When students first enter the classroom they are unsure of their classmates as well as the instructor. When they have the opportunity to hear as well as talk about themselves they seem to be more comfortable and anxious about getting started.
Dawn,
This is a fun way to get students to refine their communication skills and create a clear picture of what they want to get out of the class as well as their career. I like your idea of putting it up front and the revisiting it again later in the course. I think this is going to be a favorite with your students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
We have an entire exercise that prepares students how to tell an employer about themselves in about 60 seconds -- an elevator pitch. This was typically assigned at the end of the course, but I've introduced it at the beginning to help the students get to know each other and feel more comfortable. I'll reintroduce the assignment in a few weeks so they can edit based on what they've learned.
The understanding of learning characteristics helps the instructor by figuring out how to present certain lecture to students. Some students may need hands on training where other students can learn form discussion. I think it's a great benefit to plan ahead for every learning curve that may be thrown at you.
Michael,
It is amazing how little things like this can be so important in keeping adult students in the class and feeling like they can be successful in their learning. Using their life experiences as a part of the instructional process helps them to see they have something to contribute and this helps them to feel confident in their knowledge acquisition.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I did not have a very good appreciation for some of the student anxieties that adult students bring to the classroom. The stress to understand the material and appear knowledgeable in front of other professionals was a bit unsettling for some of the student that had been out of the classroom for a long time. Making myself available and approachable after the classes seemed to help quite a bit. Even brief, informal discussion sessions in the classroom after the classrooms seemed to help. The more experienced students would like to chat about some aspect of the class, and I found that many of the more junior students would linger and participate – or just listen in on the discussions. It also helped to facilitate cross talk between students after the classes and added allot to the class comfort level.
On the first day of class my students fill out a paper on information they would like to share and what methods of teaching help them the best.
Having students being involved, being engage on what is being taught. Teachers enhances learning by matching students characteristics.
Differentiate instructions which teachers enhance learning by matching students characteristics.
Eric,
Thank you for these comments on how to benefit from understanding the characteristics of students. This information is so valuable in helping to customize the instructional content being offered as it relates to that specific group of students. Also you get an idea of how they see their course work in relation to their career goals and as a result you can give the sound counsel when they as you about their career development.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
How does an understanding of learner characteristics help in the instructional planning process?
Gary, I think the threads about using cards for students to describe themselves and their backgrounds and experiences is a great tool. Understanding your students will not only help you pitch questions to them that will likely allow them to answer successfully and boost their confidence, it may also give you additional options to use students to help share insights from real world applications that support the lesson. A good instructor will know his audience and then modulate the lesson based on their preferred learning style and involving their experiences to make the lesson more personal for each of them.
Understanding the students characteristics helps the instructor form instructional strategies.
Knowing your students and how they process new information allows the instructor to develop materials that will best suit their needs. This allows for additional methods for expanding the critical thinking process.
Jerry,
There is so much to learn from students and it sounds like you were able to take this learning and shape it into your instructional style.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I believed that good comunication with the students help me learned there lurning style.
Cathy,
Student feedback is one of the most powerful ways of improving instruction. They more we hear from them the more changes we can make so we are increasing their learning opportunities.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Great idea! I may use this going frward. I took a test like this in college and it not only helped me but also the instructor.
Learning from the students by getting feedback on the subject(s) will help the facilitator plan and execute lesson plans that offer flexibility to students.
Learning the students and how they learn can help you teach them effectively. This way we can cater to their different learning styles and ensure that they are actually learning.
It helps to get an idea of how your students learn because they may have different techniques that work for different students. So, if I am aware of that then I can include different techniques into my lectures and lab presentations.
Brenda
