Hi Luis,
Right you are. By knowing the students and working with their preferences the learning level will be higher as well as student satisfaction.
Gary
Hi Peter,
Good points about how to support individual students while moving the entire class forward to reach the course goals.
Gary
It is similar to getting a present for someone.
When we go to the store, we know our "friend / spouse / relative..." Knowing that person; his / her likes, his /her hobbies, his her age etc… will make us select a very different present.
By knowing our students; who they are, what they bring to the classroom, we can better prepare to address their needs and help them achieve their career goals.
Wouldnt this be in reference to the human factor, or being sympathetic to people as individuals.
If you you take each student into account as an entity, and not as a whole class, you can really come up with some good methodology for teaching that may not have arisen if you looked at a class as a whole, and not a group of individuals..
The learner characteristic in my class varies,so we have set our assetments here at school to meet the different individual learner characteristics.
Understanding learner characteristics plays an important role in planning for course instruction. If students are kinesthetic learners, then only using a lecture format would not provide an optimum learning environment. I have been using and encourage others to use a modality test to understand students.
Unfortunately an instructor doesn't always have the lead time required to plan accordingly. Therefore, error on the side of caution. Plan to teach to all learning types. Utilize a variety of tools; talk to other instructors, publishers provide resources that can be implemented in the classroom.
Hi Dominic,
Right you are. Plus, I like to use my years of experience as a teacher to problem solve new solutions to the learning patterns of students. It helps to keep me excited about what I am doing.
Gary
Hi Warren,
Right you are about knowing the characteristics of the students. You make a very good point about providing support without coddling the students. They are being prepared to enter into and succeed in a career area. As a result they have to be mature enough to in addition to the knowledge and skills to be competitive. They aren't going to be coddled when they are in the work place.
Gary
Hi James,
Right you are concerning the need for a comprehensive knowledge base in terms of teaching strategies. The ability to cope with the unexpected is a real plus for educators. As you say the more you can develop this skill the more effective you will be.
Gary
Hi Theresa,
Good plan for the flow of your course. You are offering your students variety and change of pace both of which helps to keep them engaged. What have you found to be the most effective learning strategy that you use?
Gary
Great points Joseph!
Accessibility goes a long way to creating a positive experience for our students. Often just knowing we're available to hear any issues solves the problem--whether we provided the solution or not.
Gary,
This is a key component of our ability to facilitate learning and create an excellent experience for our students. When we know the characteristics of our learners, we can tailor our facilitation process to their needs--obviously without catering to or coddling inapropriate behavior.
The sooner we as teachers can Identify the problem the sooner we can Help the student
Being familiar with and understanding most of the elements of learning help the general or specific planning for a given course or a single class.
Based on this understanding I can greatly reduce the unexpected to happen, and with this knowledge/experience I am able to deal with it promptly and effectively.
I agree. I typically break up class time into 20 minutes of lecture with visual aids, then demonstration, then practical with ten minute breaks every hour. This keeps the class from becoming boring and student interest high.
In our school it would help because for a majority of our classes our student population ranges in ages from right out of high school until about 40-45. This way our instructors would know the students that they are dealing with in their classes and how to focus what they are teaching and when they have a classes with a large range of younger and older students they can use it to their advantage when they are doing group work. Both the younger student and older student being placed together may be able to learn something from each other that they may otherwhise not have.
Providing rubrics are the key to helping them know the standards that you are looking for and what makes their papers professional.
What I also do for my students is to give them opportunities to improve their writing. If they did not receive a grade that was satisfactory and they are willing to re-write, I will re-grade once and whichever grade is better, I give that to them.
Another step that I have learned by my own English professors is peer editing. This helps the students provide feedback to each other. I provide the worksheet on how to edit each other's paper, and it is a part of their grade to participate in this process. At first I was even apprehensive, but as I saw that it helped me with my own papers, I was eager to gain that feedback.
Hi Mary,
You have outlined a comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of your students and as well as providing them with support. I am sure your students enjoy your efforts and are comfortable with your expectations and requirements. With your planning you are giving them the opportunity to be successful if they will put forth the effort.
Gary
Hi Edward,
The key is "reading" your students. This will help you to determine the kinds of support the students need based upon their backgrounds and experiences. This will help to keep them focused on the course and build their confidence.
Gary
I teach English composition and literature. My aim in the classes is to both individualize the students—make sure that they realize I perceive them as individuals and will support them in their work—and to help them develop a learning community that acknowledges their diverse experiences and each person’s valuable contributions to the class. At the same time, and this is the issue that both groups have problems with, they have to recognize that every class they take helps to prepare them for their future careers. I will not baby-sit them! Thus, they have to follow rules and fulfill assignments—even the nit-picking issues of format and documentation.
My planning must be detailed and focused on achieving the class’s learning objectives. I provide a variety of learning activities to help students with different learning styles. I also develop assignments that allow a range of choices that reflect possible subjects found in different programs of study in order to help the students see relevance in their work. I make the assignments clear, giving process, due dates, examples when needed, etc. Grading scales are also very clear and grading is done by rubrics which we discuss in class—I also provide examples of satisfactory assignments.
