One aspect of teaching that we
discuss during our teaching course, is ‘meeting
the needs of our learners’. The word ‘needs’ may sound challenging and
complex, but if we just consider that each person learns in a different way, we
could come up with an accommodating solution for many of our learners’ needs.
As some people learn when they see, others when they hear or do things; why
don’t we ensure that our organized activities and resources address visual,
auditory and kinaesthetic learners? Furthermore, the way that we learn can
differ depending on a range of factors, a topic or skill that we learn being
one of them.
Pikes’ cline of retention shows
learning retention over 3 days.
10% of what you read
20%of what you hear
30% of what you see
50% of what you see and hear
70% of what you say
90% of what you say and do is retained
Pike (1989)
Even though it is difficult to
come up with learning that could be pictured, dressed in words and evidenced in
action; I strive to include interesting, sometimes funny pictures in my
sessions, let people discuss things through and encourage them to move around
the room. It can sound a bit ‘odd’ but I noticed that ‘cards matching
activities’ in different parts of the room can have a beneficial effect on my
learners, including improved communication and peer cooperation. This leads me
to ponder upon another aspect of teaching ‘peer cooperation’ that I would like
to discuss next time J
