Common Ground as the final goal?
This was a weighty topic, not just because of the depth of the technical information but because the expectation seems to be this: That we need to discover how everybody learns and then we need to accommodate the different learning methods, by both redistribution of the students within the class or the project, and by addressing subject matter to accommodate multiple learning methods.
Yet the real world will not be as accommodating to these students. What then is our commitment to teaching students to adapt to different learning methods? Is our goal the finding of common ground -- in the context of the subject matter -- within which we should expect all of our students to operate effectively? For example, shouldn't we be teaching our students to think more visually if the real world application of our subject requires it?
Hi Joe,
The key is to have an understanding of the different learning preferences of students so you can provide variety in your instructional delivery. Your point is a very good one in terms of helping students be able to work in other areas beyond their own learning preferences. They need to learn how to adapt their own preferences to receive information that is offered in other ways knowing that when they are receiving content in their preferred way they will feel most comfortable.
Gary
Helllo all,
I am really interested in this topic as an educator.
I come into this situation each term and as much time I have been around students the discussions seems always to be how much "real world"teaching should we teach.
I always have to remember is that we are in a learning/teaching enviroment and our job is to educate to the best of our abilities and we have to find the proper medium(teaching styles) to connect with all the different styles of learners in the classroom.
I find that if we teach Industry....real Industry we (in my experiance) will lose more students who are working through their own learning styles and experiance.
In some instances I encourage the class to to break up into the respective groups or learning styles that they feel they are in and then put the days activities and respective outcomes that needs to be accomplished.
The results are an eye opener for everyone as they see the different styles of learners and how they see, view,interact and interpret information and how with all this information howthey can accomplish the tasks at hand.
later on during the term I then change the groups and see how they get along to once again fufill a commom goal.
I continue to learn from all the interactions with my students as we traverse the journey of education.
Hi Peter,
Great way to introduce students to your class and get them settled into the it. By exposing them to the different learning preferences you are helping them to expand their abilities to take in new information. You have balance and opportunity build into your instructional planning which benefits everyone.
Gary
I like that idea. At the beginning of most of my courses i will inform students of the attributes of different learning preferences and see if they can pick their own preferences out of the list, it's interesting to the student to learn something about themselves.
•I like the idea of exposing students to the different learning preferences. Although different students prefer a certain method, I believe the different methods, auditory, written, visual and kinesthetic complement each other. A balance approach where the instructor attempts to integrate the four preferences would benefit all students.
Wow, that's not a bad thought at that; giving the students information and insignt on how they themselves learn can only benefit them in the end, and will also give you the information you need to help them achieve their learning outcomes.
-E.A.W.
I share a similar perspective. I have been teaching the same cohort now for 16 months and at every class session I make them think about what they are learning, evaluate it and move forward from there. The trouble I find is that many of my students hide under the guise of having a "visual" learning preference. I am totally committed to accomodating that learning style; however, there is a significant difference between being a visual learner and one that expects theorem to be displayed on demand. Hence the critical thinking aspect of my lectures. My expectation is that they solidify definitions and theory when they read at home; the lecture contact hours are for exploration of those theories and clarification. Now that my students have completed 90% of their curriculum, I have moved away from outlining information and having them be lecture dependent (i'm trying very hard to not say spoon feed) to being more discussion dependent. For the majority of the class population, this has worked; they have rolled along with these changes to the lecture style. I do have a few left that are having a terrible time weaning.
I want my students to be effective in their jobs, have the knowledge to be satisfactory to their employers, and have the tools to be lifetime learners. If that means bumps and bruises along the way, so be it, they will be better off beacuse of it in the future.
William,
Good luck with the moving away from some of the more dependent students. I have had the same experience. They become comfortable with having the material given to them and don't or can't seem to acquire it on their own. With these students I start slowly giving them individual projects to complete so they build their confidence and success levels. If they don't do these projects them I talk with them about their future in the program and that they may want to explore other career options.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I agree with your assessment. Some of my students have had problems adjusting to work because they expected and received everyone adjusting to them. In the working world, one has to adjust to an employer's policies, needs, etc. You are not the boss. In my classes, students are allowed differences in approach in learning the material; also I try to explain things in different ways, especially when blank faces are apparent. However, technical courses do require people with minds of a certain type(usually). Sometimes no matter how hard I try, some people never comprehend it well. I don't think these people are stupid, but I think they should be in another course of study. And I know that sometimes all of us have to backtrack and change our plans because our dreams don't match reality. Many of our students are young and are still growing. We can accommodate some differences in learning types, adjust our teaching style, etc. But sometimes the problem is that the students needs to assess their individual gifts better and perhaps be in a different program. And that is a good lesson to learn!
Peggy,
You raise a very good point and one that comes up frequently. In many cases there has not been a good job of career counseling for some students. Their intelligences are channeled in different venues than those required for the field of study they are currently in. They need some help in finding a field that excites them and appeals to their intelligences. Also, I always use the "Golden Rule" with my students. The "Golden Rule" is the person with the gold makes the rules. They have to learn that they have to do the adjusting and for many younger students this is a very hard concept to understand. In high school deadlines were forgiven and second chances given over and over. In the real world they have to do it right the first time and on time. The more we can help them understand these concepts the better prepared they are going to be for career success.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
