I feel quite restricted in the area of seating arrangement. All students sit at 4 rows of tables that face the front of the (boring color with nothing on the walls) room with an isle down the middle, and where I "roam" during class time. The front of the room has 3 white boards and the screen for the projector used for the power point presentations. I have just embraced the boring environment (I even only have access to white paper for handouts), and try to make the power points as visual and graphic as I can in this accelerated nursing program. I have learned a great deal in this forum and will absolutely try to challenge the students to incorporate some of these strategies in their short class time presentations.
Dallan,
yes the color differentiation is a great strategy to use to help the different ideas stand out.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Organizing presentation materials with color for similar learning objectives is great. Avoiding overuse of Red and Yellow seems to make those colors more important when they do get used. I've changed the seating arrangement before, in classes, but did not really comprehend the power of the students seeing each other as well as me simultaneously. I am definitely going to try that.
I use many different tools in my classroom, one of the best (I teach at a culinary school) is to use blank Cows with the cut lines drawn in and hand out individual cut names for the students to place on the board in the correct spot. It helps them get up and move around, be engaged during what would normally be a lonnnng 2 hour lecture.
Monika,
yes there really are multiple applications of these concepts.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Yes! I can't wait to implement these new techniques. I already have posters up, now I want to make colored handouts and use different colors for sections. This is very good information and can be used anywhere and is going to help students learn.
In the past I have used colorful power points, videos, pictures, and some good movies on the subject matter. We also have a skills lab where students get hands on practice and of course they love that day. In Nutrition I have some colorful play food and some games. Some classes really like these activities but some do not. Each class has its own dynamic. I usually try to size up the class in the first week and if they seem receptive I tell them what I have and let them give me feedback.
I am planning to make up some short matching games with index card for my Pharmacology class and have the students match a drug name to its classification. This will be a work in progress for a bit.
Cheryl,
and these can also be used to help students recall transitions between points or major concepts.
Dr. Ryan Meers
This allows the students and the intructor to find and meet a comfort zome. If you are lecturing.bright papter and slides with different font and pictures makes to lecturing more interesting.
The teaching evironment that I am currently working in makes it very difficult to utilize multi-sensory learning. However, I have become creative with the use of colored paper, poster board and student activities that use color and creativeness that causes them to learn better.
One way that I can easily incorporate color is by the use of colored markers on the white board. I usually start with black for straight information. I use blue to introduce a new or related topic. I try to use purple or green to note the questions or contributions from the students. Of course red is the big gun for driving a point home. Blue or black usually means it may be on the test.
I do not have control to add much in the way of posters or wall colors. In fact, our school now doesn't allow items on the walls that can be seen from the hallway, regardless of what they are.
I do, however, like to use music when appropriate. Prior to an exam, I have used guided meditation to help relax the class before they begin. Then during the exam I may play soft classical music.
Seating arrangement varies by group & activity. Typically when I have a larger class, we sit in groups of 3+ at tables that are placed to enhance small group discussion. In smaller classes (< 6) I will setup the room in more of a circle.
I color code homework assignments, lab assignments, and exercises different colors. This color coding system works great throughout the seven terms the students are with me. I use the same color on the flip chart and power point for the same topics so there is consistancy and revelance. It helps keep the students organized and breaks up the monotny of plain white paper. I have taped flip chart paper on the walls and broken the groups into teams of three and had them write on the wall there exercises. The students seemed to enjoy the activity and it worked great for an ice breaker too. My seating arrangements vary with the lesson plans and activity. I like to call that a "Chinese fire drill" I number the group off and all the ones find each other and then the twos and then the threes and that makes a great impromtu group.
Then they have to find the numbers 1, 2 and 3 around the room and that is their new seating arangement. The students seem to like that too.
I find that also where I teach. Most times, my classes are large and we do alot of hands-on training. It also depends on the class and the situation if I use music or not, with the larger classes, at times it adds to the confusion.
First off, I would like say that I haven't really thought of using music in a classroom. Color, visuals, seating arrangement YES but not music.
I think playing music in a classroom might be interesting to stimulate learning. After going over this section I am now thinking about how I could incorperate music into my daily lessons.
If music can activate the brain waves in varying ways then I plan on using that element to my advantage.
I guess they play music in the final 'answer' in jeopardy to get the three guests to activate their brain and locate the 'question'. It makes sense now!
I do teach at the College Level; I do observe that the students listen to music while they listen to me; it is the day of multitasking; many students do this well and for those that do not it appears on their test grades
Playing music, while students create posters for the walls or for presentations. Small groups at round tables working on a project together, asking them to color code the idea and the graphic.
Sandy,
any kind of alternative arrangement seems to be a nice break for the students & a way to stimulate more discussion.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think my best choice would be use of color on video presentations or handouts. I teach in a kitchen lab, so there are no options on moving tables. It is possible to have students move chairs, but there is a small video monitor at each station to project powerpoints from the instructor's computer at the front of the class. Best option would be ppts and moving around the classroom with a clicker while using video and audio in the ppts.
I teach in a classroom that has round tables and the students are more involved in the discussion.
I am also teaching a math class and the students enjoy explaining exercises on the whiteboard with colored markers.
I think the best practice is the technique that engages the students to be active members in the classroom.
