I agree, I have different age groups in my class, ranging from 18 to 60 years of age. I have to adapt to each individuals learning style and sometimes that can be very difficult. Each student learns at a different pace and I have to teach to each ones level.
I agree, I have to do the same for my class, as I said in a different post I have to adjust to each individual because of their learning style.
I agree, I teach a Medical Law & Ethics class and that can be a difficult class to teach, so I have the students go to the local court house and set in a court session and then they have to write a report on what they have learned from the session. Then they have to relate it to the lession based on the type of session that they set in on. The students seems to like this and they can relate this to some of the laws that they will need to know when they get to the doctors office to work.
I think that students learn better with hands on and setting in on real life situations than only being lectured to.
Hi Shirley,
You are right about how students like to get involved in their learning through application. If students can apply what they are learning and see relevancy to the content and skills they will stay engaged in the process. They will catch the vision of where their career can take them. Sitting in on a court case is a great way of making it "real" for them.
Gary
Interesting discussion, and while intuitive on the surface, it does seem that when developing course content, Multiple Intelligences should also be a factor. Many courses are developed by subject matter experts who are proficient in one maybe two intelligences, which might adversely affect content, but I think that for an effective course, maybe multiple Intelligence deliveries schemes should be used, I know they try to do that now, just don't know to what impact its effective.
Hi Steven,
Having research the assessment of multiple intelligences over the past 25 years I have been able to develop an assessment called Talent Key that identifies the three dominant intelligences for individuals. Currently, the assessment is being used in educational and business settings for managers to understand how their workers process information and how their emotions enter into their work. (Another discussion could be help in the area of emotional intelligence). I have found that once I know the 3 dominant ones I can plan my communication around them and that the individual will be able to decode and recode the content more effectively.
Gary
Most of the learning types seem intuitive but the body/kinesthetic category is the one that always throws me. Should I occasionally stand students up and make them do jumping jacks or is there a more subtle way to approach this?
Hi Amanda,
Any kind of movement will work for students in the kinesthetic area. Moving them into work groups works. Another thing I use a lot are Legos. I have small number of Legos in zip lock bags. I give each group a bag of Legos and I have the students problem solve using the Legos. My course is a content course not lab so all of my activities relate to the content but involve some movement, discussion and participation. Role playing is another body involved activity you can use. Hope these examples get you to thinking about how you can connect the brain and body of your students.
Gary
The concept of multiple intelligences helps me to formulate teaching strategies that will be effective. It provides a platform for me to use to analyse what is going on and what is working in the classroom. It will help me match the content delivery to the needs of the audience.
Hi LE,
This is why I like working in the area of multiple intelligences as well. Once I know how a person processes information and where his/her intelligence are centered (generally they have three dominate intelligences). I have spent the last 25 years researching how to identify and assess multiple intelligences. In doing my research I have created an assessment that enables me to identify the three dominate intelligences of individuals so I then know how to plan my instructional delivery to support those intelligences as well as communicate more effectively with those individuals. A very interesting area of human cognition.
Gary
I try to cover different methods of testing. Some students excel in writing, others in ideas, some in the creative solution and others perform well on tests.
I will incorporate various strategies of visual, auditory, written, and kinesthetic prompts, aids, handouts, board work into my instructional methods. Role playing is especially good for kinesthetic students.
This module has confirmed my assumptions as an instructor. I have to use a multi-tiered approach when lecturing.
Fortunately, since we teach about audio and recording, there's already multi-media built into the curriculum. Students are not just subjected to me writing on the dry-erase board.
Hi Carter,
Good way to provide content and skill development. You are in a good field to be able to bring such a practical approach to your class.
Gary
Thanks. Ultimately, the goal is to get into the studio with the students and apply (hands on) what has been taught in the classroom.
In the beginning, the classroom was a bit of a challenge for me. The studio is my primary environment, professionally. It took quite a bit of time and teaching experience to adapt to the classroom.
Having been exposed to many different learning requirements myself, I have come to empathize with learners who have certain intelligences and are being asked to stretch their learning into areas that are not typically their strengths. It does help the person in their total experience to try to do this. As an instructor, recognizing where strengths and weaknesses are with my students (or what comes naturally or not), is a good reason to help students feel "safe" when they take on an uncomfortable learning experience. For example, those who do not naturally have a good sense of visuals could be given an assignment to follow a set of visually-based instructions, where the end result of the assignment is simply to report on their experience. This type of assignment is preliminary as a warmup for an assignment that requires such skills as a prerequisite, such as setting up a Java coding development environment for first use.
This is an important point. Keeping the material fresh while exposing learners to repeated opportunities to learn the material helps keep the students motivated, allows them to move their memory into longer term areas, and helps them maintain enthusiasm. Students learn best when they are enjoying what they learn, and repeated exposure enhances their perceptions of the value of the material.
These are great examples of how to address the multiple learning modalities in a class. Providing outlines, audio, visually appealing graphics, and chances at hands on experiences are all methods I use when teaching Java programming. It's great to see the delight in a learner when they see the green lights going on in a development environment, indicating that their program ran successfully!
Hi James,
Well said in working to keep the material fresh. By doing so we instructors get to be creative and are challenged to keep improving our courses. For students an excited and motivated instructor really helps to keep them engaged in the learning process and acquiring new skills and knowledge.
Gary
I had not really thought about the fact that I probably teach in the way that would suit me as a learner. I can see that it is important that I address the learning styles of the various students in the classroom, not just my own, so that there is a good mix that will meet the needs of each student. I know I need to vary my presentations not only to prevent boredom but to give everyone an equal chance at learning the material.
