Strategies to Maximize | Origin: ED142
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Military Veterans: Integrating Vetarans into Post-Secondary Classes --> Strategies to Maximize
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
This helped me understand that having an adaptable and flexible classroom is essential not only for our very special vets but for all students in general. Learning is not a one size fits all, each student is unique and each student deserves the most of their education.
I have been through countless year's worth of training due to military training and training I've received as a civilian. I've come to understand that it is important to relay the significance of the material in an everyday application. I'm an instructor at a trade school and teach for crane operator, rigger, and signalperson certifications. I teach my classes based on the most helpful instructors and how they helped me absorb the information to be able to retain it and apply it effectively. Being flexible in your approach with the information has helped reach more students than I thought possible. The crane class I attended is the same crane class that I teach at the same facility. My class is not the class I attended. It's the same information, but it is not conducted in the same manner. I am lucky to have been given the opportunity to take ownership of the class and to conduct the class as desired. Each class evolves into it's own experience, driven by the student's needs and obstacles to learning. They vary in age, experience, Veterans and non Veterans. Each class comes with its own course of instruction based on these variables.
Being flexible in learning styles, Do frequent reviews and using the class, engage them in discussions on the current topics. These are good ways to keep student attention. MAke the learning fun!!
Flexibility is key. Using application questions is a good idea I plan to use this year as it helps with critical thinking development and assistance.
Collaborative learning help students gain confidence and responsibility from own learning. Leadership skills are important, but some veterans have it and others don't dueto the level of experience gained in the military. Inovation and creativity skills are vital for success. Transferability of learning help develop important competencies and access the quality of people learning experiences.
Start to engage in collaborative learning, encourage inovation and creativity, and use transferability of learning to access those competencies in the classroom environment.
Being able to reflect and communicate on WHY this skill is important, or why knowing this or that can help you when you are in front of other people helps students find the motivation to learn it. I loved the leading questions/statements.
Students love to know how a skill will be of value to them; understanding why they need to learn something makes them more receptive to it.
explaining why something will be of use, being open to explore new possibilities, individual support, focusing in soft and hard skills as a whole to be succesfull in professional life.
Application is key, not just for our veteran students, but older students as well. The how and why matter.
Integrating veteran students into the classroom is different than a civilian student in the sense that veterans experience different social challenges then a “regular student”. Their training as well as survival tactics place them in an entirely different category of being able to be social and adaptive.
Comment on Roy Case's post: I appreciate what Roy Case shared about while his training material may be the same material he learned from how he presents this material can be different to the his class due to their life skills and knowledge.
