Teaching technique – teach them how to learn part 2
When my students entered the classroom (the first day of classes) I told them,”welcome to biology class”. I quickly inform them that they will learn biology (Failure was not an option). I explained that the focus of the class would be how to learn. I explained that it would be as if I am teaching you how to drive a car. The car is biology. The car is not important-How to drive is important. I am going to teach you how to learn. I am going to use biology as the vehicle by which you will learn.
I explained that when you learn in my biology class you will not only know biology but you will know how to learn every other subject in which you are enrolled. I further explained, you’ll get better grades than ever before in every subject. I was enthusiastic about the learning techniques that I was going to share with them.. I wanted to give them something that would last a lifetime. (I was teaching them how to fish) I wanted to give the gifts of enthusiasm, competence and self-reliance.
I asked them to bring to me the hardest to understand concepts from their other classes. In addition to teaching biology I would help them learn anything else they needed to learn.
I introduced them to the concept of learning styles. I helped them discover what their learning style was. I used other students to introduce different learning styles and further explained to them that in addition to your own learning styles you must try to learn the learning styles of others. That was important because the learning style utilized is often determined by the information needed to be learned. I taught my students and learning is fun and that there is no such thing as an uninteresting subject only uninterested people.
An important concept:
if you teach them biology how much will they remember.
How long will they remember the steps of mitosis and meiosis?
If they don't use it they will lose it.
but if you teach them how to internalize information
They will remember THE HOW much longer that THE WHAT
They will use the HOW even in College.
Posted By: William Lambert
Sunday, February 20th 2011 at 4:43PM
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