I have learned to realise that your classroom might look different to different people.
There is a difference between teaching a case and teaching a class. Teaching a class allows for the integration of people and their personal experiences to discuss specific topics and creates a unique way of learning.
Barbara McDuffie
I have experienced a lot of diversity in my classes between the younger student and the traditional student. Keeping in mine that it can get trying at times. I like the fact that I need to stay focus as an instructor and not get caught up in the midst of things. Keeping in mine that they have charted their own course and that they need to take responsiblilty for their actions.
is very important to know the students (why) this will help us determine their characteristics for a better class in general especialy when the class can very in ages and back growns,and motivations.
great material to recap ,it help us educators on how to redescover our classroom atmosphere.
I believe t hat understanding the student characteristics enables them to learn from their experiences in class and out of class
This will also ensure that the instructor is well rounded for the delivery of the lecture for the students to learn.
Hello team, i really like the fact of knowing about the age diversity and how to work with each group
It is important to know what the students want to learn from the course. Adult learners also have different expectations and different ways of learning and it is crucial to understand this since they have different learning paces.
I have gained an important insight into both age and cultural diversity.
The most important take home point I have is to always view the classroom from the point of the learner.
Reply to Barry Jordan's post:
Not just career goals, but how social failure becomes important to returning students, and its implications.
I've learned that you need to understand your students background and where they come from to allow you to teach them better. I would also say that getting to know them will also allow more conversational interaction between the student and the class, or the instructor, which may allow the instructor to help guide the student for help. Also who can help them besides the instructors.
It reminds me I need to keep in mind the way not only my students differ in age and experience from age, but how they vary from the different cultures they come from and difficulty they may encounter from speaking a different native language than I do.
I've learned that it is important to ascertain early on what the adult learner's motivation is in order to get a sense of how to keep them engaged. I also learned about the different types of frustrations students deal with and ways to assist them in coping.
I learned and confirmed that if I want to teach and promote content knowledge KNOW my students, enter their heads and guide them irrelevant of who they are
I have learned that though students come into the higher education arena with preset goals and ideas, the demands are many times greater than they have prepared for. I’ve also learned that it is important to evaluate each student individually as a 1 size fits all just doesn’t work.
I have seen some strategies in this portion of the lesson that I have incorporated in past classes teaching students. I do agree with finding out what initially motivates a student to return to school and then use this information to help support the student. I like how this lesson also points out that adult learners may have additional stressors outside of school (children, jobs, finances) and how I need to take this into account in supporting the student.
Student retention boils down to the recognition and facilitation of intrinsic and extrinsic needs/motivations. Students all seek validation and while some may be preoccupied with the social, cultural, or procedural dynamics of a learning environment, others will concern themselves with programmatic relevance, applicability, and outcomes. This balance between diverse and often divergent foci is a delicate process requiring the instructor to both understand and remain attentive to the needs of each student. The first order of operation is to facilitate a safe learning environment where students are comfortable expressing opinions, objectives, dissent, and unique learning requirements. Following this, students must be encouraged to embrace the differences amongst their peers and embrace them as opportunities for learning and growth.
Always Remember Our Roots as We Were learners Once Too!
Alot of this i already felt and had a sense of but it was great to see it in text and to have to actualize and articulate it to myself was a fun challenge.
Learning about understanding that every student has a different backgorund, different fears, differenct motiviations and different goals. as a teacher you have to adapt to customize the educational experience to give everyone the best opportunity to grow and learn.
Understanding the unique needs of each student is the foundation to student success. This may inlude their age, life experiences, motivation, support sytems, personal circumstances, and if any frustrations exists. Being an active listener is essential to student success as well.
