I will continue to use visual images as well as hands on tools to convey the message.
Hi Laura,
I think you are going to have great results from this activity. Let me know how it turns out. Sounds like both informative and enjoyable for everyone.
Gary
After reviewing the information on how the brain functions I have been inspired introduce a new activity on the first day of class. This activity involves the students writing in detail about their best and worst experiences along their education journey. This activity I believe will serve a two-fold purpose: first, it will give me insight to any barriers that may be present for the learner; and second, it will serve as a great icebreaker for the class. For those willing to share their experiences, students will be able to connect with one another and begin to relate to one another in a meaningful way.
Hi John,
You are correct about the content retention being higher right after receiving the information. Another time the retention of content is high is when the students have had a chance to apply the content. Application facilitates relevancy to career utilization so the more we can help them see how they will be using this information the higher the retention of the content is going to be.
Gary
I have read that students have the highest retention rates when they are tested on material immediately after they have recieved the information. Instead of testing on material weeks after it was presented, it was suggested that the higher retention rates would occur if quizes or some sort of testing was done shortly after the material was presented. It was even recommended that short quizes be done at the end of lectures.
Hi Sheila,
You make a good point about needing to understand how the brain develops. The more we know how individuals process content the better we can target their support needs. This will help to make learning more effective and efficient.
Gary
By understanding the developmental stages of brain development, an instructor can adapt his/her instructional strategies to meet the needs of the students. Additionaly, as an instructor, you are able to understand the process the students are engaging in as they learn and retain information.
I use different methodologies to teach my students; demonstrations of procedures, analysis of information, discussion of topic related, presentation of new information; using a variety of methodologies allow me to target different students and different ways to learn; my group is exposed to hands on activities, reading and listening, observing and discussion that help them to decode the information given.
Hi Richard,
Well said about the support and focus displaced workers need while in school. I run a Survival Skills Center for a number of years where our student population was all displaced, addicted, and court involved individuals. We had to use the model you described to get started or they just continued to circle themselves in despair. Failure is easy to accomplish because it requires nothing of you place you can blame your failure on someone else. On the other hand success requires that you make decisions and as a result of those decisions you have choices. This is what life planning is all about.
I wish you much success in your efforts. Your students will be enriched as a result of your support.
Gary
I find that when students are able to relate the material to themselves they tend to remember to information and have an easier time to recall the information. Sometimes students need cues to access their long-term memories so they understand they have had some sort of experience that can be connected. This helps me as an instructor because students do not feel overwhelmed with learning new material or feel "lost" in the content of the course.
This is a good question. I work with displaced workers from severely contracted industries. Their episodic memories are roiling with intense, sometimes hope-deflating, experiences. Understanding how traumatic episodic memory can direct application toward "adverse-inner-reality-creating-adverse-outer-reality" behaviors provides an excellent starting place. For knowing this at the outset of class allows me to create positive episodic memories related to their learning environment and career goals. I do this by using "memorable" (pun intended) group unifying exercises and by noting their success in enrolling and managing their difficulties heretofore where others might have deserted. In short, we determine we are all rather capable and durable, that success is quite attainable if the past is any indicator, and that being in class is clear evidence of those facts. I welcome any feedback on my comments. Thank you.
I teach a module that occurs immediately before the Mid term exam. It is a regular exclamation from the students that they have "flushed" the previous modules while transitioning from module to module. Most of them not thinking ahead to the mid term and only focusing on the information that THEY BELIEVE needs to be maintained day to day.
Hi Glenn,
I have experienced the delete factor many times over the years as a teacher. I try very hard to make the content dynamic enough to help them from hitting that button too many times during class. Because as we know if they do at the end of the class they have dropped everything out and are wondering why they can't remember what just occurred. You make a good point.
Gary
I can understand the concept of the "deletion" filter -- but sometimes I believe the students have an "erase" button and seem to act as if the whole topic has been errased from theit minds -- even though you know that you covered it very well!!
And worse sometimes you do not even discover that this is a problem till there is no more time left! To allow a different approach.
yes, career college students are adult learners. they need to actively involve in their learning,and majority of them have their brain develops physicaly at maximum level.The adaptation of the instrudtional strategy shuold be based on the learners learning preferenced and pretesting knowledge.
Understanding the student goals is KEY to adapting content to BEST meet their current and future needs. To start, I will conduct a survey, combined with an "icebreaker", to clearly identify what is important (on an individual basis).
Throughout the course I will show the relationship of the course content to meeting career goals AND how the content can be utilized/applied in future and/or advanced courses.
I will also incorporate more lab activities to support my lectures, to reinforce important content (which will be stored in Long-term memory.
Hi James,
I really like how you laid the core of instruction using the 2 R's. You are dead on with them. Without realness, relevancy and repetition the instructional process will break down rather quickly with lead to the 4th R and that is Retention. Retention is going to suffer is if the three other R's are absent.
Thanks for sharing them with us.
Gary
Several options present themselves as best practices. If I were to choose an adaptive strategy to improve my educational delivery I would focus on the retention aspect. Lets call it make the presentation real, relavent, and repetitive. The three R's that really matter. 1st Make it real. This means that for the learner it is something that applies to the career field as a necessary component that without which they would not be able to function in the job. 2nd make it releavant to them as individuals. How does this information apply directly to them as a human being. Thirdly not just repeat it but do so in a redundantly novel way each time the information is presented to the learner. Semantic and experiential "episodic" techniques can be used in conjunction with both abstract thought experiments and concrete specific exercises that require the learner to apply they relavent knowledge to a case.
I try to incorporate a variety of teaching methods/learning strategies to accomodate students' various learning styles (written, auditory, visual, kinesthetic). Each learning module typically includes a reading assignment, lecture/discussion, and laboratory practice. More than one learning style may be incorporated in each element. Using teaching/learning strategies that incorporate multiple learning styles provides opportunity for students to learn using their preferred style and to practice using less preferred styles.
Hi Patti,
Good variety of instructional deliveries. This is the type of teaching that keeps students engaged and focused because you are appealing to a wide variety of learning preferences so more students will be involved throughout the entire class session.
Gary
