Hi Robert,
Great way to "connect the dots" for your students. The more you can bring their own life experiences into the classroom the greater the content retention is going to be.
Gary
I think it is vital that educators remember that learning occurs within each individual as a continual process. This occurs throughout life and we as instructors of adult learners need to make sure that we take into account the prior experiences of our students. As discussed within this lesson, by pairing prior experiences with new information the 'link' can be made much better and it is more likely to be retained by the learner. Creating an environment that encourages these links and combining it with positive reinforcement by the instructor can enhance learning, as can proper timing of the instruction.
Another thing to consider is that learning results from stimulation of the senses. In some people, one sense is used more than others to learn or recall information. Instructors should present materials that stimulates as many senses as possible in order to increase their chances of teaching success. The use of multimedia and hands on learning opportunities can greatly increase learning and retention of the information.
I am planning to use the some fill in the blank outlines in my next communication class, as it is pretty heavy on vocabulary and concepts that are similar.
I am also, as soon as I can spend some time on it, planning to create a diagram of the basic skills I teach in Algebra the first two weeks and show how they fit into the last four weeks.
In my classroom, we have an entire discussion about how learning can occur and how it can be similar and different for various individuals. Therefore, I do not see any changes at this time. I really like the idea of using examples to relate topics of discussion to examples and I also ask students to provide examples of their own. I feel that this approach is very beneficial to the learning process. Now I feel that I have a better understanding of why that is so.
Knowing the basics of learning (which I am learning elsewhere in my M.Ed. studies) enables the instructor to incorporate different and more effective techniques into the lesson plan or into daily interaction with students. The example used in the first quiz here was a fine example - "Think about a time when...." That triggers the episodic memory and the instructor can then tie that memory into the new concept.
This rather reminds me of a visual image I've always used with education, one of a chessboard. Existing knowledge, for instance, might be a single black square. My job as an instructor might be to extend that knowledge, to an adjacent white square. Now the student knows more, and also can make connections between the two pieces of knowledge. And the student knows these are not two isolated, unrelated facts. Then tomorrow I teach them another square, and another, and another. Each square might represent one old episodic memory, and to that, I add a new concept which, sooner or later, might hook up to yet another old, episodic memory. And THEN it grows not just in two-dimensions but in three!
In this way their learning can best be represented not as just a list of facts but instead as a huge, ever-growing, inter-related web of information, experiences, insights, and relationships.
Hi James,
There are a number of medical and education explanations of how and why this occurs. The primary problem when this occurs is that the brain is working very hard to find a neuro-pathway from the command center to the tongue. When stress or nerves become too much then the pathway becomes overloaded with too much stimulus and the right word(s) are hard to find. By taking a breath, stepping back and pausing for a second or two the brain can find the word, the pathway is cleared and the word can be transferred to the tongue. The key is to slow down and let the brain catch up with the tongue and the words will be found.
Gary
Hi Ronald,
Good comments. This is what successful learning outcomes are all about.
Gary
Hi David,
Good comprehensive approach to instruction. You are offering your students a number of learning options as they move through the course. This helps to keep them engaged and "hands on" always generates a high level of interest.
Gary
I think it would be great to learn what exactly goes wrong with the brain when the "tip of the tongue phenomenon" occurs. Knowing the answer somewhere inside your head but not being able to specifically recall that information on demand is frustrating
Learning how the brain works has given me insight on the power of positive suggestion. Letting the student feel successful before the lesson help the out come be successful.
I agree with Saron regarding a more fully absorbed lesson content. I lecture on content, we then have discussion on that content, my students engage in making the content for one week in the lab, during which time they have a daily, short quiz of major content points to jog their memory. My hope is that they are learning in several different ways. It is rigorous, but all of my students have a passion for the content and have risen to the challenge.
Our Respiratory Therapy Program has all forms of learning processes and I make it a habit of reading the students' reactions to the learning process to determine if they actually understand and comprehend the topic being taught. I frequently utilize Q&A to encourage feedback and every student has been advised the "ask questions if they do not understand a topic" with the understanding that if they are having difficulty with a topic, others in class are probably also having difficulties. Fortunately, most Respiratory Therapy students learn best with "hands on" experience which does make the learning process somewhat easier.
Hi Gary,
I absolutely agree with you. The career college students like to see that the students who succeed from the program. They like to hear that how the experience has been benefited them and concentrate more since that is what they are expecting to do so. They will also benefit from guest speaker students.
Medhin.
Hi Dixie,
Good strategy. To be effective education has to be personalized to the learner and the learner has to do it. So the more opportunities that you provide your students to do such the greater the content retention is going to be.
Gary
Hi John,
In situations like this I create learning teams composed of experienced and inexperienced students working together on case studies or problem solving situations. This works very well in their sharing of their experiences with each other as the work toward solutions.
Gary
I'd like to hear more about your "Peanut Butter and Jelly" lecture, too. I've used PB&J to help illustrate the need for audience awareness in the context of process analysis (writing instructions, in particular). I'd like to hear what other functions the topic serves.
In my brother's Cub Scout den, one boy wanted his PB&J with only peanut butter, no jelly. Another wanted jelly with no peanut butter. A third wanted his peanut butter blended with his jelly and spread together. Still another wanted his peanut butter on the bottom slice of bread and his jelly on the top. Yes, you guessed it; another wanted peanut butter on top and jelly on the bottom.
When I tell my classes about the Cub Scouts, I ask them to imagine themselves in different roles. Are the the Den Mother, trying to keep track of who wants what? Are they one of the Scouts, hoping to get a sandwich he can enjoy eating? The more vivid I can make the scenario for them, the more likely they will transfer the learning from short-term memory to long-term. If I can engage episodic memory, the more liekly the application is to stick.
However, I have no clear demonstration that this is the case. I really want to hear about the efficacy of the PB&J lecture!
I have both sets of students, often in the same classroom--the still-forming 18-yaer-old brain and the mature 28+-year-old. Regardless of the extremes, asking them to connect the concepts to their past experience will produce sticky knowledge. If they see no relevance, the information is likely to go from short-term memory to dump. Even when I see clear connections to their lives, unless they make the connections themselves, there is no connection. Therefore, I had better make sure each lesson demands personal application.
Hi Peggy,
If you use examples and experiences from your students' pasts you will find a higher level of content retention. This learning method helps them to connect with their own lives and the content. I know you will enjoy using this instructional strategy as it will make teaching even more enjoyable.
Gary
We have a brod mix of student ages and maturity level. If we teach to the imature students then we loose the older students and if we teach to the old then we loose the young students.
Understanding the basics of learning will assist me in deveoloping variuos methods of material prensentation. This will help my students develope critical thinking and problem solving skills.
I would like to begin more sessions by having students remember or imagine a situation in their past where a set of experiences occured that can be later applied to the new subject matrial as it is introduced.
