Get Your Students Hired
I work at a massage therapy school and there are not always a lot of books available to choose from as potential texts considering some of our course content can be a little esoteric. We often use handouts (from trade magazines, websites, etc) to supplement our teaching. In fact, some of our courses are built around handouts, manuals, and charts and don't even have a required text. Handouts are an important addition to our courseware!
Dina,
Not only will be handouts be current you will be as well as you look at the materials and then select what to include in the handouts on billing and insurance. A win win for everyone.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I love this idea. I like giving handouts out as well, however they are only as useful as their accuracy dictates. In the medical field, anatomy and testing in general stays the same for a long time, however the billing and insurance aspects can change a few times a year. So this is a great idea for me to keep my materials current, in case several months go by between me teaching the same class...offers me the opportunity to update.
Gary,
Good reminder for all instructors that provide handouts. In my classes I use my own just as you mention using many of your own and this reduces some of the issues related to securing permission. My handouts are written for the most part each time I teach the course because I am sharing with them the most current happenings and developments in our field and I want to make sure I am always current with such information.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Yes, handouts are great but I would like to add a word of caution. Many materials are copyrighted. As teachers we must model appropriate behavior when distributing materials that have been created by someone else.
I normally create my own handouts to supplement the textbook.
For published material on the internet it is best practice to provide a link to the site that students can access rather than to make copies for classroom distribution.
We can also obtain permission and/or pay a per usage fee for copyrighted material.
I only use a tracking sheet which explains breifly the jobs or tasks the student is to perform in order to complete the course. Each task is then also demonstrated and explained in detail. They just get the tracking sheet for a way to track their progress.
I agree that handouts can be a great way of creating a supplemental "book" for the students, however, I have noticed that in a technical field, sometimes handouts are used to supplement the actual teaching/learning experience. They are given in lieu of a demonstration or classroom procedure. If handouts are used, they need to be monitored or evaluated for their usage and effectiveness.
Handouts are effective because the information can be condensed into the most critical points making it easier study and go over the material.
I agree! I cannot emphasize the importance of handouts. The handouts supplement the textbook that is assigned. In my experience, handouts allow the students not only a resource for future reference, but prevents the students from spending the entire lecture trying to "write every word" -- giving them more time to understand the concepts.
Through the use of handouts, I can provide my students with the main lecture ideas and current revisions to the textbook -- which also enables me to keep current with the new techniques being developed.
It is nice to find others who agree that the only way in which to ensure our students are learning the most current techniques and ideas is to use the textbook as a foundation -- not the absolute.
Through the use of handouts I am able to teach my students, by example, that they must always be aware of updates because learning never stops.
I use handouts as a way to build on ideas already presented in the course.It allows the student to gain additional knowledge if desired and breaks up the information into smaller learning blocks. We have handouts about the handout if needed!
I AGREE ALL OF THE COURSE SHOULD HAVE HANDOUT
STUDENTS RESPOND POSITIVLY TO THIS
THEY KNOW IT WILL HELP THEM
THANKS
VIC CANCEL
I have found that handouts (even if they are the same picture that are in thier books)can encourage the learning process. I use different colors to bring out parts that we are studying to put a permanant picture in the mind.
Hi Sandy,
Good comments about handouts. I think handouts show your attention to what is current in the field and that you are on the lookout for the most current information for your students. The make good supplements to what is in the text and course content.
Gary
I agree, I look for handouts or make my own for so many skills needed for pharmacy, especially the math concepts. They work!
Hi Selena,
Good job with the handouts. I like to use them myself. It helps me bring relevance to the class as I cover the content. I use the handouts to support the text and activities I assign to my students. Keep up the good work.
Gary
I Love Handouts! Handouts are a great way to reinterate important points/skills without repeating lecture material over and over. Students really seem to respond better to a well organized handout than textbooks, even when the material is basically the same. Also when I can provide up to date statisics and research students realize that this imformation has relevance in the real world not just in the class room.
Hi Lisa,
In addition to the good points you made about additional resources, I have found that students like the application of knowledge that they find in journals and magazines. It helps them to see that what you are teaching is for "real" and applies to their future.
Gary
I agree that other material can be valuable as handouts for students. There are a lot of medical magazines and resource books that have helped me in explaining different techniques to students. (injections, venipuncture. etc.) The textbook is good, but sometimes there are better pictures and better "wording" in other material.
Hi Stephen,
Good comments about handouts. The beauty of them is that you can control them, thus allowing you to use them in any way that you want. In addition, they are easy to change, add to or discard at your will. They are as effective as you want to make them.
Gary