hands on
I find with trade students love the hands on. It seems they pick up great knowledge from it.
Once you have had a chance to do something it also makes it more real.It becomes practical not theoretical.
Andric,
As a tactile learner I agree. By using additional senses beyond just the cognitive process I can learn things much quicker and have greater retention of them. This is true for many of our students so we need to plan as much hands on as we can to facilitate their learning. Thanks for making this good point.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think hands on is the way to go more people tend to want to do the actual work that they will be preforming on a daily basis instead of just drilling them with book work and home work all the time and you don't lose interest as fast when your working on something new
Donald,
This blend is what keeps students engaged in the learning process for the duration of the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
yes i will agree that the combination of theory and hands on are the best
Greg,
I agree. This is functional assessment and functional assessment lets you the instructor know if the students have acquired the skills needed to be successful in their field. This is real world assessment for real world application.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
In my opinion, if you are instructing a course that requires hands-on applications, then students should have hands-on testing on those applications.
Stephen,
This is moving the learner from being passive to being active. By being able to use their other senses such as touch and manipulation they start to see how all of the components fit together in terms of their field. This greatly increases their enthusiasm for the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Practical application for trade skills is easier than reading a text on how to do an applied skill. Many times the written text make it harder for some students to comprehend, however when they get the hands on application then the written text has a different prospective giving the student a better understanding of what is being taught.
Martha,
I like this phase myself because you are right about how the students get so engaged when they are performing the tasks related to their field. This is where the content becomes relevant and application is made.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I enjoy teaching the hands on part of the class because I have noticed that, when the students practice what they just learned the information stays with them longer than if they just read the information.
Douglas,
The more application that can be made the more value students place on the course. They hear and then they apply and that gives them something to take with them as they leave class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Absolutely. "Classroom" work followed by hands-on is the best way to learn in most instances
Some Students will get more benefit by using hands on. But combination of theoritical & hands
on , the best.
Bob,
Right you are because you are teaching content and skills that lead to competence. Students need to be able to demonstrate competence as they progress through their program.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
By having student do hands on work it proves that they understood what they were taught as written testing only lets us know the comprehended the bbok work. In a technical school hands on is what matters the most
Hans on activities are more beneficial to students because they present a clear picture of the procedures followed to achieve a task. The step by step demonstration is learned easier by students. Likewise, it is also easier to recall such activities. Once they have physically experienced the process, it is easier for them to identify the skills & steps, and to reproduce the outcome.
Angie,
The more application that can be made of the content the more retention of the content there will be. So we need to plan for and integrate as much hands on of our content as is possible.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree...hands on learning is crucial for any age learner. I believe it is more meaningful, but should be intertwined with lecture, visuals and other learning methods.
