Reinforcement Strategies
What reinforcement strategies do you use successfully to help students retain new material and content? How do these change when helping students that are struggling?
Taylor,
yes the forced reflection & consideration is a great way to encourage retention of key ideas & material.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I find it helpful if you repeat key points and also ask the students questions. After a lesson, I will ask individual students what they have learned. This will help them remember topics that were covered earlier. It also lets the students know that I will be questioning them so they pay more attention in class. If a student is struggling, I may suggest tutoring with them to help re-inforce the material.
I highlight key points on the white board. I also use quizes and Q&A to help reinforce the course material. I also make myself available before and after class for any additional help a student might need.
I teach them the theory. I show them on the hydraulic boards how the fluid flows and then I take them out to lab to get the hands on before the test.
Repetition, practice, repetition and more practice. When a student is struggling to grasp the concept a good instructor will change the way he presents the information based on what the student knows or has knowledge of or doesn’t know.
Using a metaphor to explain a concept a student is struggling with usually gets favorable results. I have worked with an instructor who is very good at using metaphors in his lectures. One topic that all students have a good grasp on is food. One of our instructors at our campus uses the preparation and grilling of a steak on the BBQ to get his students to remember the parts of a pattern image that displays on an oscilloscope. He is so vivid in his description that the students can visualize the process, remembering the smells, the cutting of that first moist bite of juicy steak, along with the taste as they started to chew as juice from the steak dripped down their chin that was prepared at a family get together.
You would think that the students when filling in their answers when the have to identify the parts of the pattern would use the preparation or grilling steps of the steak but they don’t; the have associated the various steps to the correct terminology.
I use repeating info with the students, I use alot of question and answer techniques. I spend more time with the ones struggling. I ask questions to what has helped them in the past to learn new info.
Thank you for all of the great information on this thread. I haven't dealt with this specifically yet, but I want to be prepared. All of this information was very helpful.
Greeting Peter!
Absolutely! Repetition, practice, repetition and more practice with some creative presentations provides great learning opportunities for students.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
One method we use is repetition,repetition,repetition. We use visual aids to help illustrate parts and placement and concepts. A multi format approach tends to capture most students of different learning styles. The hands on lab puts all the pieces together when the students are required to actually work with, and do the task themselves.
Verble information of material. Hands on training aids-show and tell. Explain how it works using verble and hands on.
I personaly struggle with this same type of learning challenges... What I use is a bunch of drawing on the board and extra training aids to get the ideas in the hands of the students.
I let them know I will help them as much as they need.I tell them to be confident and to not stress out.I break down material so they grasp concepts and large words easier.I draw pictures for just about anything in my phases and this also works well.
i like to offer extra assistance to the student if he is willing . this in turn shows him or her that i care about them and how they do in my class.also the seem to try harder to grasp the material that is presented.
I will quiz students to see how much information they have absorbed, if more atention is required have student stay after class or at break to either have more one on one time and take them into lab for hands on explanation.
Hi Adam!
I like your approach - repeat and reenforce - and then - asking the student to repeat back to you. Or - at least getting that feedback through quizzes, classroom writing exercises, games and ultimately, exams.
Keep up the good work!
Jane Davis
ED106 Facilitator
Praise works well when the students get somthing correct, they have the feeling of acomplisment. I also find thay guiding them to the correct answer (not giving it to them) gives thes strategies to use what they know to rebember the new material.
I tend to do a lot of repeating, or if I can get a student or another instructor to try to explain it in a different way, to get the message across. Also I will have the student explain back to me his/her interpatation of what was just covered to make sure they have the concept.
To put it in a real-life application and real-life experiences that I have had. Allowing the student to have a very good visual of the subject material and content is quite helpful. For students that are struggling with the subject or content can be a very time-consuming matter. Students that are struggling are usually one way or the other. They are usually asking questions all the time or they don't ask any question. The student that ask a lot of questions in class. Sometimes can be ridiculed by the other classmates for taking up too much time on one particular subject. The student that never asks any questions or doesn't seem to be involved in the discussion. I have asked students privately if they are understanding or are they having trouble comprehending what were talking about in class. If they say no but they're too embarrassed to ask questions in class. I tell them to either make a face or do something that we decide on. So that I know that they're not getting the subject manner. At that time if I notice this happening with that student I will try to say the subject in another form or manner. If they are still not getting the subject during this initial discussion with them. I tell them to make sure to get with me after class to try to go over little further without any interruptions. Reinforcement strategies need to be adjusted and tailored on a regular basis. Having 2 to 3 ways to explain one particular subject is a very good habit to have. Keeping a students confidence up is a very critical part of reinforcement strategies. So being upbeat and happy and confidence in class can be very contagious.
I use question and answer times and write up some basic question to test their knowledge.
