Teaching Skills & Strategies

1. Teaching Skills & Strategies TechShop Training Fall 2009

2. What’s your learning style? • Visual Learner: Thinks in pictures and learns best from visual displays including diagrams, videos, and handouts. • Auditory Learner: Learns best through verbal lectures, discussions, and listening to what others have to say. • Tactile/Kinesthetic Learner: Learns best through hands-on, active exploration of the world.

3. Learning style techniques • Visual: Computer, diagrams • Auditory: Read materials out loud together • Tactile: Have partner use the computer • Learn preferred style

4. Learning strategiesAdapted from “Laws of Learning,” The Thiagi Group (2008) • Reinforcement: reward quality work • Active Learning: provide opportunities for interaction versus passive listening • Practice & Feedback: create activities that allow for practice and provide feedback • Individual Differences: accommodate learning styles • Response Level: master skills at level of training; challenge partner with authentic problems

5. Learning strategies for adults Adapted from Malcolm Knowles’ theory of adult education • Andragogy vs. pedagogy • Self concept & motivation to learn: need to be involved in planning and evaluation of instruction • Experience: experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities • Readiness to learn: subjects with immediate relevance to job or life • Orientation to learning: problem-centered vs. content-centered

6. Practice • Work in groups of 2 (or 3) and prepare a strategy for teaching a simple task, such as: • change contact info on facebook • search for a friend of a friend on facebook • create a post on a blog • tag a photo on flickr • search for and play a video on youtube • Remember to incorporate learning styles and strategies (that are appropriate for the task)! • Present to each other • Evaluate how well each group utilizes the different strategies

7. Questions?