Students projects
I like for students to work together on projects of the objectives for that day. Students have many ideas and like to tell the other students about them. learning is not just from the Instructors.
I monitor the projects and make sure everyone is participating.
Louise,
Great technique. Thanks for sharing this.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I have established a practice in my math class of using groups to work on daily activities. While there are still some students who resist this practice, many are starting to see its benefits for both stronger and weaker students. This also helps me, as I cannot be with every student for the class; by intentionally combining stronger students with those who may struggle, I have created mini-tutor groups within the class.
Thanks, James.
What are some specific things you do to make the classroom part of the experience more dynamic?
As an instructor you can lecture, view power point and share great discussions. But, Hands-on activities are the greatest knowledge for the student!
Thanks, James.
The lab is very important at most career colleges. What are some specific things you do in lab to make the experience so special?
The lab is what my students can't wait for!
hands on is worth it's weight in gold.
lecture, power point, and just general discussion, are great for providing general
knowledge and guidelines. But hands on is
where it's at
Hands-on projects allow the students to experience the demand to produce work-an expectation that will follow them throughout their future careers.
I also embrace project work because often times out students possess "book knowledge" but lack application skills and the ability to work with others.
When I assign projects I provide general guidelines for subject matter content, but allow the students' creativity to drive the final product. When the students' report on topics that interest them and can see how the smaller topics relate to the bigger picture, true learning is achieved.
Thank, Ken.
Projects are a good way to assess learning. In reality, I do not have to take written exams in my job - I have to produce work. Projects give students a taste of that.
When setting up projects, how much choice do you give your students? Research shows that choice and control are two key factors in motivating adults.
I find projects to be very beneficial. Students get to interact with each other, assessment of learning can be easily seen and students helping students builds esteem.
I like projects also. When I teach microbiology, a rather abstract concept for many of the students, I have the pull 2 current event microbio related articles from the newspaper and/or on-line reputable source. Each student does a write up on one of the articles he/she chose, then trades the second with another student and they do a class presentation on the article they did not bring in.
When I put them in groups for other activities, I also group the students by ability, keeping the students with similar grades together, so they all seem to be challenged.
Hello Shirley: You are correct in implying that learning does not just come from instructors. I find that I learn something new from my students on a daily bases. Sometime, I might learn about the community the students come from, but often I gain knowledge about becoming a better instructor. For example: Watching students during collaborative efforts tells me what kind of leaders and followers I have in class. However, I make sure that each student gets the opportunity to experiment in both roles. I learn a lot about the students from those observations!
