Teaching Strategies for Labs | Origin: ED206
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Teaching in the Lab and Shop Environment --> Teaching Strategies for Labs
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
There are certain know difficulties with the lab environment that a teacher can try to avoid.
It is important to engage students wih active learning in the lab by providing examples, visuals and active experimentation.
Examples examples examples. It is very important to keep the student learning from what they can see in addition to what they hear. All students have different learning styles and it is important to be aware of that and adapt to what the student needs.
It's important to address all student's different learning styles.
It's important to know your learning style
It is important for a student and instructor to know their learning styles. I try to implement labs that will rotate to different learning styles or offer additional learning material that might be visual or auditory for students who might learn better using this method.
I was reminded of how important it is to know our students' different learning styles and to adjust our instruction according to these styles. Also, students learn better when they can hear AND see examples of what is being taught.
Students learn better in an active learning environment that encourages participation versus sitting and listening to a lecture.
All students have different learning styles. It is the responsiblity of the instructors to get to know each student's learning styles.
I think the active learning style are more for the working class who can study on their own, whareas, the Cooperative style are more for sungle adults who enjoy workong in groups.
Ann Nelson
Addressing different learning styles is important. Faculty should try to incorporate different methods into lessons to address this. Simulation learning is great for this. High fidelity sims provide the opportunity for students to take theoretical knowledge, think about, manulate it, reflect on the experience to identify support or flaws in their thinking.
While I agree that grouping students by learning styles can make them more comfortable, I have often intentionally regrouped them with a mixture of styles. This has given them an opportunity to experiment with other learning styles, often by seeing them modeled. It has also been very beneficial in cooperative learning exercises.
Although we are sometimes restricted to what style we can implement, nothing has the impact in the lab like a student actually getting hands-on individual labwork.
Each student learns at their own pace as well as how they learn information. Some students are visual learners while others work best reading the material. Working in groups is also helpful to the student especially when putting them in similar learing style peer groups. Labs are also an important way for students to soak in information. If working in large groups, sometimes a virtual lab may be more helpful as all students may not be able to participate or see whats going on.
With different learning styles it is a challenge but very rewarding to recognize differencers and successful outcomes.
Lab courses are a great way to incorporate the kinesthetic, aural, and visual learning styles. Often during lab activities, I provide a written description of the skill that is to be learned, along with a picture representation of it. I demonstrate the skill myself while aurally describing each step, and then the students pair up in teams or groups to practice the skill. Therefore, the lab activities combine the kinesthetic, aural, visual, cooperative, and active learning styles. It is the perfect example of layering multiple types of learning styles into the activity so that all students, no matter the preferred learning style, can benefit.
learning different styles of learner thorugh lab and class assesment is very way go gain good outcomes for a variaty of different students
I like for my students to use the VARK analysis in Freshman orientation to help them determine which style of learning works for them. Also, incorporating all styles into the classroom and clinical is vital for student success.
I like the fact that students often take the reading more seriously in an active classroom, learning the material outside of class becomes important to the lab or shop activites. I find this true for most of my students as I have recently switched to a more active classroom for my greenhouse management class. It was an older student who helped make that switch too. All so interesting.
Familiarize yourself and your students with individual learning styles and teach to those. Be familiar with students individually. Actively reach out to them through their preferred style. Limit lecture and emphasize cooperative learning exercises.
