Learning Overload
Students sometimes come to class tired from working, on their mind, and can't focus on the lecture for the night. When I notice that students are pretty much saturated, I change the atmosphere by playing a game, or doing some role playing to stimulate the learning environment. Students who feel bogged down often feel that they can't complete their goals.
Hi Cheryl,
For many students concentrated learning is a great way to acquire new information. In the summer I teach such courses and find that we can accomplish a lot by focusing on fewer topics for intense periods of time. Sounds like you have found your comfort zone for teaching online courses. This lets you enjoy your students and what they are learning so much more.
Gary
Online learning really facilitates the saturation dilema because students can wait until they are ready to obsorb. Another feature is being able to reply the recorded chat sessions for elements that are complex and needing to be heard more than once. I also like the 2 class per term with 5.5 weeks. I like focusing on less subjects in a short time than many subjects over a long time.
Hi Carol,
Thank you for the response and example. This is what being in education is all about. Your student went from learning to teaching in a short period of time because you helped him become equipped with the needed tools plus the self confidence to share with others.
I know this information will be of value to many other educators that are helping students to get settled into the educational flow.
Gary
The biggest obstacle is that students feel overwhelmed by too many resources. In a Career College setting, students may have never used databases before or an online catalog; so, getting over the initial fear of “not knowing” often keeps students away from the library. Since most students use the Internet for other uses, I find that educating students about the library’s website and catalog works best in hands on experiences. I always define the difference between the public, Internet (where anyone can publish information) versus our school’s library website with articles that are written by experts in the fields that the students are studying in. When, I am sitting next to a student, or moving in a classroom from one student to another as they try to access articles in the library’s databases always works quite well. One, student last quarter didn’t know how to use the databases. I sat with him in the library showing him how to navigate the library’s website, which is a virtual library and he was able to find articles for his papers. When, I went into a class that this student was in this quarter, he was able to instruct students on how to search for articles in databases, and how the library’s website was structured. I was very impressed and I hope that this type of “word of mouth” marketing will help students become less fearful of the library. I always tell students that there isn’t a “stupid question”. So, I think that besides being overwhelmed about the amount of information the library has, it also takes time for each student to understand how the library will help him/her succeed. Also, students don’t want to admit that they don’t know how to use the library. I use my own experience of my fear of libraries when I was a college student to help students understand that it happens to all of us.
Hi Carol,
Based upon your experience what is the biggest obstacle students have to overcome to become comfortable with using the resources of the library?
Gary
Hi Kimberly,
This is what good teaching is all about. Being sensitive to the dynamics of your class helps you to be proactive in your planning and delivery. Keep up the good work.
Gary
In helping students learn how to use the library's resources, I often feel that students are overwhelmed by the amount of information is required just to obtain resources for their class research papers. I find that making it simple, and trying to use very few PowerPoint presentations really helps students learn about library resources. Additionally, hands on learning in the library are a wonderful learning experience. If a student is asked to find an article for his or her research paper, while a librarian is there to assist in the process, I believe the student retains the searching skills better. I first like to give information on where resources are, and then I feel it's extremely important for students to get the hands on experience.
