Melting Pot of Learning Styles
My students are such a mix of different back grounds, experience levels, education levels, and languages that it is always a challenge to keep interest levels high, and be sure you are getting through to each and every one of them in a manner in which they can relate to and fully comprehend.
I agree about the melting pot of backgrounds. I like to go around the room at the start of a semester to find out what each student wants to share about themselves. Many identify their work, why they are taking the class and their family status. Although they may think it is just an exercise, it allows me to get a overall picture of what type of students I will be working with, allowing me to tweek my lesson plans based on that knowledge. The learning objectives remain the same but how we achieve these objectives vary.
I agree 100% i have been teaching for 7 years with all differnet ages and backgrounds. what may work for a young fresh high school grad doesnt work for a person who has been out of school for 20 years. Some times they both get to the same answer but have to take differnet paths.
My class too, is a melting pot. It can be challenging to myself and to all the students. I try to assess all my students and then share my experiences in learning how to work with people of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds.
I agree. Add different learning styles into that equation keeps an instructor on his or her toes. The instructor must stay very creative to reach each student. I usually have thirty students each class wich lasts for six hours each day and each course is three weeks long.I will usually start each course with a student led activity so that I can begin observing learning styles and personalities before I plan the rest of the courses activities for each day.
Hi Paul!
Just another example of why we have to know our students. People have to be treated from where they reside within or we run the risk of not being able to make the connection for learning.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitator
I agree that teaching a melting pot of students can be quite challenging & my current group is a perfect example ...
Multiple backgrounds, upbringing, & education & experience levels are only the beginning of the challenge, as we must also consider learning styles, students' ages, learning difficulties.
Keeping everyone engaged in the material & keeping the interest levels high is a definite challenge but one that can be met.
I agree. Some people work better in "white noise" and others need to operate in total silence. It's important to carefully observe ine order to understand what delivery or study method works best for what students.
I actually begin every course with a quick lesson in diversity. It is a good way to jumpstart dialogue and faces the potential issues right away. I have found that students like he mingling and intertwining of individuals on our campus.
Same here. I have students who are ESL, older, younger, career changers, ADHD, you name it. Since they are all over the board I really have to focus on what I want to teach and then try to approach that lesson from as many different angles as possible so as to try to find at least one way that makes the light bulb turn "on" for them. Every new way I can find to explain something to someone in a different way helps exponentially.
My students are a melting pot also. It is hard to capture everyone's acceptability of the information. I find by using primacy and recency it helps follow my students retention and understanding. I also use visual and uniqueness to my lecture. It is a evolving techique for my classes but it keeps improving by the feedback of my students.
