Hi Dave,
This is what customized instruction is all about. Thank you for sharing these examples of how you are meeting needs of a diverse student body.
Gary
classroom and learning activties can be set up to meet different learning styles and enhance the learning process for all learners.
Understanding learner characteristics allows you to connect with students and allows the students to feel like you understand their concerns and situation. Students that find themselves in different situations than the average student in the class (older, different ethnicity or other differences), may feel isolated and wonder about whether their experience and understanding is relevant to the topic of conversation. Showing that the instructor understands their individual situations allows them to connect with the class and feel valuable and relevant.
Understanding the composite of students in my classrooms helps me develop lesson plans which are more likely to meet the needs of my students. For example, I teach a high number of foreign language students. I quickly realized I talk too fast and some of my jokes aren't "got". So I have had to adjust my teaching style to accommodate many of these students. Additionally, I have had students with some school-accessed learning issues and I have had to accommodate these students by extending test times, preparing visual lectures to accompany audio lectures, and/or making sure the classroom has a seat and desk that meet whatever special needs they may have.
Hi Cheryl,
Good point. Keep that friendly voice going because it is of real value to the success of your students.
Gary
Hi Brenna,
You make a good point about the need for giving your students a baseline assessment to determine where they are in relation to knowledge and skills. Results of this can be used to customize the course content.
Gary
Hi Ted,
This is what targeted instruction is all about. They need to see what the outcome will be for the effort they put forth in their courses.
Gary
Understanding Learner types and characteristics is definetely important however I also feel that the true importance of post secondary education is to give students the tools to find information on their own. Once the students enter the work field no one will be there to hold their hand, nor will an employer tolerate an inability to learn the required material for the job at hand. In my opinion, the material is the important part. As a technical instructor, the material that is covered will just not be grasped by everyone, and to modify the content will only set them up for failure in future classes that rely on my competence to deliver the material. I make the students feel at home by talking about current events, and keep the lectures energetic, and after action reviews of each lecture will insure maximum retention.
Hi Dr Meers,
I generally teach in the online environment. Understanding learner characteristics is important to the types of feedback and communication that I use with each learner. I try to determine who may be having difficulty with English as a second language providing my feedback in a clear and concrete way. I will model my response to what the intent of the question may have been.
Also, even in the online format I will pick up the phone and talk with some learners. This module is correct, the lack of confidence or fear of failure is a looming concern. A friendly voice does seem motivate many.
Cheryl
It can help by means of setting up the class and what venues you retrieve resources for re-enforcement materials...For example, if I have a student who is a visual or audio learner; I'd find some video, demo, or movie clip to show in class after a lecture.
It enables the instructor to curve their teaching styles to conform to the learning needs of the students. Chances are they will be different for most of the students, so each student may require a slightly different approach.
Understanding that all of the students learn in a different way enables an instructor to modify the curriculum and incorporate different features in the daily plans. Lecture as well as technology or videos, games, role play and projects.
This would serve as a starting point for deciding the best approach. For example, I have to teach a basic introduction to PowerPoint for a class I teach where they use the tool in a presentation. If I can have an understanding of where my class is at beforehand, I can better deliver the material in a way that would be most effective.
Understanding the learner characteristics helps the instructional process in a way that it acts as a guide for the instructor. It allows the instructor to map out what tools they need to successfully run their class.
It helps you to tailor your class to the specific needs of you students and not some general needs that may not allow them to succeed.
Understanding the learner enables the instructor to engage discussions and conversations of certain topics in class through the learners own personal life experience. Knowing the learners give instructors tools to succeed as a instructor and as a mentor especially reassuring adult learners that it is not to late to learn new "tricks" so to speak. This is the fear I see in the classroom many times. In the long run, I think adult learners become better students as they have specific goals and have the drive to achieve that goal.
Hi Gary,
What a great resource you have with this student. I am sure that with students with these kinds of experiences you have lively discussions that engage the other students in the learning process.
Gary
I belive this process is educational in many areas. Learning of the different styles,and types of poeples abilities be it visual,audio,age etc were essential for me to be exposed to.
Each of the students brings a variety of life experiences to the classroom. Those experiences can be incorporated in the lesson plans and used as an instructional tool for the entire class. For example, one student has previous experience in the judicial system as a clerk of court. This experience allows for some interesting real life discussions concerning the criminal justice system, its fairness, its effectiveness, and potential changes needed to insure the judicial system accomplishes its purpose in a timely and effective manner.
When you get to know each student and there diffrent learning styles. Then you can set up you're class so it is helpful to each student and they will feel comftable in the learning process.
