Brenda,
yes & the memorable examples can also be wonderful ways of helping the students see how the information is applied.
Dr. Ryan Meers
When you are teaching students a subject where remembering the different components are essential, particularly if it is a subject where material is built up on, then usuing memorable examples is pertinent. Or of course, when it will be something they will need to "remember".
Shea,
absolutely, the mental pictures we create really help to retain the information & provide those pegs for remembering the content.
Dr. Ryan Meers
The field I teach gives students the opportunity to become self employed as well as an employee. I find it important to share the pros and cons of both approaches, and the examples of both good and poor choices/decisions from my experience. If I can save them from set-backs I will.
People dont remeber words. It doesnt stick as well as creating the picture. Myself, a visual learner so i do well when an instructor uses examples that mean something and creates a mental picture. Something that they can refer back to while taking the test.
Jon ,
this is a great idea & those silly examples really can be great posts for recall in the "heat" of the moment.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Heather,
yes, not only do the examples help to solidify concepts they really do help greatly with retention.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Ivan,
this is so true. I tutored a friend in undergrad in History & she commented that she understood it so much better because I related it as a story rather than facts.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Memorable examples give students something to relate to the information they are trying to absorb, rather than to simply rote memorize. It aids in recall of that concept when the student needs to put it into practice. It even helps with lecture when the concept comes up again. Instead of having to reteach or go into extensive review of the concept, simply referring to the memorable example brings back the concept and its application with clarity. I sometimes even tie concepts to silly or ridiculus examples which can make them even more memorable. Examples that are readily "visualized" mentally have been particullary helpful for me because they are so easily recalled.
A memorable example creates a picture in the students mind. One can retain something faster with a comparison, a fun fact, or even a quote.
The lecture itself may be structured as a narrative, or a story can simply be an illustration of a key point. Taking advantage of the natural drama of stories can help the pacing and flow of your lectures. Think of yourself as a storyteller. Rather than marching through the material, fact by fact, you can add storytelling flourishes. Let the suspense build - pause for a moment before revealing the results of the story, to draw in students' attention. Stories can also be a natural way to introduce humor into your lecture.
I believe any time we can put a picture in their head, they will remember it much longer. I try to do this whenever I can because students will come to me later and say, "You know I always remember the point you made about"_____", because I can see you telling us about it.
Marco ,
I completely agree with you. The most effective instructors can pull analogies out of thin air & these really are useful in helping our students recall the information.
Dr. Ryan Meers
David,
yes & your experiences & examples help them connect the theories to the real.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Like we have learned, everybody loves a good story teller. The best teacher, I think, is a teacher that can connect what he or she is teaching with anything. When I mean anything, I mean literally anything.
Students like analogies. Students need to visualize a material. If a teacher connects something with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the student will see it in their head and hopefully will make that connection as well. Story telling is a tool that we must use to be effective teachers.
It is one thing to describe something from a text, it is quite another thing to link the text to a real-world experience and describe that experience to a class.
Having worked for many years prior to becomming an instructor I have found the use of real world examples to be invaluable. This allows the students to better understand the pending work world they will be entering given that it is from that world and not just from a text book.
It connects the instructor with the class. It also makes the class more interesting and excites them on the material the instructor is presenting
I use storytelling techniques to inform students of mental health disorders, symtoms, interventions, and medications. While I am telling them the story, they are cataloguing my descriptions of the location, person, age, situation, presentation, behaviors, symptoms and therapeutic nursing care. They tell me later that they never forget my stories and that they help them remember the disorders and how to deal with them in the future. Thanks, marie
Using examples is a way to visualize the content and get a sense of how it applies in a real-world scenario. Often times the textbook will explain key terms with a definition and maybe even a paragraph of explanation, but the term still doesn't make sense to some students. Giving an example helps them to visualize what that term really means and understand the concepts that go along with it. I try to use examples as much as possible. Sometimes I might have trouble thinking of an example on the spot and I might end up giving an example that is somewhat "silly", however I have found that students tend to remember the silly/funny examples the best!
