Understanding the different ways that students learn will help me to pace the class in a way that will allow enough discussion time for those who need further explaination. At the same time however, it is crucial to keep the faster students occupied and engaged.
Maria,
Great professional development plan for you. This should expand your expertise and effectiveness as instructional delivery expert.
Gary
Diane,
So true. The more they do the more connection they make between content and application.
Gary
Understanding the brain functions of how learning occurs will enable the instructor to get a feel for the class and base the lesson plan accordingly
Understanding the basics of learning is essential to successful learning outcomes for students. Just as each situation is different so are the learners and their needs...the dynamics of the class dictate the need for this understanding. Adapting to each situation allows for maximum success on the part of the student in their goal to achieve an education that will stay in memory for the long term. I assess my instructional teaching methods and strategy’s to try and match the skills the student’s posses. Where a more tactile approach is beneficial, I will have more hands on interaction and try to use the lab as a teaching environment. Other times I will bring some of the lab idea into the classroom lecture with limited demonstrations. I will also get a group together and have them all participate...allowing me to see and observe their style differences and thus giving me a better understanding of how I can reach them with the necessary information.
I spend the beginning of a new class trying to learn if the students absorb the information best by seeing hearing or doing. I then restructure my class to hone in on what seems to work best. For example if I find they learn better by doing, I will stop my lecture in class and continue it in the lab making sure to hit the key points on a live model. There are just some things that you can explain one hundred times and they won't understand it,or you can show them once and see it work and there mind will be able to process it in there own way to understand it
I believe it is imperative we, as educators understand the basics of learning so we can deliver knowledge to students at a rate and method the students can understand.
i try to be as visual as possable but sometimes hands on works best
when teaching a diverse class of students it is necessary to assess the age differential and get a feeling for the skill level and technical expertise of the class. I generally will involve all students in the class in a simple how to solve the problem exercise. all students are ask how they will fix the problem with the basic testing results given. I write each respone on the board without comments. after each student has responded, everyone must respond, I go through the responses and explain why they are correct or not. This method levels the playing field and gives each student the idea that he/she can learn from my classes. Each class is different so this allows me to adapt my style to each class.
I have classes ranging in age from 18 to 50 year olds and each learns differently. with the mature learners I can use methods that make them recall something similar to my discussion and build upon that experience to further understanding of the current topic. my young learners to which there is no knowledge of the subject I will break it down into portions that will piece the information together in smaller bits.
By adapting your teaching style, or method, you can tailor to the students preferred style of learnng. If a student is more visual, you could use more demonstrations to get your point across,for instance.
I realize I would probably use more anecdotal and episodic content in a lesson more often, cutting down on dry lecture. I believe students, especially in career colleges, would resonate deeper with that.
-E.A.W.
It's important to be able to identify the various learning styles and barriers to learning in each class. This helps the instructor assist students in being successful.
I think understanding the differences between short and long term memory can help relate to what a student is learning. i may focus more on concrete examples when introducing new concepts.
Dr. Meers,
Before adapting my instructional strategy, during the first week of class I am investing time in examining the student’s characteristics as: Assessment learner characteristics (Smith & Ragan, 2005).
General Characteristics (languages and reading levels, visual or ability to gain information from graphic), general or specific aptitudes.
Specific prior knowledge.
Target audience / Social (gender, ethnicity, racial group, age, general heath, sensory perception,)
Affective characteristics (interest, motivation, attitude toward learning, anxiety level, belief…)
During my introduction and presentation, the assessment can be conducting on different or all methods by observation, interviewing, small written essay about asking why are they motivation, personal and professional goals, and what and why they choose the programs. Based on the information recollected, could help to determine the types of learning ( Cognitives skills, declarative, intellectual,procedure, problem solving, psychomotors and attitudes), and to plan the teaching methods.
Rothwell & Kazanas, (2008) believed by analyzing the learning outcomes and selection appropriate strategies are essential.
References
Rothwell, W. J., & Kazanas, H. C. (2008). Mastering the instructional design process: A systematic approach (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Smith, P. L., & Ragan, T. J. (2005). Instructional design (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
I agree you need to learn about your students on the first day.
Liked the info on concrete and eposodic memory. Never realized how this worked. I often tell the students when they actually DO a procedure in a clinical setting they will remember it much better than me just dicussing it in class.
Rickey,
Right you are. This understanding helps with customizing instruction based upon the identified needs of the students.
Gary
Understanding the basics of learning is vauable for an instructor because it strengthens your ability to teach and adapt to many different learning styles.
Tracy,
Good example of the diversity found in classes today. We need to be able to provide support to and for all of our learners providing they are willing to put forth the effort required to be successful.
Gary
