Is there such a thing as a perfect classroom? I argue that there isn’t. Partly because the type of students’ attending colleges and universities is constantly changing and so are their needs. College and universities are more diverse now than they have ever been. So I think one of the most important aspects in classrooms is to know your audience. Who is in the classrooms? What backgrounds, SES (socio economic status), experiences and exposures are the students’ in the classrooms bringing? And I am certain that each semester the classroom makeup looks different. So how is it ok to have the same content, teaching styles, lectures or materials, be taught each semester as if everyone in the room is the same, learns the same way and is bringing the same preparation to the classroom.
I believe that one way teachers/faculty can make classrooms inviting, engaging and learning environments is by remaining flexible, creative and open minded instead of coming into the classrooms with a prescriptive/ set curriculum. There is a difference between goals and learning outcomes for the classroom and pre set (class by class) lectures/ teaching methods by the teachers. By understanding who is in the classroom, the teacher should co-develop classroom materials that best meets the needs of the students each semester. Some thing they should consider is: What if there are more student in a classroom with learning disabilities or students who are introverts and engaging in group work causes them additional anxiety/ stress and they cannot learn, what if there are students who don’t play games because that is not the best way they learn for them. So how can I (the teacher) develop a curriculum that meets the diverse needs of the students at least half way …if not all the way.
So Is there value in knowing your classroom audience? Is it possible to create classrooms that meets the needs of diverse students ?
I think this was a great post! In my department, we prepare seminars each year – they are basically a 30 minute presentation with a slide show, and can be on just about anything, as long as it is a scientific presentation (most people usually present something on Animal Science, since that is what we are studying). When I prepare my seminars, I always think about who is in the audience. Many of the faculty members and graduate students study different areas – whether it be endocrinology, nutrition, behavior, immunology, etc – so when I piece my seminar together, I try to find a way to incorporate a little bit of each science into it, so that way there is something there for everyone. It seems to have worked pretty well, and I will continue to do it that way. The other thing is that it forced me to learn about other sciences outside my area, so it not only made my seminar more effective but I was also learning along the way. Thanks for sharing your post!
I think you raise very valid and interesting questions, that are not easy to answer. I believe that one of the things that we should do as instructors is to don’t make any assumptions. For me, it is crucial to kindly ask about things that might make students feel comfortable (or not) in a polite way and making sure that the message is clear. Asking in the right way I believe is very powerful.
I will ask you also, what other recommendations you have to make sure we are remaining flexible, creative and open minded ?
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your insights. I believe one way that faculty can remain flexible and open is by bringing in various forms of teaching practices about the same topic (e.g. videos, small groups discussions, powerpoint and have the students submit short reflections). This process does not just happens at the beginning of the semester but instead the teacher intentionally build various check points for themselves and the students to make sure the methods utilized are actually working. I think too often teachers wait to evaluate the class at the end of the semester, but instead it should be an ongoing process.
Additionally, the teacher is purposeful in finding out how their current audience learns (make the students think). This can be achieved by sending out a short questioner at the start of the semester to gauge what the students hope to achieve in the class, also asking them about they ways in which they learn best and what is an ideal classroom for them. Depending on the class they can start with a general quiz to measure the level of their preparation on the given subject. The teacher then uses this information to adapt their teaching style to that of the class.
There are a number of aspects I utilize in the undergrad class I teach on academic skills. During the first class I ask what their learning style are; visual, discussion, reflective…(honestly some don’t know what their style is, so we have a discussion on the various styles to make them think and be self aware). Secondly I do monthly check-ins to make sure what we are doing is actually working and change the delivery method. Although I have 30 students and it is easier to collect their feedback, it still requires intentional work to make sure the goals of the class and that of the students are being met.
Thanks for sharing!
I really like the idea of asking in the first week or even help them realize what their learning style is. Also the check ins, what a wonderful resource, constant feedback always help.
Great conversation!
Ayesha, knowingly or unknowingly, you talked about something called “inclusive pedagogy.” There has been a recent movement to make the classrooms more inclusive of the students who come from diverse social and cultural backgrounds. This means that the content which is being delivered needs to be adjusted depending on the needs of the students and the delivery mechanism needs to be changed based on students’ requirements. For this the instructors needs to be aware of their students’ backgrounds and adjust their lessons accordingly.
Thanks Ashish, I am glad to know that there are others who feel the same way as I do. I think adjusting the content is important otherwise we are doing injustice to the students and to the content we plan to teach.
I agree with you both! This is really important and there are things that sometimes we don’t consider. Some are really complex, some others are as simple as not using specific colors in powerpoints when presenting information. It happened to me once that I was showing a chart and one student wasn’t able to differentiate the two samples we were analyzing (I used red and green and he was colorblind). From there I always try to use other things besides colors (that I love) like shapes or text.
Thanks for sharing!
Knowing your audience is one of the key points we hit on each semester in public speaking. While you can anticipate certain aspects of your classroom, and certain aspects will remain consistent from semester to semester, no audience is going to be exactly the same. Adaptability, as only a well-trained, experienced speaker/educator/lecturer can do, is key for engagement.
I completely agree with you and the most important aspect as you mentioned is Adaptability. I believe too often instructors focus on the content and not enough on the individuals and their needs.
It is crucial to know who your audience are! Too often, we try to apply the same set of criteria for different class and different students. In the class of GEDI, we started to change our perspective as teachers to the perspective of students. “Learner-center” is emphasized in modern education. Therefore, teachers should always know students before teaching. Some self-motivated students actually expect teachers to cover materials and transfer information. In contrast, the students who are less self-motivated need teachers to explore their interests.
You are right on point, students are smarter than we give them credit for and not just the self-motivated students but, most students expect a lot from their classes/teachers, but often lose interest or get discouraged early on when their expectations are not met and as a result their involvement and learning suffers.
I believe knowing your students requires extra time spent with students outside of the classroom. If a teacher is not willing or able to spend this extra time one-on-one with students, then teachers could potential use class time during group projects (when other students are working with each other) to pull one student out at a time and meet face to face. I think this in-person meeting could allow teachers to better understand the needs of their students, and adapt their class accordingly.
Absolutely and instead of waiting for the students to contact them, the teachers should be proactive as well.