It is important to consider learning styles when developing the syllabus for the course. In this way, the instructor may prioritize key concepts and objectives and develop activities, assessment, hand-outs and lecture/visual materials prior to the course beginning. This will not only help the students, it will help the instructor stay on schedule with the class because he/she will not have to back-track to cover concepts that students still do not understand. Moreoever, students will gain self-confidence and feel empowered when they are able to navigate through dense course material on their own and will feel sufficiently prepared for further educational and professional goals. Most importantly, it is important that the student understands how he/she learns best so that they engage in course content effectively both in and out of class.
I feel that it is very important to learn your students learning techniques on the first day of class, whether it be taking a short survey, having a class discussion or just asking your students their preferred learning style. By doing this, you will get the best outcome from teaching and the students will better understand your lectures which will help you have a great quarter!!!!
HI Kenneth- Welcome to Ed 103! It really is a challenge to teach such a diverse group of students, but it is often the case in Career Education. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
It is a positive kind of multi-tasking. You want to be able to reach and touch each in their own way.
In my career school environment student ages typically vary from late teens through the fifties. To be successfull in this setting an instructor must be cognizant of learning styles of students of widely varied ages. In addition, the instructor must be flexible and open minded enough to reach out to all students.
HI again Stephen - You have got exactly the right idea about teaching to the learning styles! Susan
There are a myriad of styles in which people, especially adult learners, most effectively learn. Inasmuch as one has no control over the makeup of a given class, an effective instructor would be wont to provide a wide variety of teaching styles, designed specifically to complement the most prevalent and pervasive learning styles, in order to give the greatest number of students the opportunity to learn in the most comfortable and effective way possible.
Hi Jim;
That is also true! Thanks for your input.
Marcia
HI James - Thanks for an interesting post to the forum! I think that the traditional perception of "hands-on" relates to the production of a product like a cake or an entree, a graphical design piece, an electrical diagram, or a computer program. I see your point though, especially in Math. You need to apply rules to arrive at a "product" which is a solution to a problem. Best wishes - Susan
I do not believe that hands on has to be narrowly defined. Solving a math problem is hands on. I even feel that responding to this discussion board is hands on. Your thoughts?
Jim
Not only will using the appropriate learning style for a student help them be successful, it will allow you to accurately assess their knowledge.
Jim
It allows the sttudent to access knowledge in a way that is most efficient for them.
Hi Chris - You are so correct! My college's faculty development program actually has a module called "Burn the Podium!" Best wishes- Susan
It is important to provide approaches and resources which complement your students' learning styles because one dimensional, stand up and be the "sage on the stage" lecturer is tired. Maybe it applies to lecture halls at major universities with 300 students, but not in secondary education where the students expect to have interaction with their peers and instructors.
Not all students have the same learning styles so keeping this in mind will make me provide different resources available. It is also important to adjust my teaching style to accomodate visual, auditory, kinesthetic learning styles of my students. The better they receive the information I give them, the more successful they will be in school and in their careers.
HI Susan
How nice of you to write me! I am thrilled. Well I certainly do my best to try things but in an online environment the options are certainly more limitted; all the best, Marcia
to make my students more successful in receiving new information that i give them. the more successful my students are, the more i am able to adjust my teaching style to accomodate the differences in learning styles.
Hi Marcia - Welcome to ED 103! Yes, teaching to the learning styles is indeed more difficult in the online environment. We need to be as innovative as we possibly can. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
It makes them participate and feel accepted as an active participant in a class format.
Hi John
Actually fairly early on in our course we do have a learning style test built into the course. Of course I do not think that I can hit every learning style. As I said it is also the resposiblity of our students to adapt. They do enjoy taking the test and learning about how they learn. It is a fascinating subject and I try to assist them in understanding what works for them.
thanks for your reply,
Marcia
