Thursday, August 13, 2015

Getting Ready #13 - Engaging the Senses for Effective Teaching and Learning




Getting Ready # 13 Sensory Teaching and Learning

“This same multiple storage systems also benefits from a variety of learning experiences on the part of the students. The best way to learn complex skills is by using them to construct a memory of knowledge by doing something with it. This includes the opportunities for less direct instruction and more instructor guidance as students themselves construct their knowledge and understanding with experiential and inquiry-based learning, problem-solving, project-based learning, and collaborative groups. Again, a variety of representations of what students learn throughout the development of a new knowledge base will increase the regions of memory storage, thus providing another source of evidence for the benefits of using writing or the arts throughout the curriculum”. (Willis and Mitchell, 2014).

What does this mean to you as you prepare your lessons? For example, should you do the talking for the first 30 minutes and then give the students a worksheet to complete as you sit down to grade yesterday’s work? Or should you complete a short anticipatory set to engage your students and then proceed with strategies that engage your students in meaningful activities that connect to previous learning? Naturally, there are many variations and complexities involved; however, creating lessons that engage your children in experimenting, inquiry, problem solving, collaboration with classmates, and exploration will engage your children in a meaningful teaching and learning experience.

Please share some of your most effective strategies in the comment section below. As you know, teachers benefit more from the expertise of other successful and effective teachers than any other form of teacher learning.

Willis, J., & Mitchell, G. (2014). The neuroscience of learning: Principles and applications for educators. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.


2 comments:

  1. I always enjoyed having a supervisor/teacher/instructor tell me what our end result was, and then let me find out how to get there.

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    1. I always appreciated this approach as well Oliver. One issue I have seen throughout my career; however, is that this approach often occurs at the teacher/instructor level; however, too many supervisors/directors, etc, take the "power over approach" to leadership. You might enjoy an earlier entry that addresses this topic - I believe it is a topic from 2014; you can search 2014 and look for :Power Over vs. Power With". I'd appreciate your feedback on it. Thank you for replying Oliver.

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