I believe subject matter experts who give guest lectures are invaluable because they can bring real world expereince that can add to the theories and lessons the students are studying. They experts can also address questions the students have that the academic material did not cover.
Daniel,
I commend you for your effort in this area. You are customizing your instructional delivery to enhance the engagement factor for your students and as a result you are increasing their success potential. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Anita,
This is what student centered teaching is about. With them at the center it is a matter of building support circles around them throughout the course so they can achieve success if they are willing to put forth the effort.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It also seems to be ever changing. Every new class I teach I also find a student how has a special need or special way of learning and feeling proud when they complete the class. Listening is a hugh parts of understanding for me.
I totally agree with how different our culturals are and what an impact it has in a classroom setting. In addition, I truly believe that students come first at all times no matter what the indifference is.
I can often tailor my lesson to the specific personality traits of each student when I give them all a fundamental learning goal coupled with an open-ended creative goal.
By better knowing the learner characteristics of my students I have a better understanding of what types of activities will be most beneficial for my students. One technique I like to use is that of the mini-lecture with a lab activity mixed in. This provides an opportunity to get up move around and most importantly practice the actual skill which we are learning about.
Amy,
I use my previous students as well in my classes. They love to come back and talk about what they learned and how they are using the course content. They motivate the current students because they see how that will soon be them talking to one of my classes.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I love to involve past students who graduated and took my class. The class can ask questions about what they are about to learn and how skills learned in my class will be implemented in the working world..
It is challenging to individualize our teaching if we don't have a good understanding of what types of characteristics are involved in learning.
Cynthia,
By offering instructional variety you are providing different ways for the students to take in information just as you say. These different methods help to keep the students engaged and moving forward in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think it is important to understand how your students take in information because it will help you to develop effective lectures and lesson. If you have a class that is mainly visual learners than you want to have pictures, PowerPoints, or even a clip from the internet to demonstrate the concepts being taught.
In order to teach student we as instructors need to learn the ways they learn best so they will retain the material.
Donald,
What are some ways you go about crafting your instruction as a result of having this information?
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It helps so that you can teach to that specific type of learner, which will help with student engagement and retention.
It helps me to better craft my lectures to suit the audience.
Understanding of learner charateristics may help instructors finding certain strategies that are more effective than others their courses.
Understanding learner characteristics or learning preferences influences my lesson plans. I have a general agenda set for day to day lessons but if I find that a particular class responds better to certain methods, I may tweak my plans to include methods better received by the students while still meeting my objectives for the day.
Ralph,
Right you are. Each class is different and the dynamics of the class can change throughout the session depending on what is going on in the lives of the students. This is why it is important to continually read the students and then respond as needed.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Its important to understand who we are delivering a lesson to, This was one of the biggest for a new teacher to overcome.
