessary I think some latitude has to be made for the student that NEEDS to move to be engaged.
I have to agree. Case studies and class participation seem to work well with Kineshetic learners.
I even have role playing case studies to allow for Kinesthetic learners to become more involved in the learning process.
In my class I demonstrate the procedure and then allow the student to try. This allows them to see how to correctly do it and then immediately practice themselves to it stays fresh in their mind.
Hi Kenneth - Thanks for your post to the forum that gives us some great ideas for dealing with kinesthetic learners. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Wow Patricia- What creative ideas!! You are obviously an instructor motivated to think outside the box and your students are the beneficiaries of your extra effort! Best wishes- Susan
HI Melanie - Absolutely brilliant! I will share this with our Writing faculty asap. Best wishes
Over my years of teaching I have been surprised by how much movement, even if it is unrelated to the content being taught in the class, helps kinesthetic learning with information intake. I have seen students massage smooth stones during lectures to enhance information intake and retention. The students were convinced that outcomes were improved by the process. I would love to see research supporting or refuting those types of experiences.
In nursing, I have taken challenging material such as infectious disease charts with information about signs & symptoms, treatments and nursing considerations (ho,hum! How boring to learn this off of a chart) from textbooks, copied it, laminated it, and cut it into pieces. Students work in small groups to assemble the chart without referring to their text. The mechanics of putting the chart together is not the skill I am after, but kinesthetic learners (as well am most students) seem to benefit from the movement of working with the pieces as well as the critical thinking associated with putting it all together correctly.
Make sure they have a lot of application in the classroom. That is key.
These are obviously your "hands on" folks. What I like to do with them is either analyse or synthesize something. In other words, I may give them different components or solutions to a problem or concept on small pieces of paper then have them match up these papers with the correct concept or a solution that may work best with a specific problem. I also like to have them come up with potential solutions to problems themselves.
I may also have them "build up" a more complex concept via providing simpler steps, grades, or various possible components of the concept and have them put it in the correct order or most advantageous order.
For actual procedures, I may give these folks a problem or a procedure of what I want them to learn and have them figure it out for themselves. I am only there to provide guidance - where to look up information on the problem, provide some tips, answer questions, provide encouragement and support. I am not there to show them or do it for them but only to guide. If I have to explain a procedure, I explain it to the student while they are doing it, not watching me. Again, they learn better by doing.
Out of all the students, I find these the most challenging to teach when they are in a class where you have to impart information - which is usually done via a lecture format. What I have often done with these students is monitor their interest levels and try to give them frequent breaks, provide problems to the theoretical concepts I am teaching and have them arrive at a solution to the various problem, have them come up with real world examples to the concepts I am teaching, or challenge them to come up with a problem and solution to the problem using the knowledge they have gained through the lecture. I encourage them to use other styles of learning - as theirs can be the most challenging when learning new things via the imparting of information - then apply that knowledge to specific problems.
Fortunately, a lot of these students gravitate towards professsions where hands-on learning is most beneficial. They, unfortunately, become quite bored in those professions where aquiring knowledge through reading or listening is required or the primary mode of learning.
Fortunately it is quite easy to adapt the lesson for kinesthitic learners during the discussion of the skeletal system. The students can touch, take apart the skeleton and manipulate each bone and landmarks they are identifying.
After reviewing the material for module 1 and seeing this question, I started to think about my foundations of writing courses. We were discussing sentence fragments the last class period, and I was thinking about using something like magnetic poetry (or just strips of paper with various words written on them since I wouldn't have access to enough magnetic poetry sets) during class. The students could either work individually or as part of a small group to put sentences together. This would appeal to students that are more "hands on", and it would be a much more interactive activity than simply going through different sentences on a handout (which is what I did the other day).
This could be especially effective because I could then go around the room and ask the students what happens when I take a certain word or phrase out of the sentence.
You would want to use hands on techniques so they can learn more efficiently.
I love this! I'm a massage instructor and I could totally use this, thank you for sharing!
Hi Thomas- Thanks for your post to the forum that gives us a great example of assessing skills. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Thomas- Thanks for your post to the forum. The key is not to look for "a" tool, but rather to utilize lots of different techniques as often as possible. For example, as you lecture use a PowerPoint, pass around some relevant items if possible, give out hand-outs etc. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I teach technology courses. The cool thing about computers is that they create a visual, auditory and interactive learning experience. Whether programming, developing a network, or creating a simple presentation, the computer provides feedback in multiple ways to allow the learner to discover where errors could be found.
Also don't be afraid to reply to mine. The challenge is in a class of 24 designing a tool that caters to all learning styles can be challenging.Suggestions
I use a 4 step method. (1) I show them (credibility of teacher) (2) Take them through step by step (3) The student performs it for me (4) Evaluate. If not adequate back to step 2
Hi Cindy - Thanks for your post to the forum. Masaage students must probably be the most "hands-on" of all! ;-)
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
The "Hands On" approach works well for my Swedish Massage students. I lecture and use many handouts as well but demonstration and the participation from the students after the demo really motivates them to WANT to learn.
