Tom,
this is a great activity & seems like it could have application to many different subject areas. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. Ryan Meers
On the first day of my English Composition I classes, I like to illustrate organizing an essay's main points by having them sort through a container of various office supplies, such as paper clips, tape, pencils, etc., so they can put similar items in three empty containers. This reinforces the importance of focusing on a specific topic in each paragraph of an essay.
I am going to incorporate more breaks/activity changes to take advantage of primacy and utilize the recency concept of review.
Backward chaining will be tried more often since I am teaching technical skills geared toward specific desired outcomes.
repitition is the key for retention,I try to ask the same question in many different ways, at the begining of class students may be asked about what they already know about a topic which is to be learned,than there is a short lecture,with visuals,than I give them handouts, could be a diagram to label or fill in the blanks,true or false, short definations.
Towards the end I ask them to give me this learned information in the form of a story and each student has to participate in making this story,it becomes fun and also it reinforces the information and also in a group setting.
What will I do differently now? is that maybe bring in some objects/models in the classroom setting, and with their eyes closed,to describe that object,using the 4 senses not five(visual),I teach basic science classes as well as core courses in ultrasound,would love to hear from others what do they do to making learning not only fun but less stressful.
I found the topic on backward technique facinating. As an instructor in the Medical Coding field I feel that this could work to benefit the students.
I experimented with my class last Thursday by showing a completed bill that was generated by a primary care group. The student responded in a positive way, " I seen that before, but never understood how they came up with those weird numbers".
The student had never opened their CPT books prior to seeing the bill from the doctor office. It truly amazed me how the student began completing the assignment with great enthusiasm, because they wanted to know how the numbers corresponded with verbage. The workshop was a great success.
Anjali,
This is outstanding! I love how you are using a variety of techniques to help your students learn the content they need, not just for the class but for true success in the fast-paced world of culinary arts.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I plan on incorporating backwards chaining to teach electronic records. Instead of taking pieces at a time to create a patient account I’m going to show the whole patient account and work backwards to create it. I think what I may do is have a printed copy of the final result to handout to each student then highlight or identify each section in a different color as we create the individual pieces of the account.
when I introduce new ingredients in the class I lay them out in containers where the students can pick it up, smell it touch it and taste it.
From the memory research, I am going to introduce them in to categories with 5 ingredients in each category depending on the country/region of origin so the students will be able to memorize it easily and remember during their product ID test
I like the idea of backwards chaining. For instance, I could begin with the treatment for a medical emergency such as M-I, rather than beginning with the symptoms.
Gary,
I too am a firm believer in the preview & review approach to learning. Keep up the great work.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Gary,
Sorry to intrude here, but so glad that the concept of "chunking" is an idea you can pursue. I'm not in culinary arts but a friend is & from what he has told me these techniques to help students retain information & be able to recall under pressure are highly valuable in the kitchen setting.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Hi, Dr. Meers. With much for students to learn and do in the lab kitchen, I'll capitolize on primacy and recency-- in the first few minutes of class, soon as good focus is established, I'll cover the important points about the day's business. The idea is to establish the basics early, when students' minds are most receptive. Later, they hear and see their day's objectives for the second time. Now it's part of what they expect to take home. It is not just an accident when they succeed; I've told them right up front about the important things they'd learn today! Thanks, Dr. Meers. --Gary O. Ackerman
Hi, Teresa, I reduce culinary student recipes down to few words, strongly encouraging use of French terminology, getting students to communicate in spare, clear language. This idea of "chunking" is intriguing. I think anyone can remember advance preparation; main techniques; finish and plate, in our case. They might remember more of the details if all details are organized under one of three categories to be managed. Thanks for getting me thinking about this--Gary O. Ackerman
Brenda,
Yes & I like to revisit the list periodically throughout the lesson to demonstrate that we are covering what we said we were going to.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think I will use several of the techniques mentioned. Since I teach accounting, maybe I will begin with talking about a popular company's financial statements to show them that what they are doing is relevant and that they will be able to produce similar, be it smaller, statements as well.
I believe stating the objectives on the board and covering them at the beginning of the class is a great way of maximizing retention of content.
I plan to add listing the objectives on the board ahead of time, for one.
jeffrey,
Yes, that immediate (or relatively soon) reflection is a key to retaining the lessons learned. I try to encourage my students to do their own type of journaling that is focused on lessons learned during the day, experience, etc.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I happen to utilize several retention methods as i am an instructor in the clinic. After a patient encounter i try and always debrief with the student so that they can reflect upon their experience. I've noticed that through either the uniqueness of the experience and/or the way it impacted them emotionally that they will retain the event and recall it quite vividly.
Information chunking, in particular has intrigued me.
Since I also write curriculum for the school, I'm looking forward to putting this concept into action in the lesson plans.
