Accurately assessing your
students' developmental state can direct your planning and impel your teaching.
For instance, recognizing a 16-year-old's concern about his appearance and his
standing among his peers may promote your rapport with him and eliminate
learning barriers.
Keep in mind that
chronologic age and developmental stage are not always related. Throughout life,
people move sequentially through developmental stages, but most people also
fluctuate somewhat among stages, often in response to outside stressors. These
stressors can cause a person to regress temporarily to an earlier stage.
Sometimes a person may not achieve the task expected of his chronologic age. So
you will need to address your students at their current developmental stages,
not at the stages at which you would expect them to be because of their
chronological ages.
In some situations,
hopefully most, you will have time to sit down and develop a formal teaching
plan. In others, you will be confronted with a "teachable moment" when the
student is ready to learn and is asking pointed questions. Invariably, these
moments seem to come at the most inopportune times. At times like these, you
face the dilemma: to teach or not to teach. Having a knowledge of basic learning
principles will help you take best advantage of these moments. Here are some
principles proven to enhance teaching and learning.
Seize the moment
Teaching is most effective when it occurs in quick response to a need the
learner feels. So even though you are elbow deep in something else, you should
make every effort to teach the student when he or she asks. The student is ready
to learn. Satisfy that immediate need for information now, and augment your
teaching with more information later.
Involve the student in
planning
Just presenting
information to the student does not ensure learning. For learning to occur, you
will need to get the student involved in identifying his learning needs and
outcomes. Help him to develop attainable objectives. As the teaching process
continues, you can further engage him or her by selecting teaching strategies
and materials that require the student's direct involvement, such as role
playing and return demonstration. Regardless of the teaching strategy you
choose, giving the student the chance to test his or her ideas, to take risks,
and to be creative will promote learning.
Begin with what the
student knows
You will find that
learning moves faster when it builds on what the student already knows. Teaching
that begins by comparing the old, known information or process and the new,
unknown one allows the student to grasp new information more quickly.
Move from simple to
complex
The student will
find learning more rewarding if he has the opportunity to master simple concepts
first and then apply these concepts to more complex ones. Remember, however,
that what one student finds simple, another may find complex. A careful
assessment takes these differences into account and helps you plan the teaching
starting point.
Accommodate the
student's preferred learning style
How quickly and
well a student learns depends not only on his or her intelligence and prior
education, but also on the student's learning style preference. Visual learners
gain knowledge best by seeing or reading what you are trying to teach; auditory
learners, by listening; and tactile or psychomotor learners, by doing. You can
improve your chances for teaching success if you assess your patient's preferred
learning style, then plan teaching activities and use teaching tools appropriate
to that style. To assess a student's learning style, observe the student,
administer a learning style inventory test, or simply ask the student how he or
she learns best. You can also experiment with different teaching tools, such as
printed material, illustrations, videotapes, and actual equipment, to assess
learning style. Never assume, though, that your student can read well -- or even
read at all.
Sort goals by learning
domain
You can combine
your knowledge of the student's preferred learning style with your knowledge of
learning domains. Categorizing what the students need to learn into proper
domains helps identify and evaluate the behaviors you expect them to show.
Learning behaviors fall in three domains: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective.
The cognitive domain deals with intellectual abilities. The psychomotor domain
includes physical or motor skills. The affective domain involves expression of
feeling about attitudes, interests, and values. Most learning involves all three
domains.
Make material
meaningful
Another way to
facilitate learning is to relate material to the student's lifestyle -- and to
recognize incompatibilities. The more meaningful material is to a student, the
quicker and easier it will be learned.
Allow immediate
application of knowledge
Giving the student
the opportunity to apply his or her new knowledge and skills reinforces learning
and builds confidence. This immediate application translates learning to the
"real world" and provides an opportunity for problem solving, feedback, and
emotional support.
Plan for periodic rests
While you may want
the students to push ahead until they have learned everything on the teaching
plan, remember that periodic plateaus occur normally in learning. When your
instructions are especially complex or lengthy, your students may feel
overwhelmed and appear unreceptive to your teaching. Be sure to recognize these
signs of mental fatigue and let the students relax. (You too can use these
periods - to review your teaching plan and make any necessary adjustments.)
Tell your students how
they are progressing
Learning is made
easier when the students are aware of their progress. Positive feedback can
motivate them to greater effort because it makes their goal seem attainable.
Also, ask your students how they feel they are doing. They probably want to take
part in assessing their own progress toward learning goals, and their input can
guide your feedback. You will find their reactions are usually based on what
"feels right."
Reward desired learning
with praise
Praising desired
learning outcomes or behavior improves the chances that the students will retain
the material or repeat the behavior. Praising your students' successes
associates the desired learning goal with a sense of growing and accepted
competence. Reassuring them that they have learned the desired material or
technique can help them retain and refine it.
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