I have found also that often times some students do enhance learning by providing new and valuable information.
Luis, I totally agree. I always learn something from my students.
Jane Davis
ED107 Facilitor
The most improtant things that I learned from students are the ways in which they view a question. This influence how they answer particular questions. It teaches how to better write questions.It teaches also how to view question at a different angles.
I always tell my students that it is important to keep an open mind and a willingness to learn. I tell them that I learn something from students in each class I teach. This will carry on thru to the work place. We should all be open to learn something everyday.
I agree, sometimes we get caught up in a routine of the curriculum that we forget that every day there's new things we can learn from our students that will help us understand their needs.
WE KNOW OUR BUSINESS!I HAVE LEARNED A LOT FROM STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT AS EDUCATED IN OUR FIELD AS WE ARE! THEY WILL ASK QUESTIONS THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE EVEN THOUGHT OF! IT KEEPS US SHARP!DIFFERENT VIEWS-DIFFERENT OPINIONS- DIFFERENT ANSWERS!
Everytime I have learned something new from a student I always thank the student and them know that I will pass it on to my future students. One of the many rewards of being an instructor is always learning new things from the students.
Hu George!
Good job! I, too, am careful to recognize student's for their contributions, especially in front of their peers.
Jane Davis ED107 Facilitator
The good teacher will always realize they are not perfect. I always start the class by saying that if we don't learn from each other as well as the course content, the educational experience is diminished. This section reminded me why I absolutely HATE Dr. Phil. Any time anyone asks him a challenging question he has a tendency to point out that person's flaws. The more challenged he gets, the tougher he gets. Great for dramatic t.v. ratings but not a way to run a classroom!
In the more intermediate parts of my 6-week bread course, I often set up scenarios about ingredients, types of breads, or other practice-oriented situations. I then start in on the day's project until opne of more of the students has an ah-ha moment, asks an insightful question, or says hey chef, if we did it this way would it be faster? better? whatever?
I stop everyone in their tracks and announce STUDENT LEARNING HAS JUST TAKEN PLACE. This reinforces that as a facilitator I encourage students to say just about anything that's relevant as it comes to mind, and it also allows me to not always have to tell them what to do when. I get a mental break, they get reinforcement, and guess what, the breads DO come out better, or faster, or whatever.
My experiencees with learning from the students have been rewarding because I see how much they get out of wanting to be helpfull. I ask the students to look up a subject we are talking about if we come to a point where the discussion is really interresting but I don't have all the answers. We come back to the topic much faster the next time we meet.
Every student in each class is the most knowledgably individual in that room respective to some subject. The challenging issue is determining what that subject is. Once discovered, one can initiate a reversed role situation whereby the educator becomes the learner. This has many positive effects, one of which provides a visual means for the rest of the students to recognize that there is always room for knowledge & the educator turned learner can ask questions to gain that information without the shame that seems to tag with the lack of that knowledge. Hopefully it will spawn a wave of curiosity where discussions along the course front will exist. If that subject aligns itself with the course material, one has a unique opportunity to display to the masses that learning never ceases in spite of ones abilities & expertise. It seems to balance the scale between educator & learner, leaving the learner a little less fearful of the quest for knowledge
This is a great subject. I always try to remember that even I don't know everything, and so I usually let the students know that if by chance, I don't have the answer to a question for them, I will let them know but I will get back to them with the direction they need to take in order to get that question answered. At times, when conducting research for a students' question, I have, in the interim learned something myself, and I let my students know this, and I thank them. It is also good to see when students' are paying attention when I am teaching because if I miss something from the syllabus, a student, has pointed it out, and it makes me feel good that they are paying attention. I like to tell students' that learning is a two-way street, they will learn from me, and I will learn from them. By this, I mean, I teach them, but they let me know when an area we are focusing on is not getting through, and I can reiterate it in different terminology to help them grasp it. I reiterate, repeat, and rephrase nonetheless. I also like to ask students how comfortable they feel about a subject were are working on, and I will use their responses in order to determine if more explanation and/or examples are needed. I personally like to learn something new everyday, not just during teaching but during my life.
i always learn from my students, and I tell them when they make a mistake we need to talk about it so we all learn from it
Shalchian
I have come to find that many instructors/ facilitators get stuck in their ways. One great way that I have learned from my students is to break them up into groups and have them engage in peer teaching. It is a wonderful tool because it gives us a whole new perspective on material as well as their perception of the material. If you do not mind giving up control, this technique is worth a try in your classroom.
John,
I think you hit on an important aspect here: willingness to give up control. I realize we must maintain control, however often I wonder if, for myself, it is simply that I don't trust the students, thanks for the reminder.
Dr. Ryan Meers
In addition to knowing the class material, how you interact with the students makes a difference. Having humility and being able to admit your mistakes and learn from them helps you grow as an instructor.
Gretchen,
this is very true & also will help foster that same humble spirit in the students.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I think that the willingness to give up control in the class means the ability to be flexible, the ability to listen and observe the students. It is important to consider and share the students thoughts, feelings and actions. They are confident and open toward learning if you are smart enough as an educator to learn from them to satisfy their needs and to be successful.It is like in a chess mat game. You have to observe, study and analyze your opponent's next movement if you want to win.
Iuliana ,
this is a great point & really assists in the students' learning when we don't have to dominate the discussion or conversation all the time.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
