Understanding the basics of learning gives me an opportunity to look at different ways to facilitate information moving myself to the student. Learning is an interaction - not a download. I teach pathology and there is SO much to download to the students in a very short timeframe. Taking time to understand the learning process will help me be more creative in how the information is shared and interacted with. Hoping that they will filter out the fluff and commit to long term memory the things they will need to know when they apply it to patient care.
My students are like snowflakes... no two are alike. I am still learning how to adopt the same message presented in a different form for different students. With one student, I may be very successful by linking lessons to everyday examples or analogies, while with a high-achieving or more thoughtful student, I may be more successful by changing the message to put more emphasis on the student arriving to their own conclusions while I merely help them along the way.
By understanding the ways in which students and individuals learn you can change your delivery so that it makes more sense and sinks in for the student. If the student learns through reading that will be more valuable for them to do than if you were to lecture to them continuously. By providing a variety of methods you are able to come at the issue for multiple sides.
By learning cognitive theories you become aware of why the different teaching styles work, then your instruction has more meaning to you.
For adult learning it is important to change approaches in how material is presented. I do lecture for most material, but I also add in other ways to reinforce the information. For instance, I use case studies that the students work on in groups. I use drawing and clay projections to help students understand structure and eventually function in anatomy. I even have students do research projects on topics they choose from a set of given topics and then teach me the information. These are just some of the ideas that I use in my classes.
Tim,
Right you are about the need for and value of reinforcement such as you are giving. To be validated by an authority figure is important to students. Your method serves to help them to internalize the fact that they are doing well in their learning effort.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
People remember experiences that offer reward. The strongest reward for individuals is internal. When I act upon the reward feedback system of the brain I recieve better responses from my students and upon evaluation, I've found that students will remember information that has reward attached to it better than information that does not. Its as simple as, asking a question from an individual and when they give a correct answer I'll say to them, "That is a correct answer, you have done well." The student is rewarded and tends to remember the information.
Olmarys,
Right you are because the more we know about them and their learning preferences the more accurately we can target our instruction to enhance their success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
By understanding your students and their learning preferences you are going to be able to more accurately target their support needs. This support will help to keep them engaged in the course and moving forward toward their career goals.
Jeanine,
You have the role of "connecting the dots" between the classroom and the real world. The more you do this the more engaged your students will be. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I've realized that it's like the module describes. Relating text material to real life experiences really solidifies the understanding of the concept being introduced.
Irwin,
Your approach is so important for learning to be reinforced and content retained by students. The key is making the connection between semantic content to episodic memory where it is retained within some type of contextual framework. You are doing such with your approach. Good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Paul,
Your method is a good way to help make an abstract concept more real to the students. They get to apply their knowledge about ethics in a way where they see the value of using ethics to enhance their professionalism and increase their status of high level service to clients.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Karl,
Thank you. I wish you much success as you adapt their instructional strategies.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Possessing an understanding of how sensory stimuli is processed, or how memories are formed can be of tremendous benefit to any educator. For example, roughtly 30% of the sensory cortices in our brains are adapted to process visual stimuli. Incorporating meaningful images into a lecture or class activity can facilitate learning processes. Additionally, one can adopt a constructivist approach to classroom activities, where students are actively involved in learning activities and are better able to make meaning of their experiences. Carefully planned activities can help students create episodic memories from semantic memories.
I teach ethics much differently than I would a massage stroke. One is abstract and the other concrete. I know the massage stroke has a kinesthetic component and the students stand a better chance of retaining it. The ethics is strictly a lecture course so I need to find ways to make it less abstract and give it a hint of the concrete. I do this by putting the students in scenarios and have them respond to them while being in a simulated situation.
This could very well help me change some points of my class, like perhaps giving some different tasks that directly test certain areas of the brain. Thanks
John,
The examples you share with your students are valuable because many of the students have never thought about brain functions and why certain topics are easier for them while others are harder. By having this information they can see where they can concentrate their learning efforts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Amie,
This is what student centered learning is about. The students need to see the ROI from what is being taught in the course and how it applies to their career goals. The more they see this the more value they attach to the content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Dr. Faulk,
As you know from your educational experiences learners like variety and change of pace in learning. You are doing such with your efforts as well as appealing to the different learning preferences represented in your class.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
