I have often found that engaging the student in real-world examples of a problem tends to stimulate retention. When teaching a computer programming course, I have had them write detailed program instructions to build a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I then followed their step-by-step instructions for the whole class. The results certainly engaged the students.
Michelle,
Good strategy to use. The more application and relevance that students can make and see the greater the content retention there is going to be.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
For the student to apply the knowlege you have to make it real! I have students that when I teach certian concepts, I make sure I can relate what I have taught to my experiences so that the students know this is for the "real world".
I also like to be able to take the concepts right into the lab so the students can learn to apply the concepts asap before they forget.
I like to break down concepts and give examples of things that are easily remembered. Then when they are in the lab the concepts will sink in deeper as the apply them.
Darci, I agree with you, word association is so important. If they can take a difficult term and make a word play on it, it'll stay with them forever. I still have the word associations from my instructors, and I'll never forget what some of the terms/phrases/techniques/instruments are!
Miriam,
You will find that case studies really help the students to make applications to what they are being taught plus they really like doing them. I use them a lot in my classes and they really help the students see relevancy in the course content.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I am a fairly new instructor and from watching others I have seen that daily review and asking questions is very helpful for students to retain information. We are also developing assignments where they apply the information that they are learning. Case studies and review are very useful concepts we use for students to retain and apply new information.
Eugene,
So important. The more you can help the students to use their newly acquired knowledge and skills the higher the cognitive retention rate of material is going to be.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Giving them exercises to apply what they've learned in industry related circumstances.
Break the materail down into byte sized junks. Suggest mnemonic aids to enable the user to retain lists or steps.
In the computer field, that I teach, hands-on exercies is the the best way to learn as it gives immediate feedback. It either works or it doesn't and the students can adjust their understanding immediately.
Robert,
I agree with your assessment of Jeopardy. I have it set up on my computer and we play it on the big screen. My students love it because it is fun as well as very effective for review. A winner all around for everyone.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
It may sound a little strange, but a Jeapordy like game that asks material related questions has been a great motivator in my class. I teach lots of Anatomy & Physiology. It has been hard to find ways to get out of the lecture format with this material. A quiz game format is a welcome change for everyone and I get feedback on how well the material is sticking by seeing how well the students are handling the questions.
Lima,
This mixed delivery model is right on for the subject you teach and the applications your students need to make. This way they get to see the relevance of the content as well as make use of their newly acquired knowledge immediately. Good model to follow. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Retaining information more successfully by applying that knowledge immediately. Use both cognitive methods and tactile delivery methods. Telling them a method of cutting open a pigs belly is super reinforced when the student has a scaple and a pig's belly in front of him and after the demonstration the students performs the technique himself. Using both verbal and visual increases retention of information. Keep information to be learned into small packages that are built on.
I break my content into small sequences with one or two enabling objectives each. After a 15 minute presentation, I give my students a guided lab that applies the knowledge learned with easy step by step instructions to follow. During the first day of class I hold the hand of every student in the class in performing the lab activities by asking them to watch me first do each step and then repeat it on their own. After a few exercises, they master the lab techniques so they can perform following lab activities on their own and at their pace. They are always very excited to see the results they can achieve on their own. It is a great positive reinforcement factor. Each subsequent lab is built on previously acquired knowledge. I purposely omit instructions on previously acquired knowledge from new labs so they can retrieve themselves the knowledge and skills needed to complete new labs. As we are progressing with the class all students become able to work independently on their lab activities with fewer or no support from me. Starting with the third week of class, I start creating labs that require students to use problem solving skills based on the materials assimilated so far to resolve problems on their own. That is one of the most exciting moments of the class when a few students start screaming I did it. For each lab I may ask two or three students to share with the whole class how they obtained their result. I choose different students each time based on the roster to ensure that everyone gets to participate. At the end of every class my students are required to submit a final project that combines most or all of the objectives defined in the syllabus. On the final day of the class each student presents their solution to the class and it is the most rewarding moment. Since I teach Web Design and Interactive Media classes, it is amazing to see how creative each student is with their solution. They also learn from each other and cheer each other up for their innovative solution.
John,
You are "connecting the dots" for the students with this three pronged approach. The results with be more student engagement and higher retention of the content. Keep up the good work.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I like to lecture to the students and provide real life example. The next step is to take the students into a laboratory or a simulation example to allow them "hands-on" learning with the equipment.
Perhaps by trying to personalize it and show how it's relevant to them.
I like to give the overview of the lesson first.
Then I will break it down by topic.
In each topic selection if I have a picture to show it clinically as well as describe the etiology, location, formation while the picture is still being viewed... it clicks to my students.
However, in the event there is no picture we will draw a pin wheen around that topic to highlight the important points. So they will have a mental picture of the information and not just their notes or what they can recall from the reading.
To retain information, students must apply the information. This can happen in a variety of ways such as group discussion, group activities, question and answer sessions or having students write a short synopsis of what they have learned thus far. Application ideas and methods grow out of these exercises as well.
