I tend to focus on using real-world examples and also ask the class for any examples they might have. Often student examples work better than the ones I come up with to increase student understanding.
In dental, there are lots of dental terms that you need to remember. Like human anatomy, for instance, hard to pronounce, spelling is the biggest problem. Too complicated for new students, specially with learning disabilities but you can tell that the interest is there. I hold a quiz everyday, group them, and they go to the board to write the spelling, I have the skeleton and they will point it out where is it located and functions of it. It helps out and its fun as well.
Lisa,
and really this helps all students, those who are struggling & those who aren't.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
There are various support systems and resources available to support students with learning needs. Often times, specifically addressing where their need lies. For example, if a student is struggling with a particular content in math, I’ll check to understand where their base knowledge lies or conduct some type of pretest. In addition, identifying what type of learner the student is (hands on, auditory, visual), can be helpful when illustrating examples.
Ebonie,
this can definitely help us reach our learners who are struggling as we can tailor our approach directly to each of them in a way that best fits their needs.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I enjoy drawing out English Language Learners. I find once comfortable they will open up with many questions of the logic of unusual pronounciations and spellings. Make learning the terminology and vocabulary of each career fun and productive by letting them share their opinions and frustrations. I recently had a course with a German, Russian, Italian and a student from Ghana. By the end of the term they were all helping each other with career terminology and became great motivators by encouraging each other.
You first have to find out what type of lerning style the student has. This will allow you to create a learning enviornment that will allow the student to understand the enformation effectively.
Chelsea,
we do need to be consistently reflecting on our strategies & what works well & what doesn't so we are constantly improving.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Self assessment of what is working and not working with their learning stratiegies
What instructors can do is break the material down to its fundamental root. They can also group the student with a strong student to create peer to peer interaction. I would also spend some time outside of class with the students to ensure educational needs are met.
Clyde,
this is so true & this is why we need to make sure that we are using as many teaching strategies as possible.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree. Also, I think incorporating different senses can be helpful. Things such as: providing a 3-D model so they can see (sight) what you are discussing or relating the information to their everyday life (hearing).
Lastly, it's important to make the concept easy to understand (as much as possible). Showing them the big picture can give them a starting point, a place where they can then fill in the details. From there we can break the concept down into parts and show how the different parts of the concept relate to each.
There is no one way to teach because there are different learners. There will be students that pick up faster than others. Using different strategies may be required for different groups. When student are not grasping a concept I like to use a “real world†example to help them understand.
Carrie,
this willingness to work with them is great & key for their success; especially important in an area such as yours.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
The first thing I do is make sure they have everything I can do for them to be successful. I am a veterinary Technology instructor and if my students do not learn the material because of a learning deficiency, worst case scenario is they can kill a patient. When I have a student who has a documented learning need I allow them to tell me what it is that they think they need in order to be successful. If it is more time on assignments or exams, a separate classroom for testing, if I can accommodate them then I make that my priority when possible.
Jerome,
I think this careful walk through of the material & the kind of line by line discussion is key to helping the struggling learner.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
It is important to incorporate all learning styles into your lesson plans. This will help students to learn more effectively. Being able to relate curriculum concepts to what students may already know helps them not only to learn the new concepts, but can also help them to apply them.
I discuss the terminaligy unique to our industry and constantly explain what the words and acronims mean and how they are related to the automotive repair industry.
christopher,
this is great as it demonstrates your willingness & desire to help them in any way possible. When we demonstrate this concern for the students, often it encourages them to provide the effort that's needed/expected on their part.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
