Hi Nancy,
Sounds like from your comments that you are going to have some exciting times ahead as you reformat your lecture structure and involve your students more so they become active rather than passive learners.
Gary
Hi Melissa,
After your memory has soaked a while and you given your semantic memory a wake up call and you are ready to hit it once again you may want to move some of your course content over to the episodic side of the memory bank. The more students can pull on their previous experiences the higher the content retention rate will be. They see connections between their life experiences and what they are studying. Sometimes you have to work at helping them see those connections but when they do see them they remember the content.
Gary
Understanding the basics of learning will help me as an instructor because I know that most of my students learn in different ways. By knowing more about the basics of learining, I know that I have to try to discover what influences my students to pursue this career path, whether it be their environment, family, culture, or what. I know I have to introduce my speed building methods in different ways for the many different types of learners in my class, and also introduce it in a way that will force the student to deposit the memory into their long-term memory.
Reading your example of "gridlock" on a freeway makes me more aware of the responsibility of giving information, but not too much information.
During software lectures, I have felt that too much information was bombarding them. I now try to lecture about one aspect and share an example of how they could find that application helpful on the job. I then invite them to comment on how they could see this information will make their work easier.
After that, I demonstrate the technique and let them repeat it. Now that I have read your facts that state that "humans retain... 25% of what they hear... and 70% of what they are... involved in," I am rethinking the length of lectures and the consequences of too much detail.
I also identified with the section about "deletion." I do try to remind the students which facts I'm stating need to be noted and which are "fluff."
I teach an age range of 18 to 50-somethings. Reading this helps me to realize more the differences in their learning abilities and status. Hopefully, from now on, I will be more sensitive to the differences in the learning process of these students.
I could REALLY relate the "Deletion, Distortion and Generalization Filters" of adult learners. My "deletion filters" are in overdrive. I can now recognize the need for me to address the issue for my students and me. I will have to get my semantic memory a wake-up call in order to help my students. This will have to soak a while!
Hi Angela,
Learning is both simple and complex. The simple part of learning is absorbing the world around you and then the complex comes into play as the learner tries to decode and recode the information for use later on. I wish you much success with your teaching efforts.
Gary
I teach C++ at a basic level and advanced level. I try to incorporate examples that our not directly from the book. I also try to relate this information to real life examples. I encourage students to use these examples within the IDE and try to incorporate their spin on the example.
Another way I try to engage students for coding is to offer a real life problem they might have. This allows them to write code that they might find useful for a daily task.
Dr. Meers,
I believe by understanding the basics first, I can better prepare to meet the needs of my students. Understanding how learning takes place and the impact of influences such as culture, environment etc I can better prepare lessons and activities that will enhance learning outcomes and help the student achieve success. Given the way the brain function and how learning occurs I would seek opportunites to utilize hands on/tactile student involvement.
Hi Cheryl,
Glad to hear that the information is of value to you and your instructional development. Keep up th good work.
Gary
Hi Todd,
Great to hear. I wish you the best in your teaching efforts. To me it is fun to watch the students light up when they get a new concept or idea that makes sense to them. Then you they have created the brain connection that is needed to enhance their learning.
Gary
I teach software to IT students. Many of these students do not have any interest in programming but the courses are part of the curriculum. I do my best to make the material relevant. One approach that I use is ask them if they plan to climb the ladder and perhaps manage a team, project, or department someday. Most respond that they hope to. I let them know that it is likely that they will have software developers to manage.
For most, this response makes the material relevant to them and more open to the learning process.
You made a great point that I have to teach them concrete steps, too. Off the top of my head I can identify several areas in the curriculum where concrete steps are required. For example, when getting ready to build an application using the integrated development environment, there are a series of steps that must be completed to set up the project.
Thank you!
By understanding how students learn will benefit me as an instructor greatly. It will allow me to tailor my lessons for greater comprehension. After reading the way the brain works, I will start to incorporate different methods of teaching.
Hi Cheryl,
Since you work in a problem solving area your students are going to need to have concrete steps they follow to problem solve and skill to think abstractly about solutions. This makes for an interesting approach to instructional delivery and skill set development since they work in both areas.
Gary
I found the discussion on concrete and abstract thinking to be very helpful. The area of curriculum in which I focus is software development. In the workplace, software development involves a lot of problem solving. After reading this module, I conclude that much of the curriculum is abstract.
To help prepare students to become software developers, activities that require reading requirements and solving the problem by developing an application, are provided to the student. Instructors in this field, need to help develop those connections between the various tools and programming structures available and the problems they can be used to solve.
Hi Kristie,
Since your field is application based it is important for the students to be able to integrate the knowledge they have with the problem solving skills they need. Relevancy and application are the key words for the education they are receiving. Students need to develop a strong working memory based upon their storage and retrieval abilities. Repeated use of procedures and applications enables them to do such.
Gary
By understanding how the brain functions and how learning occurs, I can offer a variety of learning experiences for my students to ensure they understand and are able to apply new information. In my field, book knowledge isn't enough, the student has to be able to be hands-on and apply the information they are presented with.
Hi Enoch,
Having done learning and brain research for over 30 years I am still amazed at how little we know about learning and how complex the brain really is. It is a wonder that we are able to learn anything at all with all that is going on in our bodies.
Gary
I'd like to see more options at CTUO for extra-credit activities, student-led discussions and the like.
