Not sure if a memorable example but I like to use association as examples to remember. I can remember certain things from childhood education because of a teacher doing this and find it easier to relate my students to the topic this way.
It helps students understand the importance of th topic. It also helps in retaining that matter better. It also establishes the fact that the instructor has industry experience and is giving them quality education.
I completely agree. Any time you can help the students relate theory to an example or actual experience, it helps the student move to the "ah-ha" moment when theory is understood. Additionally, everyone learns differently. Examples tend to help "visual" learners.
IF you provide a memorable example, you are giving the student a real-life representation relating to the immediate subject matter being discussed. I like to use analogies as well to help the students get a better understanding of the material
I like to use real life examples also.I think it helps emphasize something I have been teaching about and helps it stand out in the students memories.
Retention of information is most often improved if it can be related to real life situations. As a clinical instructor, examples of experiences that I have had in veterinary clinics not only allow the students to realize how important the information is, it gives them a "breather" to process the information before having to learn a new idea.
Memorable examples give a student a tool to use at a later date to relate the material back to. Some concepts, in medical coding as an example, are hard to relate with. However, by taking a memorable example and relating it to the concept a student is more apt to remember it for a long time to come.
Kim
Juanita,
this is an excellent reason to use those examples as it will help them see the relevance. I was talking with my neighbor who is a Sheriff's deputy & he commented on how now he sees the importance of a public speaking course & math!
Dr. Ryan Meers
I always relate real world experiance, especially when we teach gen ed clases to the culinary students and they think that they do not need to work in the culinary world. So i have to break it down into small chunks and relate it to the culinary field and how they pertain.
I have found that students fatigue easily in the Career School setting, probably due to their outside responsbilities (work, child care, family issues). They seem to respond and "look alive" when you relate an example of personal or "someone I once knew" experiences. This is so true in the allied health field. Most of the students have had similar experiences, but if you can bring some humor into it at times, it helps to re-energize the class.
When you are able to create a vivid memory for an individual it makes it a lot easier for the student to recall the information at a later time. I find that creating illustrations that are memorable will spark recall in future classes and generate more discussions and more examples.
I feel that using memorable examples definately enhances a students ability to remember content discussed especially the more animated examples. It also gives the students a chance to relate and share some of their experiences with the class. Makes them feel associated with whats discussed.
Teaching in Allied Health, I have found that examples of "someone I knew" or a question to the students--"have you known a person who had that __________ diagnosis?" will encourage discussion of the situation/issue/symptom/diagnosis and helps the students relate the example to what is being discussed. It is certainly true that episodic memory helps to cement certain knowledge.
Dale,
and beyond using the real life examples you are also helping to move from the more known to the more unfamiliar. This is a great technique to help the students learn & retain the information better.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I agree. I try to develop an example that the student can relate to in their own lives - like their own check book in a Finance class - and then move to a real life business example.
Even as a student I felt there was some material learned that was useless, it was not until I started working that I found I actually needed to know it. I think using memorable and relevant examples will help students realize that the material is not only interesting but important and useful.
Students remember when you give a specific patient example with lab values, rather than just numbers on a page. The information has to be useful or they will disregard it. Students have to have a memorable example so that the information makes an impact and stays with them.
Giving examples related to the content that is being covered helps students to retain the info. better. When they can relate something to what they are learning, it also helps them to remember.
I found that using memorable examples like experiences or practical scenarios, it helps them store information in a difefrent way other than pure content. It makes them become a part of the experience and incorporate subjective learning into objective one
Yes Bernie,
I too have been in my specialty for many years. Stories easily come from so many years of life experiences. I do find that the students without much life experience do not relate to those "memorable moments" as much as the more experienced students do, so I carefully watch my amount of "war stories" when the (often) younger students display boredom or disinterest.
In defense of including memorable moments of history, it deepens the learner's appreciation for current concepts, by showing how those concepts evolved.
Using real-life examples works very well. If you can present topics on the same level as your students they can use their own life experiences to relate, rather than creating brand new information or topics. I the opportunity is present to build on exisiting information, the student is more likely to grasp the information.
