Hi David! This is an ongoing instructional challenge - covering all that needs to be covered in a condensed period of time, plus facilitating the additional critical skills (communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, decision-making, etc.)foundational to the workplace.
Many instructors say that if a student captures a few things well, as opposed to a lot of things marginally, there is a positive learning outcome - that is, students will not absorb everything. The challenge is though that if the skill being presented is sequential and crucial to the next step in a process, it must be mastered before moving on.
This, combined with the diversity of learning styles and modes in the adult classroom, places a lot of responsibility on the instructor.
I have often started by making sure that I thoroughly know the subject at hand (given) and then prioritize, during planning the lesson, exactly what has to be covered and how best to approach it. If the skill or application is imperative to the outcome, then it must be addressed, but if I have at least some flexibility, I can adjust accordingly and give students some leave-way. This give and take can be instrumental to both student self esteem and success.
Let me ask a question to any participants in our discussions. How have you prioritized expected outcomes and adjusted your teaching accordingly to cover so much material in a short period ot time?
Thanks,
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Hi Julie and Agnes! To your points, nonverbal body language is crucial to our communication to students - and the challenge is that we are often not aware of what we are communicating! Additionally, agreed, our body language must be genuine. A forced smile or gesture can completely undermine an instructor's credibility and integrity.
Thank you both for your valued input!
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
Thanks, Agnes, for all of your observations and suggestions in the discussion forums. To this post, clarity, as you reference, is crucial.
I remember as a "green" instructor, I would give a presentation, or lecture, then ask if there were any questions. Of course, there were none (or few) thus I assumed it was OK to move on. It didn't take long to understand that a lack of questions did not = comprehension.
Integrating mini-activites into the lecture, asking questions along the way, having student volunteers paraphrase points in their own words, holding impromptu contests and demonstrations, and reviewing key points in outline fashion all helped with student comprehension and application along the way - it opened up a whole new world of working with the adult learner.
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
I believe a diversity of presentation modes is important. Because different learners (visual, kinetic, aural, etc.) respond best to certain formats, it is best to present information in a mix of formats. This also helps to reinforce main points and ideas.
I feel fundamentally solid in terms of communication skills. I would like to improve on being able to use more focus on communicating with those who struggle with English. This is sometimes more dificult when the class size is large.
I titally agree with you Karen. The ability to listen and give appropriate visual cues of engagement as well as response is rapidly becoming a lost art.
I think all positive communication skills are important to use for a diverse learning environment. Listen carefully
Given that undergraduate courses in basic math are foundational concepts and knowledge, I use a combination of traditional lecture and problem-based learning formats in my teaching. All of my courses involve mymathlab components, giving students opportunities to download lecture note-taking guides and materials and further their knowledge of course content through engagement in complementary online activities (e.g., simulation activities, video ).
Knowing your students by name and using it in class gives the student a sense of connection. Offering feedback for answers or reframing answers that are inadequate to build self esteem of the students helps along with positive visual cues offered in facial expression.
I would like to learn the names of my students faster and use them more often so the learners feel they are not just a number in a large group. I also want to try more ways to praise my students for their academic and personal life accomplishements to send the message that no matter what you try - "YOU CAN DO IT!"
Both verbal and non-verbal skills are equally important for an instructor. In a diverse learning environment the instructor must be an excellent observer and listener, often your students will not tell you if there is a problem or they are struggling with material, you have to identify it.
Taking more time to deliver the content. As an instructor we are often pushed by time constraint of content to be covered
Same as you, English is my second language. I constantly watch out the way I speak. I always make sure my sentence is correct. Sometime, I sound like reading a book. Well, that's how I exercise my communication skills. In order to improve my skills, I need to watch more TV, listen to radio and talk with more people. On the other side, I am a math instructor. We use number and formula most of time that make me feel more comfortable when I solve problems.
I think that verbal communication is the most important. You can never underestimate the effectiveness of clear and meaningful explanations of the subject matter. However, visual and tactile communication skills are also important.
I will often do the same work the students are working on in class to physically demonstrate the process and develop of sense of having the students "join in".
I have been working on changing the pitch of my voice to avoid being monotone.
I think good eye contact,language and expression (verbal and non-verbal, moving around the classroom to state your territoty are all essential part of teaching. I also think it's important to know students names and to greet each one as they enter the classroom.
Perhaps more illustrations or storytelling as the info suggested would be something I could improve.
I believe clarity of the presented information is important for students' learning.
As an educator, I strive to present the information clearly, and make sure to pause so that students can re-focus. I also ensure their comprehension by asking questions throughout my lecture. Since many of my students have somewhat limited attention span, I make sure I outline the most important point, and review them to aid comprehension.
As to a challenging aspect, I suppose it would be being selective with my information, as well as presenting the same concepts in a variety of ways.
Not making assumptions about my students' knowledge is another big lesson I learned when working with a diverse student population.
I think the verbal communication that takes place between individuals is the most important. Especially here with our population it is difficult to reach all of the students via email or other forms of written communication.
I believe that it is important to deliver a clear, concise and engaging lesson in any learning environment. If the lesson can be taught in an engaging manner, along with being clear and pointed towards the key concepts, you can touch on multiple learning styles in the diverse classroom.
As an instructor, I try to keep these learning styles in consideration when I am communicating with my students. I believe that this communication needs to effective both verbally and visually. During lecture I will remind students of key points and things to remember. I will also write on the board the tasks for the day, will remind them of their progress in the course, and highlight how today’s lesson fits with the course objectives. On assignment sheets I visually emphasize the most important directions with bullet points and bold type, and I like to give the students a check list to assist them in not forgetting anything.
One thing I would like to work on with my communication is that I often fidget when I am lecturing. I want to work on fidgeting less with a rubber band or markers in the classroom. Although students have never commented on the fidget, I am aware of it and hope to remove that from my lecture style.
As an instructor I think talking slow and using words that the studnets understand helps a diverse learning evniornment.
Hi Ray, this is an excellent point! What are some of the ways that you check for understanding to ensure that your students are getting it?
Thanks,
Jay Hollowell
ED106 Facilitator
One of the most important communication skills is clear and concise stream of communication.
I believe the most important skill is making sure your students understand what you are talking about before moving on to the next subject. So many times instructors continue with what they are teaching ,assuming that the students understand what was taught
