It lets us know the best way to be supportive and encouraging.
By understanding the learning characteristics helps us, the instructor, to make sure that everyone has a chance to participate in the course. If you just talk in our course you're not going to get the material across to all the students, so try and mix it up.
Great question. I think that understanding the learner characteristics helps you understand your audience, their abilities and experiences and background.
Much of the material presented referred to the characteristics of adult learners and their special needs, learnig style, motivation and technical abilities. If you don't undertand the make up of your students then you can't plan how to best reach the students and allow them to be successful.
Sandy,
So true. It is up to us to set the stage for learning to occur and we need to do that through our preparation and enthusiasm.
Gary
FOr effective teaching and learning to occur, both the instructor AND the student must be aware of how learning takes place. Often, the simplest strategy is to have students identify their own preferred learning modality. A variety of instruments are available to do this; however, the IMPORTANT piece is helping the student to understand implications. For example, an audial learner will not benefit from flash cards as much as from small-group discussion. Visual learners need to pretty much isolate themselves from TV and other visual stimuli when they study and so forth. Tactile/Kinesthetic learners may well benfit from copying their own notes.
To be a facilitator of learning for the multicultural and diverse needs of students with different learning styles, personalities both intrinsic and extrinsic.
To be a facilitator of learning to meet all the multicultural and diverse needs of student learning styles, personalities both intrinsic and extrinsic.
Well said and a concept that cannot be repeated to frequently !
I always say you have got to know what you are working with. That's in anything you do.Understanding is the first part and the characteristics will follow.
In my experience understanding learner characteristics is an integral part of the communication process. As in most communications if you can first understand the real needs, you are better prepared to assess the situation and make recommendations for improvements.
By understanding the learner characteristicss, it helps with the insructional planning process by allowing us as instructors to reach as many students as possible. You can capture the majoriy of the classes' learning abilities with your traditional learning style but to reach the rest of the class, you must first understand "all" of the students learning styles and adjust accordingly.
If as an instructor you do not take into consideration the characteristics of the students and attempt to plan your lessons around these characteristics there is no way you can be effective as an instructor. You as not creating an environment which helps them reach their goals.
Identifying the differences between adult learners and youth learners definitely provides an advantage when it comes to instruction in a career college. Too often I try to teach people similarly or just focus on different methods people learn (auditory, visual, kinesthetic). This course reminded me to remember the differences between adult and youth as well and possible different activities to keep both interested. I also really appreciated the advice to mix groups up with youth and adult so both could benefit from the diversity. This will help with my future instruction by helping me refocus on different motivations for people and how this truly impacts the retention in a class.
It is very important that we understand the characteristics of our students. Because some of them of non-traditional learners their learning style may be different from the norm or what we are use to. We must offer them support and help in order to make their educational goals successful.
The instructor needs to know about her students in order to reach them and teach them.
Understanding learner characteristics helps you as an instructor by enabling you to present your material in a manner that will best mesh with your students' motivations and learning style. This helps your student process, retain, and apply the material you are conveying.
It helps an instructor to target the needs of the individuals in their courses therefore improving the experience and increasing the chances or success
I used to take time to query the students, and what brought them to my class. Since my institute requires (as most do) certain courses to be taken before they can take the one I teach, I find quite often that some only take the class because it also is a requirement for other career courses. By knowing why they are in my class makes it more important to know what their career choice is, so I can be more supportive of their needs. I also can help them to realize that this course can also be an important part of the career choice when taken in context to the ultimate goal choice, and this prevents them from being in the class just because it is "required".
Karina,
Great to hear the help the course was to you. I wish you continued teaching success.
Gary
Jennifer,
Good point about instructor learning. Each time I complete a class I am amazed at what I have learned from my students. They bring such varied backgrounds and experiences into the classes and I get to learn from their lives so much new information.
Gary
