Hi Francisco,
You make a good point about preparation. As an instructor you need to look at the students that will be coming into your class and then develop instructional activities that will focus on their learning needs.
Gary
By understanding students learning characteristics, I can prepare a head of time with a diversity in my teaching meatods. Also by giving differnt types of hand on activities and allowing students to paricipate during lecture time is another form of understanding what the students concerns and needs are.
Hi Keith,
You are right about the need to accommodate persons with disabilities in educational institutions and work places. The law that mandates this is the ADA Act. The key words are "reasonable accommodations". That is in the educational setting their accommodations cannot disrupt the learning of other students. With most students with disabilities this is not a problem at all. As you mentioned they are generally very good students that are motivated to succeed.
Gary
With such a diversity in languages and etnics, it is important to understand the lerner characteristics to be successful in the class.
I'm not certain but I think a school has to make what they call reasonable accomodation to the handicaped. Every now and then I get a deaf student to teach,I find it no harder to teach people with handicaps than people without them. On the whole they seem easier because they stress less over every day issues that seem to degenerate regular students toward attrition. They also are more focused because they know they are going to be challanged to a higher degree, they also seem to have better attendance as a rule. Don't quote me but I think in order to recieve federal funding they must comply with the 1964 EEOC law.
Hi Bill,
Application and relevancy are a must if students are going to stay engaged in the learning process. You make a good point about what the role of the instructor is in this process.
Gary
I believe, by understanding, the instructor, can guide and focus the students in a manor that makes the subject material real for them. It enables the instructor to reach them as well as direct them in a given direction.
Understanding your "audience" knowing their backgrounds, their goals and desires helps you to place them in the learning type required for them to learn. Understanding learner characteristics will enable you to prepare the proper lesson plans to reach the students and their needs. Being a good listener and becoming their coach will allow trust to build and the student will reach out to you and become more active in the learning process thus releiving their fears and anxiety.
Hi Charles,
You are correct about some students being able to transition their learning preferences to the presentation style and being successful. These students need to be encouraged and developed but they aren't in need of the same supports as are the students that are challenged by the instruction is occurring. This gives you more time to focus on their needs to help them be successful.
Gary
Mr. Gulliksen,
I agree with you on the introduction part. I even believe it can interfere with student learning if the students don't know anything more about the instructor, or their classmates then names.
Naturally, knowledge of students learning ability helps instructors know ways of getting the information across to the students.
In my experience what I found interesting is that knowledge of learners charateristics is not really necessary on all students, but is mandatory on students who are struggling. Most students seem to assimilate their learning style to the instructors teaching style and therefore complete the class. Those that don't are the ones that need to be researched.
Hi Vivian,
Well said. You have a very clear understanding of the learning needs of your students. I am sure they benefit greatly from this understanding and do well in your classes.
Gary
Hi Rick,
Enjoy your smaller classes. You are very fortunate in that you get to know your students so well. Most of us teach larger classes and as a result we have work harder to get to know our students and meet their learning needs.
Gary
Understanding learner characteristics will allow for a better understanding and planning of what it will take for the students to comprehend the information we will present.
It is easier to plan activities based on learning objectives when one understands who the student is, where they are coming from and what it will take for us to deliver the material in the best possible way.
I am fortunate that I have the ability to work with class sizes of 6 to 12 students. This gives me the ability, because I have adequate time,to observe the learning characteristics of the student and therefore helps me to satisfy instructional needs of many students. Many times I can pick up on the fact more positive reinforcement is needed or that I need to do an alternative demonstration. At one time I dealt with classes of a larger size, 25 to 30 students,and it becomes more difficult to identify learned characteristics.
Hi Jerry,
This is a great way to use your students as instructional resources. They can help and share with each other while learning how to work with each other.
Gary
Hi Doreen,
Being able to meet the individual learning needs of your students while keeping the course moving forward is the challenge every instructor faces. This is I think one of the enjoyable parts of our work as well because we get to use our creativity to develop strategies for our students. Hope this is your situation as well.
Gary
Hi Fredrik,
Good way to start a class. I like the idea of the pretest. It gives you a baseline from which you can plan instruction. It also helps with grouping of students as they work on projects. I am sure through the introductions you get a picture of the students that you have and how to individualize your instruction to them and their needs.
Gary
Hi James,
Sounds like you a master plan for how you are going to approach each student. By establishing respect with and for your students you will have rapport with them and that is critical to their success. I know this factors strongly into their motivation as you help them achieve success in your class.
Gary
Hi Rich,
The variety of students in our classes are a challenge to us as we plan our instruction. The exciting part of this is that we get to work with individuals with so many different experiences and backgrounds.
What are some strategies that you use to work with your students with such variety in their backgrounds and ages?
Gary
