helping a student with understanding
get them activly involved with the project (hands on!)
Chris,
Good point. The students have to "connect the dots" in their mind somehow. They need to see value and application to what they are learning if they are to stay focused on the course.
Gary
If they can relate in some way shape or form I believe it will be understood clearer. If it is something is way over their heads I try to relate the material to something they are familiar with and relate my concepts to what they already know.
Anis,
Good point. The students really need to see both the content applications as well as the relevancy of what is being offered.
Gary
It may be necessary to begin by re-aligning understandings of the subject matter to include not only the propositional content presented in course materials ("what students need to know"), but also the skills and practices students need to acquire in order to engage with the course content and take full advantage of learning opportunities in the course.
It is very important to let the student do the task while giveing them info on the task it seems to help them grasp it better that way.
Lab instruction is key to making it all work together!
Hi Craig,
Yes it does. I can this connecting the dots. The students can see the relevancy and application of what they just covered.
Gary
i agree that hands on for the course i teach is the most effective way for the student to grasp the needed information. but many one to always keep in mind that what we consider to be secoound nature is often times very awkward for the first two or three times and we must remind ourselves to be careful not to show frustation when the students dont get it right away if the do see us getting frustated the will shut down and nolonger ask for help
One thing that really helps is taking the students to lab after the lecture to actually perform tasks associated with the subject.
Sometimes the reason that a stuent strugles in a class is because they do not have a sufficent command of the english language.
Hi Susan,
This is why it is so important to "read" your students so you can pick out those that are struggling. By staying on top of their needs you prevent them from getting too far behind the class and can provide support as needed.
Gary
If you are like me, I can usually spot the students who are struggling. I will go around to see if all students are understanding, spending extra time with those who do not.
Hi Eon,
This is so true. If you break the content down into segments the students will feel that they can be successful in a segment and then move onto the next segment. Sometimes they become overwhelmed if the are given the entire content.
Gary
What I have found to work with students who do not understand; is to break the project down in to very small manageable parts. This gives them confidence to understand the small parts and then combine the some to get the whole picture of understanding.
I am taking my students on a field trip on monday.....that is a great idea.
Hi Craig,
Good strategy. That personal touch and concern is so important when working with students that may be on the "bubble" when it comes to staying in the course. Your asking them about their progress and understanding is often enough to keep them in school.
Gary
As my class goes on, we always have some hans-on learning. I go around the class as the students are working, observing and correcting, making suggestions. I like to ask: "Are you doing OK?" Most of the time, a student who doesn't quite understand what to do will let me know that he is struggling.
Taking a field trip that applies to the content being presented and having students report on what they observe provides an opportunity to observa a real-world application and describe it.
I have found one major key with hands-on is being a good observer of how each student is engaged with the application of the lesson. Noticing if there are levels of frustration or not and being certain that the end result was obtained with a true understanding of the process and not one of accidental accomplishment.
Hands on goes well with practical viewing and demonstration.
