Learning your students
It is very important to me as an Instructor to learn each students learning style. Everyong retains infomation differently.
It is very important to me as an Instructor to learn each students learning style. Everyone information differently. Yes, it is important to learn everyone learning style especially as Instructors progress to learning levels plus it could be argued that Blooms’ (1956) Taxonomy of learning, could assist in synthesizing the learning experience for acceptable behavior in course develop based on culture differences in a global work place.
I take a poll on day one of each new class where I ask what the students' two primary learning methods are: reading, hearing, seeing and doing.
This helps me to structure the class around the students and what form of presentations may benefit the class best. In a technical school that teaches hands on I get many students that say they learn very little from reading, while the ongoing and new information they will get once graduated and working in the field will come from technical manuals.
I present to the individual student in the style that best suits the student while pushing them towards the written word as a needed learning method.
Michael,
Good way to get a "read" on the class so you know how to structure your instructional delivery efforts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
It is very important to be aware of students' learning styles. I do find it challenging to adjust requirements of the course with each student's individual needs. This is especially true in courses where there is a large volume of material to cover and time is limited. Ideally, I would do hands on, have open discussions, and use more visuals. Primarily, I lecture and draw from personal and professional experiences. Students usually have a research project through which they can share theirs, as well.
Henry,
Your approach is using a number of different learning formats and thus you are reaching the different learning preferences of your students. This approach helps the students to see the content from different angles and thus they are able to store larger amounts of information in their working memories.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree. Especially in a Technical college where you have your Theory and Practical. Some students are auditory and others are kinesthetic learners, so therefore you have students that do well in Theory and maybe not as well in practical hands on, vice versa...I find it helps to lecture including hands on activities with the subject matter, if at all possible.
Kim,
This blending of different deliveries is important because students need to have not only the content but also the skill sets required. Through blending like this you increase their engagement and motivation which leads to increased learning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Where I am, a test was given to determine the learning styles of new students. I appreciated this informaiton because instead od trying to figure out or possibly embarassing the student, I was able to see what their individual results reflected. Then I could approach individual instruction to enhance their learning experience.
We have regrettably stopped this testing.
Joseph,
That's to bad since the results were so helpful to you. Hopefully the assessment will come back and you again will be able to see where the learning preferences of your students are.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
That is very true each student has their own way of learning it is not always one size fits all.
