General Challenges When Teaching Veterans | Origin: ED142
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Military Veterans: Integrating Vetarans into Post-Secondary Classes --> General Challenges When Teaching Veterans
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
I have taken away from this first module of course ED:142 that all students are individual in the way that they learn and perceive information. Military veteran may require a different type of combined instructional method to keep them engaged in the course objective. As an instructor our goal is to help facilitate successful learning in the classroom. We have to educate our instructors on the specific methods and strategies to implement institutional success for our veteran learners.
This course showed me the need to be diverse and quickly asses the needs of my students. In the casse of veterans incorporating their Military service experience combined with classroom dinamics will aid in their transition in both education and civilian career.
My main takeaway so far is that all students are different, they learn differently, and they need to be engaged in a variety of ways that enhances their learning experience. I am excited to continue with the course and find some helpful ways to navigate a class with veteran students as successfully as possible.
Diversity is a challenge. As a veteran myself, i have to learn to be flexible with myself, plus the individuals in my class.
As a Veteran, I recognize the importance of diversity and how flexibility will help to reach all students, regardless of Veteran status. I'm an instructor at a trade school and have taught a large number of Veterans. Recognizing them is fairly easy if you watch your students interact with one another. Depending on what their job was in their military service, it could very well have an impact on what kind of importance they place on what they are learning. I am fortunate to have small classes and have the availability to interact with all of them equally. Working in teams seems to help the entire class integrate quite a bit better.
In this module, I have learned that each student in particular veterans are unique in how the learn. The GI bill was implemented to reintegrate veterans back into civilian life. Addressing the diversity of each student encourages and faciltates learning.
Just realize that all students are different and may require using many different methods. In this module gives the reason for the G.I. bill. It was explained well and has a goal to reintegrate the service persons back into the working world. Our job as instructors need to be flexible and willing to help the students where they are and help them integrate back into a learning environment.
In this module, I learned that we often look at diversity as racial or religion based when in all actuality diversity is a large scope that includes veterans as well as all students. All of our students fall into the diversity category, however they all pose different challenges. The challenges posed towards the education of veterans include being flexible with the instructional delivery. I also appreciated how the G.I. bill was described as a way to reintergrate veterans back into society.
Veterans are a group that need to be considered in the realm of diversity as well. They have unique experiences and challenges as they re-integrate into civilian life that need to be taken into consideration.
My top takeaway from the first part of ED142 is that "all students benefit" when we teach with flexibility to cater to diversity within the stduent body. The second takeaway was the reminder that we are also different as teachers and we bring different things to each classroom. Having flexibility and providing students with options to demonstarte learning can provide positive outcomes for stduents, help with retention, and enrich the students along the way.
ED 142: Use different scopes, stay flexible, understand their goals, and use different motivational methods in the classroom to keep students learning interest. Service members bring experiences and knowledge that could help open interest on different topics/subjects in the classroom learning environment. Provide an opportunity to learn from each others past/present skill/knowledge learning experiences.
I love how the GI Bill was defined as a readjustment for the military vet to the civilian life and a way to have their own Mission moving forward. I had never thought of it that way. I also liked the reminder that while the degree or certification students earn may give them the opportunity to APPLY for a job, the ones who have the SOFT skills, such as communication, positive attitude, organization, teamwork, punctuality, critical thinking and social skills, will get HIRED and be SUCCESSFUL in the new role/job/career.
I can set expectations in the classroom for Respect, Tolerance, Critical/analytical thinking/creative problem-solving skills to help them achieve these soft skills as they work with their classmates on projects/discussions/hand-on work.
I have a lot of students who are veterans, many of whom are non-traditional students. I hope that gaining a better understanding of the challenges our veterans face helps me become a better instructor for veterans and all students.
Each student has different abilities and challenges. Instruction must present several solutions so students can easily addapt and learn. There is never, one single way to learning a skill or subject, applying and giving the opportunity to reach the same outcome, through different ways to approach it, will include all students.
We have to meet our students where they are. In post-secondary education we get to see, more than most, a variety of students from diverse backgrounds. This is an oppurtunity, not a hindrance
What I have learned from this course is that each student has different abilities and can experience challenges, our teaching should be something easily adaptable to when a student faces a personal challenge. Offering different teaching styles and resources is key in a veteran's success in the class.
I need to better asses the needs of my students seperately
It is important to be respectful of veterans.
