How Can We Effectively Teach Students?

Every few years I kick around the value of earlier specialization for students (having high school students declare majors) versus the academic pigeonholing that causes and never come to a consensus.

Do we ask teens to pursue an academic plan that fits their interests and learning styles specifically at the cost of general education? Do teachers specialize in styles like a therapist or physician might specialize (capable of general practice, but refined in a smaller sub-area) and then have students who match that style stick with them?

Or does this ruin learner flexibility and undermine opportunity to change with ever evolving fiscal and employment landscape?

OK, I will take the bait.

Excellent!

Do not -- repeat, do not -- advance students who do not master the subject matter.

That would substantially increased failure rates (as mastery is defined as the standard of 85%), and mean budget impacting changes meaning larger classes, larger faculty, etc. I am not saying that this is a bad thing. I think too many kids get through in summer school where classes are not nearly as rigorous, but it would be a reality that we would need to face. The pressure to bend over backwards to get the fringe kids through is good if it elevates the student to work harder. It is not so great when kids putting in half effort have the fact that getting through is something that adults will work just as hard for them to do (or harder) as they do themselves.

This would also means a drop in graduation rates and many more students attending high school for more than four years. Dropout rates would also skyrocket.

The phenomenon I listed above wouldn't be eternal in duration, but it would be difference we would have to accept until the prevalent culture and values changed to accept that school is serious business and if you don't do your work to a mastery level, you will repeat it or you will leave. This might sound like a fine philosophy, but what do we do with the increased numbers of students who dropout? I know that many students who have dropped out of school where I am have already ended up on welfare and have multiple children by the age of 20. In my opinion, that is a huge part of this issue in that we need to address how those individuals are handled. After a life time of taking no responsibility, there is no shame in just taking handouts from the government because they are too lazy/too uneducated to work. And why work minimum wage when Uncle Sam will just pick up the tab?

While teaching in China, there was a rule that as soon as you failed a grade you were done. If you failed in kindergarten, you had a life of scrubbing the sewer systems. If you failed 10th grade, you might work at a McDonald's. The difference in how those kids approached their education was extreme. All were on time. All had their work done.

I actually had a colleague who was nervous on her first day and wrote the following homework on the board:

Read p.1-111.

She meant p.1-11.

Not only did not a single student open their mouths or protest (most classes I have seen would have plotted mutiny on the spot, thus alerting me to the "typo"), every single student had complete the assignment for the next day's class.

These are the reasons we are falling behind. All responsibility for a student getting an education has been taken out of the student's hands and placed on teachers, guidance counselors, and parents. Little Johnny knows that if he doesn't do his work, he will take the least amount of heat when outraged parents come to school. This is not always the case, but if you put 3-4 of those kids in a class, it can totally change the entire environment.

I have been a technical teacher in secondary schools and technical colleges for 20 years and have taught in many countries and all I can say is that many of the teachers are already doing that. In the UK for example, we were expected to become familiar with the learning styles of all of our students (damnn near impossible) and plan our lessons to address them.

I am currently teaching at a technical school in the middle east and have found that poorly trained teachers generally teach using only one style but my department is currently rewriting reference books and student workbooks, developing practical experiments and computer simulations, and good ol' powerpoints to get the word across. We frequently use group work and are looking at other research due to the language problems we have in the classes

Ok, so lets say a teacher wants to address all those intelligences. The first thing they need to do is profile students according to that - maybe even put all of those logical thinkers in one class, or have a class where students are half linguistic, half visual. That's a very simple and effective step! and it sure helps the teacher tons!

Now I do think that Gardner took it too far - and I still can't wrap my mind around a kid that can only learn in a interpersonal or intrapersonal manner... maybe I haven't read enough on it... the good part is that there is a much simpler alternative: weighing in on the brain's hemispheres!

If you have a person that use their right hemisphere 70% of the time, and the left one 30%, then that person would be more visual and more creative. A reverse proportion means a lot of attention for details and a preference for reading. By combining the two types of transmitting knowledge inside the classroom, the students will be able to use their "power hemisphere" and practice their less active one!

Another good way of using that is having the students select their assignments. For example, if a homework is writing an essay, the dominant right hemisphere student would not perform as good as compared to drawing a large diagram. The opposite would happen to a student with a dominant left hemisphere - that student would dread the much more visual diagram and will get a higher quality work by writing a well documented essay.

If the teacher allows the students to use their way of processing information to their advantage, just by taking into account the brain hemispheres, everyone would win! I defintely prefer this approach to Gardner's!

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Excellent, I would add participation, or PIE = Participation, Interaction, Edification.

Thks

Gordon

A TEACHER IS A ROLE MODEL, SOURCE OF INSPIRATION AND BE A BEACON LIGHT TO CONSULT AT TIMES OF DIFFICULTIES, A RESPECTABLE FRIEND AND A CRITIC FOR A LONG LASTING RELATION.

Amazing that they get so little respect, then, isn't it?

excellent remarks, definetly you are a good teacher

Dear Sir,

EXCELLENT!! You have my vote for a GA.

If even 1% of engineering professors and lecturers in India would be practicing what you have so clearly enunciated, we would have been the wisest super power in the world within 5 years of our independence. Unfortunately, the system of learning "Engineering" by rote is the order of the day. However, there is fortunately a realisation of late that they have to produce "Employable" engineers. I pity the vast numbers of "Engineers" produced to date wallowing in non-technical software sweat shops and being the "back-office" for the world!!

Thank you again for showing that there are a few good educators, like yourself, in India too.

Regards

D.Ramakrishna Naidu

D.Ramakrishna naidu, Shake sphere the engine, Guests

Thank you all for your compliment and approval of my views. In view of the ongoing degree trend races and fortune drives for computer based courses, pursuance of goal oriented courses is declining:that means a potential vacuum in the core need areas.

Out of all human activities going on earth I regard education as the best achievement ever humanity got to be respected, the good will for it's future subjects.Education is the only sincere activity being pursued globally. Teachers got the untold ethical need of imparting al round and survival skills, coach them for a goal oriented life journey ,without losing human values and become good leaders and society administrators, apply and contribute from their education and life experiences. More than parents I think teachers got a better say if your values are right.

I teach introductory machining classes part time at a local university. So the age group I am working with is 18 and up through retirement age. Like most instructors, I offer short breaks during long lectures on dry subject matter. I have also found that subject matter can be over presented. Most all of us have had the instructor that through their dedication wants to reach everyone and be as thorough as possible. When the students' eyes glaze over then you have gone to far.

I have a problem with labeling people as having learning disabilities, when the person doing the labeling is not qualified to do so. I have had students come in to my class and tell me they have a learning disability because a teacher at a previous school said so. Then over the course of the semester some out perform the majority of the "normal kids". The others refuse to take notes or try to do their work because they have a disability. I am not saying that there are not people that have trouble and need help. I am saying that mislabeling a lazy student just gives them an excuse to be lazy.

When working for a company outside the university one of the first questions I ask the trainees is "how many smokers do we have in the class"? There is always a few hands. Then after that I make it a point to call a "smoke break" every hour or so. I was questioned by a trainee why I did this when I myself am not a smoker. My reply was everyone needs a break so they can walk around and wake up. The smoker is distracted by the cigarette. So, while the nonsmokers are getting a cup of coffee the smokers get their cigarettes and everyone is more alert when the break is over.

I train adults in complicated things:

Give a complete syllabus with footnotes

Allways, text with pictures and charts everywhere they can be used

With any math code a demonstration of its use with an actual problem

A hands on show and tell with a workbook session

Adults learn quickly if there is no "grade" to be issued

Show and tell is part of it

Present your case, don't point out what they don't know so that you can correct it.

Humiliate no one, even an ass that deserves it.

Teach to the middle-high level unless it is a remedial class.

Demonstrate what you teach.

Make them see, hear, touch, smell, taste, value, diminsion and scope it.

Humiliate no one, even an ass that deserves it.

Truer words have ne'er been spoken. And sometimes it is hard to pass up, but as the adult, you must do so. Even if you are teaching adults. No good comes from humiliating anyone, even if you feel better in the short term.

Humiliate no one, yes it is a valid point. Teachers got be cautious not to provoke such insults and bad insult memories in students. You got to be a class generous personalty and many teachers are so compassionate and gentle with students. A positive caliber to inculcate.

From my experience. Which has nothing to do with special needs kids.

The teachers that were excited about being in front of the classroom almost everyday, that taught by adding humor to the subject and asked a lot of "Why?" questions as they went along seemed to capture the attention of the majority of students better then any other teaching style.

Teachers that seemed very bland in their personalities did poorly.

The person that stated that students that can't seem to master the subject matter shouldn't be there.

In one respect you're right. They should be in a class with a different teacher that knows how to teach the subject better.

I don't think there's a kid out there that is running in the mainstream teaching programs that is not capable of learning the subjects offered in any of the classes given on any campass.

The difference that holds some kids back and others progress is where their priorities are, the kind of support they get at home and how willing they are to commit to learning.

Enthusiasm is infectious. If you aren't excited to be there (even if not about your specific material), you cannot expect students to be. As social learners, they get their cue from the alpha dog in the room (sorry, Del, alpha cat) and if that dog is vanilla, unengaged, or just withdrawn, they will tend to respond in kind.

Maybe that explains why I have so many spazzy students, come to think of it.

Ah yes, grasshoppers!

As we can see by the repsonses here, the subject of education touches a nerve with anyone who has participated in the process of education.

Good teaching is as much art as skill. It takes an intuitive sense and spontaneous response to each student to get the best "connection" between student and teacher. This can't be totally encompassed in all the theories about how we learn. Improvisation can't be removed from the process. To do so is to degrade the process. (And I have to say, many state educational boards have done their best to do so.)

As STE stated, enthusiasm (aka love of subject) is the prime ingredient. On par with that comes mastery of the subject being taught. But the "glue" that combines the two is the aforementioned intuitive sense and skill of reacting to students responses. The more experienced the teacher, the more likely s/he will be able to draw from past successes to make that connection with students.

Because brains are pre-wired for learning in certain, distinct ways, knowledge of this can be helpful, but can also lead to "canned" responses. The connection between teacher and student makes learning (relatively speaking, of course) easier or harder. Unfortunately, some teachers are not cut out to be teachers. Their students suffer.

There are many fine points made, and I don't know that I have much to add, concept-wise, but I would like to use some different words to re-inforce what has been said.

The social context is very important. In America, we have a "democratic" lust for equality, as represented by laws that are supposed to assure "no child left behind." We "mainstream" children in classes of thirty or so, containing the most talented learners with those who are severly handicappped: blind, autistic, etc. It is assumed that "one size fits all" and no one can be left behind. That is idiotic. Children are not born with Intel inside. A class of 30 has thirty different computers (between the ears) with different operating systems and differnet input and output modes. No one program will not run on all of them.

The best a teacher can do with a heterogenous class of 30 is to try different styles, hoping to get through to each student for at least a minute or so per class. The others get bewildered or bored. Best is one-on-one teaching. Often a student can make years of progress in less than 100 hours of tutoring. For those with "non-traditional" academic styles, perhaps an apprenticeship is better than a classroom situation. As far as I know, Mozart did not learn music in a public school. I've no idea if he learned calculus, but does it matter? With the marvels of computers, the next best may be to give each student a computer with several learning programs and let the student find what works best for him. (Clearly, if he is blind or whatever...) Next best is probably to sort out the students so as to have classes as homogeneous as possible. (American law does not allow single-sex classes, but it should) Those who have perfect pitch can have an advanced class in music, while others will do better in math.

On Saturday morning, I will be attending the funeral of a young man who was bright and had a scholarship to attend college in the fall. He was playing basketball, outdoors, with his brother and others. Two persons walked by and shot the young man (and another). The only motive which seems likely (other than pure psycopathy)is envy; in politically correct terms the young man was a victim of a hate crime by persons with brainophobia. Scholarship cannot thrive in a community or a school, where the peer pressure is toward everyone being equally ignorant. Here in Kansas City we have the finest schools in the country, as measured by physical plant and money spent per student. The schools lost accreditation, as they fail to teach reading, writing, math, etc. The local teen culture opposes such activities.

I used to teach at a private military academy. It had been founded, more than a hundred years ago, as a place for elite students, destined to become leaders. It had degenerated into a kind of reform school for those who failed elsewhere or who had parents (more likely a single parent) who did not have time for them. In common with public schools, it was much like a prison, but more so, as it was a boarding school which tried hard (not always successfully) to insulate students from the outside world, TV, drugs, etc. Failure to conform was punished by loss of privileges or "walking tours." More mature students acted as NCOs (sergeants), so there was, more or less, supervision all day. I would guess that 90-95 per cent of new students hated the place. By the end of their first year, perhaps 5 per cent had been kicked out, usually for a felony, such as car theft (escape) or rape (there were girls and boys) or arson (general expression of disapproval). About 5 per cent still hated the place, but they went along with it, hoping their parents would get them out. Remarkably, about 90 per cent learned to like it. Some hated to go home on vacation. Such is the power of peer pressure and controlled culture. (Stockholm syndrome?) Almost every graduate went on to post-secondary education or joined the military. I had students who arrived as losers, reading perhaps at the third grade level, who "got with the program" and graduated as a fairly well programmed person. (Maybe not intellectual, but equipped to be your next door neighbor)

I disapprove of schools which are like prisons, which includes American public schools which one must, by law, attend. (If you can't walk away from it and there are armed guards, it's a prison) I interviewed at a public school where the superintendant wanted to make it a boarding school, on the grounds that the toxic social atmoshpere bred criminals. I barely had the courage to leave my car parked there. Sometimes "unlibertarian" efforts must be made before the student can think about learning, as opposed to thinking about whether her lunch money will be stolen or she will get pregnant.

Y'all may be familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. The most basic needs are for air, food, and other things to preserve life. Further up are social needs. The highest is the need for self-actualization, doing or being the best you can, something you feel good about. Education also has a hierarchy, trying to meet those needs. First, teach survival skills. Then teach social skills and morality. Then teach them to self-actualize, which may include musical composition, advanced football, welding, or astrophysics, whatever turns 'em on.

Happiness, I think, requires, of course, a certain security and a full belly, but it also requires a sense of self, identification with a social group. Preferably, the social group is not a criminal gang. It helps to have a national identification -- that's my flag, my national anthem, and we share the same values and world view. "Diversity" is not the road to happiness, but tolerance is. Universal education (in government schools, the "Prussian model") was promoted to produce good workers and soldiers, people who could follow orders and die for their flag. (Enough intellectuals will emerge in spite of the government brain washing) I don't particularly support those goals, but such drones are, perhaps, happy.

When I was in high school that had a thing called the bell curve. This is great when all you classmates are idiots.

After going to college the math professor said, Math should not be graded by such methods, you either know it or you don't. Theye is one thing he did realize, and that if you know it and was working on the proofs, you may have gotten the wrong answer, due to a sign error almost always the (-) sign, but you had the pattern correct.

And even though you had the wrong answer he made you sweat it out, but he would pass you, becasue you saw and had the pattern. After you made dam sure you got your correct signs in the formula.

phoenix911