Hi Marvin,
These are good points for instructors to remember as they plan their instructional delivery. We need to make sure we know and understand the dynamics of our students so we know how to support their learning needs.
Gary
We have to be able to understand how different characterisitics of the learner may affect the way we plan or apply instruction materials. As with the information in ED 102, if students are older then smaller chunks of information will be adequate with applying knowledge and content to materials often. Also, if a class has students that are younger then those characertisitics will change the perception of the students and the class. These students may prefer more lecture time to hands on activity or may go off-task easier if lesson materials are not made rememberable and interesting to the student body.
The more you are able to find out or realize about students in the classroom are keys to successfully implementing classroom instruction around learners' goals and ambitions.
By understanding learner characteristics, it enables the instructor to be more efficient in delivery of the material in the class.
Everyone had the ability to learn. You just have to bring that out of the student. First you have to understand who that student is. Every student has a differnt learing style.
If I understand the characteristics of how my students learn, I can plan my classes using aids other than having them listening to lectures and maybe write out information. I can plan activities where the students can have hands-on activities, for example. I believe using all the senses are a great way to learn and I will reach all my students, not only the ones who have learing characteristics of one sort. This way I will reach all the students learing characteristic, no matter what their experiences and backgrounds are. Understanding their learing styles can help me plan to reach one of a kind student who might fall behind if not being tought to in a way that they need it.
If an instructor can capture the students attention and involve them or have them relate, the student will be engaged and is apt to learn more.Sharing experiences is a great tool.
Individual attention to each student is important.
Hi Valencia,
Good point. This is another tool that can be used in the planning process because you know your students and what their learning preferences are.
Gary
I think it helps with the instructional planning process by allowing the instructor to better work with each student. It will help the student to be able to understand the material.
Hi Sara,
This is a important thing to do. By individualizing you are able to keep the students connected to the content as well focused on the outcomes. They see value to what they are doing and can make application of their newly acquired knowledge and skills.
Gary
I believe that if you, as an instructor, are able to understand the student's learner characteristics, then you will be more able to teach the material in the way that they can understand it the best. I try to make sure that my classes will work for everyone equally, so that no student is left out.
You can individualize your lessons to apply to your student’s characteristics. This will give students a way to relate the material to their lives and therefore it will make the material more memorable. Learning will take place and the instructor, student, and classmates will feel accomplishment.
If we understand that our classroom may consist of a diversity of students as well as students who learn differently, we can tailor our classroom to adjust to the different students' needs.
Due to both cultural and language diversities, you must assess each students way of learning. Sometimes students do not grasp contents from lecture or written texts. They need interesting life experiences and true work area examples that then makes the content of the lecture and written material easier to grasp for them.
Everyone learns in different ways. I like to mix it up in my class, using lecture with hands on. If Im teaching about how to make a traffic stop, we first learn how, watch a video and then actually do a secenio. The students love the interaction.
It's important to take into consideration that we are not teaching to groups, but to groups of individuals with differing backgrounds. Understanding learner characteristics will increase the instructor's ability to teach towards the individuals, thereby increasing the potential to learn.
It allows you to be able to understand the learning process of each individual so that noone is left behind
I agree, we all leave in different ways. I try to provide a learning enviroment that will satisfy all.
It allows an instructor to make the class a learning enviorment for all students and not just to one type of learner.
