Hi Andy,
Your forum response is a good explanation of how we instructors need to customize education for individuals while meeting the needs of the entire class. We can do that by following what you have outlined.
Gary
We need to know a little bit about each of our students. Just as we would need to know a little bit about each of our employees. What makes them tick? What are there problems ? How can we help them outside of the learning environment? By facilitating them outside , we can improve their focus inside.
Hi Gary,
I agree with you, the first day of class is a great way to break the ice. The only problem I found in many of the Private Universities I teach for, is that many students don't attend until week 2 or 3. I don't understand why they feel this is a legal holiday, but many of them take advantage of the extra day off.
Do you feel that there is something that the Universities can do so that the students, especially the brand new students to the University will realize the imnportance of Day 1 and start coming in regularly?
Hi Eric,
I was under the impression that the schools are required to make accomodations for the dissabled as well as the businesses today according to laws.
How can we teach our students and employees today about Cultural Diversity,that we need to be ready for it when they don't take part in it?
We need to be able to understand each individual learner and see what makes them tick. We realize that each student is different and will have different needs and wants, however by understanding each learner individually, we should be able to integrate their needs into the working of the class as a whole.
I feel fionding the reasons why the student is in school helps me to teach them what they really want to know. I also try to find out their fears and help them overcome.
Hi Laurent,
Sometimes students miss this critical point. We are in the customer business and that means service. With good technical skills and the ability to relate to customers our students will do well once they are in the field.
Gary
WE ARE IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY, KNOWING YOUR CUSTOMER IS A MUST,WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO READ PEOPLE'S MIND SO WE CAN ADDRESS THEIR ISSUES AND CORRECT THEIR BEHAVIOUR IF NEEDED AND ALSO GIVE THEM GUIDANCE.
If one student offers up his motivation, an instructor could use this as a class example to help motivate other less experienced students.
Hi Jeffrey,
Something I have used with good success is a "one minute" paper writing exercise. The students have one minute to write on a topic, I generally have them write on their career goals or why they selected the career field they are in. The one minute writing effort doesn't take long and doesn't create stress for the students. I read their papers and this gives me an accurate picture of their comprehension, writing and expression abilities. This gives me a place to start in creating my assignments around their needs.
Gary
It is important to know what type of learners you will be trying to reach. It is pointless to put together an entire lesson for someone that has no previous knowledge of the subject. It is also important to try and identify the type of learner you are trying to reach. Younger generations tend to be stimulated through technology so in order to be successful, it is important to encorporate powerpoints, videos and pictures into your instructional process.
We know what information/knowledge needs to be passed on but by getting an understanding of the learner characteristics i.e. how does the learner like the information to be delivered, does he understand better by hearing, reading it or a combination of both.
The gathering of the learners characteristics can be done by
A) Ask the class as a group what method they think will help them understand ?
B)Meet up with them on a informal 1 on 1, and talk about it
C)Have a open door policy, where they can come in any time and talk about their specific needs and can talk about any special needs
Once we get a fix on these characteristics we can go ahead with the instructional planning process.
I really feel like knowing where each students motivations, fears and difficulties lie allows me to avoid potential pitfalls by making sure everyone is accomodated as much as possible. Its always fairly easy to tell which students are straight from HS and which are returning students but evaluating other needs isn't always that easy. Thankfully some students of mine in the past have been kind/confident enough to come out and tell be about their learning difficulties and I was able to work with them individually to work past those hurdles. Other students seem to hide or be oblivious to their own needs and it can make helping them succeed difficult at times. Is there any advice you can offer for assessing each student more accurately? Thanks.
So that you as an facilitor can bring in the group or student along with the class as a whole.
Hi Wendell,
Exactly. Well said. This information is so valuable in targeting your students and their learning needs.
Gary
By establishing where the student baseline is, either by educational level, ability level or experience you can set a start point to your lesson plans and develop how and what to instruct to get them through the course successfully.
Hi Karen,
Your ice breaker really sets the stage for how the students will get comfortable with your teaching style and the students they will be learning along side.
Gary
Hi Arthur,
Good job of "reading" your students and then providing them opportunities for maximum learning to occur by working together.
Gary
On my first day of my design classes , I do a brief student intro where each student tells the class their name,hometown,what designers they are familiar with and are interested in,what type of position they think they would like after graduating ,what type of position they would like to be in 5 years from now and their hobbies and interests they are passionate about. Its a great ice breaker,the students learn a great deal about each other and I jot down notes about what they say and then use the information when I develop creative special projects for the class. This way I do not assume that my diverse student body already knows about certain aspects of the industry. My projects have real life aspect because after they present I explain how they can use the project results as starting point for future portfolio work.
I teach kitchen lab classes at a culinary school, much of the lab work is done in groups. We have students with very diverse backgrounds, experience levels, and career goals. Understanding the learner characteristics of these students is important when assigning student into groups. I want to mix in students with some industry experience with others that have little or no experience. The experienced learner can help the less experienced along.
Some students are very self motivated, I know that after doing my demo of a particular technique I can just turn them loose. Others will need me to be nearby when they are attempting to duplicate the demo, knowing the characteristics of the individual students I know which ones will need the extra attention.
