When teaching a class one must look at the whole class and teach to meet your students needs.We must keep and open door policy so your slower students as well as your smart students will be able to asses the material,always remembeering that everyone do not learn the same.
Delores-
I agree with you. This is not always easy to do, however. We need to utilize a number of different teaching strategies combined with various forms of assessments and other opportunities to demonstrate learning. Our college goes to great lengths in ensuring that authentic assessments (tied to the specific discipline/career)are evidenced in every course we teach. These assessments allow students to capitalize on their strengths, learning styles, and passion for the material.
I agree. I tell my students their are no stupid questions.
To handle all learning styles in my pathology classes there are 4 things I implement: (1) reading the book (but only the diagnoses I want the to focus on; (2) making diagnosis cards (meaning pulling out important information from what they read to be able to go back and study those cards for the test) as part of their homework grade; (3) lecture in class; and (4) pictures I use during my lecture which reinforce and drive home my point of each diagnosis I go over (using very graphic extreme pictures so they will remember.) I also encourage personal story telling if they have a story from themselves of someone they know who has had that disease that they would like to share. Any one (or more) of these should trigger memory during test taking. I have found a strong correlation between those who choose not to do diagnosis cards and those who do not do well on tests.
Amy,
These are great ways to get the content to "stick" in their minds. Each step builds upon the other so by the time they have worked through them all they will remember the disease that is being studied.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
