I too certainly have to agree to many of you that much of what we learn is through doing. I have been teach for almost nineteen years, and before Istarting teaching at a career college, I thought psychology and sociology at a state community college. Many students had a difficult time retaining what they learned from reading the textbook and lectures. They would cram to learning for the exam, then a week later, if had not made some type of personal association, then they had forgotten it.
When I started teaching IT classes at a career college, I had to make some adjustments to my teaching style. Because students are studying for careers that require hands-on experience, I had to encorporate these types of activities and assessments into my course curriculum. I also have had to convince students that the computer skills they are acquiring are invaluable to any career field they will be entering. If students don't see the benefit in learning a new skill, they only put enough effort into the assignments to get a grade .
Ruth Armstrong
