Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Hi Janell,
It depends on two things. The content of the course. Some courses are more tactile and focus on skill development others are more cognitive in base and require more interaction and discussions for maximum learning. The other thing is the learning preference of the students. Some students are auditory or visual learners while others are tactile. For the auditory or visual learners lectures and PowerPoints are preferred. All learners like variety and activities no matter the content.
Gary

Ellen Cover

I believe that students vary- some are not comfortable with "hands on" since they may feel clumsy, and younger adult students are afraid of being teased as they figure out how to do a "hands on" experiment. If we are demonstrating a technique, we always notice that about 1/4 of students hold back, and let the others do the technique. The instructor has to consciously make sure that all students participate,and make sure that their efforts occur without teasing, to make sure that the value of "hands on" is received by everyone. We have even seem students not try Tai Chi movements and we must motivate them continously