I have had to adjust the speed or detail of instruction for some students due to understanding their past experience. Recognizing their experience and level of understanding enables me to utilize them to help other struggling students keep up. They would rather help other students, then be board with the pace.
I think by understanding the learners characteristics help you the instructor be more prepared for your delivery of the information. If you have a group of students that are mixed with characteristics, you have to plan to teach the course to deliver the information for all learners. it is sometimes difficult to teach something visually when the student is a hands on learner. By understanding what type of learners you have, you can be more prepared.
Wonderful idea about having students instruct! I have had other instructors tell me how they have taught a particular group successfully. But I have never tried having various students instruct. I'm going to try it.
Michelle,
Through guest speakers the students will start to see how the field operates as well as learn about other career options that are available to them. So keep bringing them in, they are great motivators for students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I also believe guest speakers are a good idea. I teach Dental Assisting so since there are other areas in the dental field I am trying to have guest speakers come into the classroom and talk about their specific area in the dental field. I feel as tho maybe they may not be interested in dental assisting but there is other areas that after they get into the dental field they will find more interesting.
My thoughts are similar to Doug, as teachers we talk alot, but really one our best qualities should be to LISTEN, so that we can understand what may help the student the most. Age, motivation and ability are all clear factors to learning, but when we see they have needs to helps to let them talk to get the full picture, then use our own professional skills to reach each one on a more personal level for them. Each student needs to know they are important and have goals they would like to reach. Encouragement should be given to reinforce what they may feel they are lacking. So as to teach we can learn and support all their efforts in a postive way.
I feel we need to fully understand the age, social make up, and skill levels of each new class of students. This allows us to best prepare our material, presentation and classroom enviroment to best suit the vast majority of the class.
Alfredo,
Good point. With some support and slight adaptation of the learning process students with special needs will be able to be successful. Knowing you care about them and their success is very important to their learning success as well.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It always helps if for example there are special needs students (culinary). That way I can prepare or modify learning objectives for the classes.
Noah,
Be having such discussions and interactions with your students you will be able to read their comprehension of the content. Then you can reinforce the content with those that needs some additional examples of how the content applies to their career development.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Wade,
Your second sentence says it very well. The more we know the more we can customize and target the instructional needs of our students.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Khalid,
This is why we need to offer variety in our instructional delivery. We then can target the different student learning preferences and help keep the students engaged.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I also ask the students questions during lecture. And during the hands on portion of class I question why they are doing what they are doing. It helps me to recognize who understands WHAT they are doing and WHY they are doing it. I know I have reached the students who answer correctly & with confidence. I know I need to spend more focus on those who don't answer right away, or those that lack the confidence that their answers were correct.
Differentiation comes into play here. The better an instructor can understand the individual, the better able they are to help them succeed.
Linda,
Good way to provide support to your students. This way they know that have someone to turn to should they need some further explanation of their assigned work.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Maikel,
Right you are about how to target the learning of your students. Knowing their preferences and characteristics you can customize as you need to to keep them moving forward in their education.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
students have different approaches forn learning,some would prefer to learn through lectures and some would learn if we present them with true life scenarios.
I think it allows you to diversify your approach to the material that you are presenting. You can do some lecture intermixed with discussion and an activity and help many students at the same time.
In my community in the last few years we have seen a steady increase in a diverse cultural population and English as a second language. I do spot checks for those students, in class and after to insure understanding of the subject matter. I also inquire if there is any additional help which I might provide (tutoring, etc)
is important to identify the characteristics of each student, the kind of intelligent, kind of learning that have, in this way establish instructional strategies in the classroom.
