Hands on.
Has anyone experienced with a student that even though you lecture and do hands on activities on the subject at hand, they still have trouble getting it? Whats some work arounds that?
Breaking it down into short, fundamental segments. One on one time with the student. Good analogies based on the students experiences also helps. Sometime the hardest thing to do is find the right "switch" so the students light will begin to illuminate. Ask the student which areas are tough and focus on those one at a time.
If I'm familiar with this student's weakness, after the pair has completed that activity I have them present it to the class. Discuss what was most challenging and to share their plan of remembering and successfully completing that task
Dan,
The more senses you can involve in the learning process the better. Tactile learning has high value for students because they get to apply what they are being taught while refining their hands on skills.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Hands on is a great way into the learning process.
Most students are visual learners so hands on helps them learn the concept or prosedure.
This has without a doubt helped students that I have seen struggle. Peer instruction may give the student who is struggling a different aspect of the material to which they are better able to understand it. When an instructor is one on one with a student in a hands on situation this may make the student feel nervous, when a peer is assisting that student I feel they are more apt to asking questions and absorbing the information.
I agree to that , most of the cases reinfocement of the theoritical aspects and with hands on practice will always help.
A lot of part and hand out and parts take apart. That seems to help the students to grasp the subject
Troy,
Good plan and one that works with most students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
There are students that are Book Learners and there are students that are Hands On Learners. The challenge is to adapt both stratagies to a class of 30 students. Pair up a book smart person with a hands on person and vis-a-versa.
Harold,
Yes, they do and that is why if at all possible there needs to be application opportunities for the students to make use of their newly acquired knowledge and skills.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Both sides have merit but alot of students learn in a hands on situation.
I teach a financial management class and some students do not have a foundation in math so they struggle. I provide tutoring during my office hours which is helpful and appreciated by my students.
Shannon,
This is a great way to help all students learn the course content. The students that need some additional learning input get it from the students that have already gotten that part of the course while those that have gotten the concepts get to review them when they help a student that needs some additional input. It is a win win for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
If see that one of my students is struggling with understanding the material, I pair him/her up with a stronger classmate. For example, in one of my current classes, I have a student that does not grasp the concepts as fast as her other classmates. When I break them up into teams, typically in groups of 2 or 3, I make sure she is with a classmate or classmates that can provide her additional assistance with a concept. I also offer tutoring for students that need extra help with their classwork.
Yes I see even hands on being a problem for some when I thought this was a way to help the students that could not get the information from lecture. This just tell me that I would have to take more time to work with this student one on one and help them to understand better and see what works for them
I've ran across this a couple of times. I find that the person has to much on there mind to focus on one thing.
Sharon,
I am a tactile learner myself so I can appreciate where you are coming from.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Hands on is the very best way for someone like me to learn
Henry,
When I have a student who still struggles with a particular topic because the lecture was confusing for them, and then they also couldn't pick up on the hands on as well, I bring in a senior student to help mentor and tutor them. Sometimes that senior student can give them insight that maybe they just weren't picking up from my instruction. I find this to be helpful for lots of students who struggle in this way. Sometimes that student mentoring them had the same issue and they can relate to the student. The mentor can then give them tips on things that helped them retain information and learn the hands on part.
