eJournal Entry 3

Instruction is usually established without much thought about who the learners are.  However, when time is taken to understanding the learners, instructors are typically more successful with the implementation and outcome of student learning. Many factors are contributed to affect a particular learning environment.

With my particular subject I usually don’t experience the learning difficulties that core teachers may experience. Of course I still have SpEd, 504, GT and dyslexic students that I may or may not have to make accommodations for. However, my main issue with my learners is the lack motivation. When a student is not motivated to do anything, you cannot get them to do anything regardless of if they have learning disabilities or not. With my class my students must participate in order for the class to be effective. This class is primarily about them and their goals and aspirations so there isn’t anything else that I can do if they don’t have the motivation to do it themselves. Even though this is my primary struggle, this isn’t experienced too often. Students do tend to at least try 99% of the time in my class which is a huge accomplishment.

Another factor that I sometimes experience is learning the personal learning style of their students. All children do not learn the same. Some may learn by doing while others may learn by watching. To be really an effective in the field of education, one must take time out to learn his/her student’s learning styles. This may take time but, it can be very rewarding to both the instructor and the student in the long run.

My final struggle is making sure the lesson is presented clearly. This issue can occur regardless of the types of learners that may be in the classroom. Sometimes, I find myself using terms my students do not yet understand or techniques they have yet to be taught. To avoid this issue I always ask if the students have any questions and sometimes I provide them an exit/reflection ticket (informal assessment) to check for understanding. This helps me personally to evaluate if they really understood what I was trying to convey. If they didn’t get the message clearly I re-evaluate my lesson and try to present it in another manner that they may understand.