One of the most important things that you should know before you
enroll at a college or university is how students learn. Of course, what
they learn is important, as well, but everyone learns differently so sometimes
it can be difficult to learn from an instructor that only has one method of
teaching.
One of the things that Robertson College instructors are
encouraged to do is to take into consideration the various needs of the many
types of students that are in their class. Some students learn better by
watching others do things while other students do best in a lecture
environment.
Some of the ways that instructors at Robertson College teach
include:
- Lectures (these are usually kept to a minimum though -
half an hour to an hour and a half is normal for most classes)
- Group activities - working as teams gives students the
ability to learn from each other.
- Video - watching videos can be helpful when you
get to see professionals in their own environment.
- Games - yes, games can be great learning tools. When I
was teaching the Administrative Professional and Bookkeeping course, one
of my favorite games was "Who Wants To Be a Bookkeeper?"
(instead of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?")
- Field trips - some classes get to take trips outside of
the school where they can get to know the environment where they might be
working.
- Guest speakers - guest speakers from professional
fields are brought into the school as often as possible. This not
only gives students the opportunity to ask questions but also, to practice
networking skills.
- Hands on experience - this is especially important in
classes where students need to have experience. For example, they
might take each others' blood pressure. There have even been clinics
where people can come to the school to get their vitals tested by the
students, under the supervision of the instructors.
- Recruitment fairs - students have the opportunity to
meet with industry professionals, ask questions, and even get applications
for when they graduate!
What other ways do people learn. Do you have any suggestions
for ways that instructors could teach?
