I have found that understanding my audience gives me the ability to shape the course and exercises to meet the needs of the students. I get much better outcomes when I know more about my students and their learning styles and characteristics.
Hi Kathy,
Good plan for balancing the backgrounds and experiences of your students to make sure they are being supported as they need to be.
This leads to the development of respect for each other and for what they are studying.
Gary
I too, like to learn my student's names by the end of our first session together. I use notecards on each student to help me remember some facts about them to get to know them better.
Kathy Loecher
A knowledge of diversity and age of learners helps in instructional planning. The non-traditional students are more comfortable working with other non-traditional students. I may pair them together sometimes to ease their fears of going back to school.
On the contrary, I may partner up non-native (ESOL) speakers with native (English) speakers so they may learn from each other.
Kathy Loecher
Thank you for your response and clarification. In our classes we have a similar need. The students arrive with previous experiennce or non-experience often with false expectations and misinformation from the world outside and apart from their new career. We literally have to "trick" them out of their mindset, before the new information can find its way in.
Would you share with me an example or two of how you set the stage to leverage your students. I am always looking for new insights into maximizing the learning process.
Thank you.
Dr. James B. Astin
It goes back to learning styles. Once you know their characteristics you understand how to plan and teach you course. It tells you what type of activities you want to use in the classroom, what will work and what will not work.
Understanding of learning characteristics helps in the instructional planning process; because it makes me aware of how to teach-it makes me aware I might have to change my teaching style depending upon the class and the topic.
Mr. Astin, You asked me to expand on ROI and Leveraging my students.
ROI is an acronym for Return On Investment, it is actually a business term that has been adapted to education in my institution. It means you will receive an educational dividend on what you put into you studies. I have several difficult practical exercise that push my students to think, organize, and plan at a level higher than what they are accustomed to in their current job positions. During these PEs I remind them a phrase we use, “Garbage in, garbage out” encouraging them to invest their best work during the PE in order to have the best result, when they are finished.
As for leveraging our students, I have many objectives that must be accomplished at the end of our courses, which last from 2 to 4 weeks. I am fortunate because all of my students volunteer for my courses and are prepared to work long hours for a concentrated course. I will do whatever is needed to push my students to achieve the standards for passing the course, which means I will leverage (i.e. manipulate) the students to make this happen. I know that many other professionals might be somewhat appalled by this concept, but that is the reality for the situation of my students and myself.
I hope this has answered your question in enough detail. V/R Blake
We all have to learn to work with others if we are going to succeed as the work world. The more experience we can give in developing coping skills the more successful our students are going to be.
Hi Annie,
I really like your approach to the new class. By getting them comfortable and settled in you are also developing a sense about how they prefer to learn. All of the builds to the point you know how to provide variety and support for their learning. Great job! Keep up the good work.
Gary
Hi Jennifer,
What a great way to "read" your students. You are adjusting your instructional delivery based upon current student needs. This is the sign of a true professional educator. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Hi Jerry,
Right you are. This is what application and relevancy is all about. You are getting them ready for the work world and they need to see the value of what they are learning in relation to that.
Gary
Blake,
You mentioned commucating the ROI's and experienced learners being leveraged, could expand on these two concepts more?
I like to spend 15 to 20 minutes on the first day of the class to meet and greet my class, as well as have a few 'icebreakers'. This seems to help quite a bit to loosen up the students, have a laugh or two, and help them realize we are all human, we all make mistakes, we all have a lot going on in our lives etc etc....it helps them to realize they are not alone in a class.
By the 2nd or 3rd class period I have picked up on most all of the student's preffered learning styles, whether it is visual, auditory, hands-on, etc or a mix of everything. I am lucky to be able to teach courses that implement all different kinds of learning styles depending on the subject matter, and depending on where we are in the learning process.
Since I know how my class will get the most informatin/retain the most information by using specific learning and teaching styles, I can gear my lesson plans to suit them as best as I possibly can. But I do always warn them that some information simply has to be lecture, there is no way around it sometimes! :-)
There are so many variables and yet there are a lot of similarities in my general student population. I have to identify them from general to individual perspectives. This inspection is essential to preparing for the course. For example if my class has a lot of younger men I generally have to explain what I am doing in soundbites to help them stay focused and retain information so they can work with success. I also schedule breaks that maximize work load, but give them a moment stretch and come back fresh.
For me it means keeping the range of characteristics in the back of my mind while planning and also during delivery. I tell my students that I will stop periodically and ask them; What do you think? How's this going? Even though we have a general understanding of learning characteristics we should never become complacent in our delivery.
When and if adult learners have the opportunity to 'apply' what they learn in a related work setting, I believe they become 'believers.'
When you understand the characteristics of an adult learner and the best practices of adult learning techniques you become a better instructor. Adults learn best when they can see an immediate correlation between what they are learning and an objective they would like to meet. Adults also learn better when material is broken into manageable chunks of information that follow logical steps. Understanding these characteristics helps us as instructors know that we must factor the WIFFM into our materials and lectures. We need to understand what the student's objectives are and teach to those objectives.
Hi Mary,
With your method of grouping of students you are creating a number of different dynamics that contribute to the education and growth of your students. The big point is that your students study and work together outside of class. This shows the value they see in working with each other.
Gary
Hi James,
Good point about the "true" role the instructor needs to play in the classroom. He/she needs to be a model of what a career professional needs to be.
Gary
