a vak quiz . i would like to get something like that for my students any suggestions on where i can find an effective one ?
Although I have noticed that diverse students may at times slow down the lecture time since we have to break things down even further, I think it also brings a postive to the other students as well. Often I ask questions that relate to laws in other countries and different customs in cultures. This brings a great deal of interesting conversations to the class and keeps students engaged as they learn while comparing and contrasting as well. It's great conversation to the point student's want to miss their break time and continue the discussoin. Ofcourse I encourage a break, but I do have a smile of satisfaction.
One idea that has worked in several different learning settings is letting the students teach a class session, or a section of it. They can apply their life and/or cultural experiences to the classroom topic.
The instructor should monitor to make sure any relevant "book" material left out in the presentation is augmented by the instructor.
Of course research. But, get to know the diverse learner better, on an individual level. Everyone is different and all have varying learning styles. By getting to know the learner, then you know what their specific needs and learning style is.
Learn as much as possible about thier back ground.Get involve with them,one on one. Asign them different projects.
Well being of Hispanic origin and the first one in my family to graduate from college, I having understandings already of new ELL students. I can converse with them in a way a lot can't only because of the fact I myself had a small vocabulary and literature understanding. I encourage the student that doing what they are doing is not only a very great thing, but it creates another reason for why ELL students should try and succeed in post schooling.
Slow down to be able to identify with student understanding; per ethnic background, level of education, work exoerience, etc.
One of the first elements that has to be developed is a confidence between the teacher and the student. The teacher has to believe that the student is a serious student and the student must believe that the teacher is a serious teacher. Unfortunately one or both of these elements are sometimes missing. I believe that one of the first steps is to get the student involved in the class. The teacher can ask questions during lectures and can gauge the students by their answers. The instructor can pick-up on the students strengths and weaknesses and tailor his lectures to meet the unique needs of the different student.
Beyond training and education to allow you to be able to discover the needs, it is important to get to know individual students so you can learn what they need in order to be successful. While they might not blatantly tell you, getting to know them will uncover things the instructor needs to know in order to make the classroom experience successful for those students.
Student with different learning abilites and requirement is a challege for instructors. However, it help instructors to develop the effectiveness of their teaching skills and learn new methods of teaching. Some ways one can learn the needs of diverse learners is to involve them in the process through hand on exercise, seek their input in making suggesstions on ways to improve the class and learners' experience.
Ice breakers can be great openings for classes. I find them useful by getting the students to realize how much they have in common even if their life experiences were very different.
Every week in class I write the agenda for the class on the board. I put bullets on the board one of which will be a question and answer bullet. Does anyone have any questions about whatever the topic or project for that class period. I offer tutoring times during the week and weekends that I am available. I send frequent emails to make sure that everyone comprehends the material. I like to give the students plenty of opportunity to speak up in the most comfortable environment for them.
Realize that they are learning via a second language and develop exercises that do not use complex words. Use examples and make connections whenever possible.
When I assign group projects, I've already made a preliminary assessment into the special learning challenges of some students. I use that knowledge to monitor progress while making sure that the group dynamic provides an additional *type* of learning for them. For instance, a student may say to me "I'm lost" when working on a group project. Before I help him personally, I instruct him to first attempt to work out the issue within his group so that they are all on the same page. If I were to immediately assist the individual, it may in fact send him in a different direction from the group focus and just make things more confusing.
The only way that I have found to learn about the needs of diverse learners is to ask. I have several students who at first did not seem interested in the class and did poorly on the first assignment or test. When I return the papers I ask them what they did not understand or what they feel they need help with. The students who want to succeed will then share their concerns because they see that I am genuinely interested in their success.
Hi tracey!
You clearly have a very well laid out approach to assessing your students. I am curious what personality test you use?
Good job!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
I always try to get to know my students better by having them take a personality test at the beginning of the term. Included in the personality test is a section where it asks the student questions regarding their learning style. Once I get a feel for how they learn, I try to incorporate that particular style in every lesson. We do group activities, use a buddy system, have visual guides, and try hands-on activities in almost every class session. If a student has questions or concerns, they can always see me after class or during my office hours for further assistance.
I always ask for feedback from students after the first reading assignment. I ask what they think of the text. The feedback that I get tells me a lot about the skill levels in the group. I spend a lot of time going over study strategies in class and give as many strategies as I can, so as to support the greatest number of learning styles. If there is someone who is a disciplined student, I may have them share their process for working with the material. This usually starts a conversation among the students about the various strategies that they use. I start chapter discussions by asking how this chapter was compared to earlier chapters to get a sense of which chapters might contain the most "foreign" or difficult material for the students.
Hi Anne!
It certainly sounds like you have given a great deal of thought on how to best assist diverse learners. Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Diverse learners are all learners. However, some students may be diverse than others, especially students coming from different regional areas where English is not the main language spoken. In order to learn about the needs of diverse learners it is important to interact, develop "mini" or alternative lessons to assess more quickly how student retention is progressing, and I think above all, asking the student what you can do as their instructor to better improve their learning experience.
Anne
