Emily,
Good comments about the need to "read" the class dynamics and then plan around them. This way all students are going to have the opportunity to be a part of the class and receive the needed instruction.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I find that it takes a few days with a new class (we change classes every 6 weeks) to determine particular students' orientations and needs within the class. Each class has been together for 3 terms (18 weeks) when I get them and they are very aware of each others' strengths and needs, and there is often a decided dynamic within the group, some of which is not necessarily positive for some of the students who may feel left out or criticized by others in the group. When I have a good feel for this dynamic, I can encourage those who feel negative about the group and try to separate cliques it a positive way to help each student learn in their own way. I think sometimes individual learning can be sabotaged by strong pressure from the group as a whole.
Amy,
You are helping them mentally connect the dots between content and application with this approach. This greatly enhances the retention factor for the students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Evelyn,
This is the human factor of teaching. By knowing the individual student needs you can more accurately customize your instruction to meet their needs. It is so important in the instructional planning process to know this.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Vance,
Good point and one often missed by instructors.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Wendy,
Right you are. We instructors like all humans like to keep in our comfort zone and what fits our instructional style. As a result with often times missed some of our students. By changing our delivery and activities we can get a better understanding the learning preferences of our students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Caryn and Dr. Meers,
I agree 100% that hands-on is imperative to some classes. In my classroom, I find that lecturing the information first is beneficial....when we introduce a hands-on technique I often put it back onto the student, for example, "In lecture we discussed....someone tell me what you recall and explain what I am doing here..." It makes them think!!!
In lecturing, examples can be directed to the various learning characteristics. Many students like life experiences when they can related to them. I try to give examples related to the type of students I have.
Its very important to understand how your individual students learn and what their motivations are. You want to be able to show the students how the course material will relate to them in their career because most adult learners want to be able to use the skills they are learning in the real world. You must be able to connect what they are learning in the classroom to how they can use it on the job or life in general.
One cannot teach when one does not know or understand one's audience.
It helps you plan your day out correctly, and know what motivates your students.
It helps you to adapt and implement different methods of teaching. This understanding also enables instructors to effectively reach the different learner characteristics of every student. This is achieved through years of experience as an instructor through practice and implementation.
Intructors have the tendency to only teach in the manner is which they learn this is a big mistake. In order for students to be successful instructors must incorporate all learning styles so students will be encouraged and motivated to stay in the program.
Different learning styles is important to know. Instructors have a tendency to only teach how they learn and this is a big mistake. One must always think of the students needs and ensure that all styles are incorporated so each student will be sucessful in the class and motivated to attend.
Shawna,
Right you are about the need to reach out to students and engage them in discussion and interaction. This helps them to see the value of the content and how application of it can be made.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
A successfull classroom is more than just desks and walls. To be successfull the teacher needs to learn from the experience, knowledge, and characteristics of the students. Work these details into comparables for comprehension purposes. And, learn to use the successful understanding of one or two students to engage the others into conversations expanding on the subject matter.
Paula,
Yes, it does. This way you know how to direct your instructional delivery and support in relation to their learning preferences.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Understanding student personality helps me with planning my instructional approach.
Jim,
I will check with tech support about your first question in relation to connecting with other math instructors. Your comments about making your content real on right on point. Math is integral to everything we do and the more appreciation and application that can be made by the students while in class the greater the understanding of the value of it. Plus, the students will need to see if they can transfer their developing math skills into their own lives each time they leave the classroom.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Dear Dr. Meers,
First, thank you for your time to allow us to beyond the reading and to apply in our respective classes!
(May I first ask? I teach the Math Courses at our particular campus. I would also like to engage in discussion with other Math professors within this link. How do I do that?
OK, back to topic: As a Math teacher, I am always asked by my students (no matter the class) "why am I learning this and how will I use in my respective career?" Bringing in guest speakers is a grand thing to do! (Bankers, realtors, stock brokers, etc.)
Math is very important in our lives (not only in our career paths, but also in our daily lives so that we are not ripped off and we can be wise in our saving and spending habits. But, the students I am working with are in their 20s and 30s. They want to learn and spend their time on the things that they can immediately use for their career. Most of them have poor math skills in the basic concepts. Thus, they become quickly discouraged when they cannot do the work and to apply it.
Thus, I am open to discussion on other ways to engage the student and to plan my lessons! Thank you!
