When Styles Clash
One of the things that has been a great skill in getting through school is that I am a copious note-taker. I am not sure if note-taking appeals to my kinesthetic or visual learning styles (probably both), but I find that it is absolutely necessary for me to take notes when I am in a class. My ability to determine filter out "normal talking" from important points is mediocre, at best. What's worse is that once I walk out of the room, I will have no recollection of anything said.
However, I have another problem: I tend to only write down what is written on the board. The reason I do this is because, so often, there is so much more that is said than can be written down. I also, honestly, have difficulty understanding what is being said unless I listen very carefully. It seems more instructive to me to follow the visual cues to see the development of the line of reasoning.
This, as you may imagine, has caused me some grief...especially in those classes where the professor communicates something verbally, doesn't write it down, and doesn't have it available in some other reference (i.e. textbook, online notes, etc.). Fortunately, I've been very lucky in that most of my upper-level courses involved a lot of math, and my professors tended to be very good about writing things on the board so that I could go back and check things later.
But, as was bound to happen, I again ended up in a class with a "verbal" professor. I really did a miserable job on one of my midterms this semester. I vowed to do better on the final. I downloaded all the online notes and presentations and read through them. I was disappointed to find that, as far as the notes went, my notes were essentially the same as the ones the prof provided.
However, when I reviewing the points in the study guide, I discovered that there were a lot of things we were supposed to know that were neither in my notes nor in the online materials. There was also an optional text for the course to which we did not adhere closely. I was able to get the answers from one of my classmates, who does a better job of taking notes than I. Several of the major points he wanted us to know came from things he had said.
I know a lot of professors will not write things down if they are available in other sources. I also know that professors like to provide supplemental information in class that is not available in the texts. However, this is a finer point. Should a professor expect students to know information if it was stated in class but not provided through additional means?
It seems okay on the surface because you want students in class, right? Unfortunately, it does set some students up for poor performance to do that. Generally, if you think a point is important when you're teaching, it's a good idea to remember that students may need to take in input in different ways. Some ways will be more effective, some will be less, and those ways will vary from person to person. Things should be presented in as many formats as possible.
In truth, this is the one thing I dread about teaching; I have managed to learn enough "verbal/sequential/detail-oriented" ways of thinking that I can cope in that environment, but I do not feel comfortable or learn as effectively as I could if the style of the teacher were more suited to my "visual/spatial/global" thinking and learning style. However, I worry that, as a person with a minority learning style teaching people who are, by definition, part of the majority, I will end up isolating several or possibly most of them when I present material. On the other hand, for those who share my approach, they will probably be very relieved to find themselves in a class where the way of thinking about things caters to their gifts.
(And before you think I'm being sauerkraut about the class, I'm not. I will do fine in the class and actually enjoyed it. But one can still enjoy a class and be critical of some of the aspects of it's implementation.)
However, I have another problem: I tend to only write down what is written on the board. The reason I do this is because, so often, there is so much more that is said than can be written down. I also, honestly, have difficulty understanding what is being said unless I listen very carefully. It seems more instructive to me to follow the visual cues to see the development of the line of reasoning.
This, as you may imagine, has caused me some grief...especially in those classes where the professor communicates something verbally, doesn't write it down, and doesn't have it available in some other reference (i.e. textbook, online notes, etc.). Fortunately, I've been very lucky in that most of my upper-level courses involved a lot of math, and my professors tended to be very good about writing things on the board so that I could go back and check things later.
But, as was bound to happen, I again ended up in a class with a "verbal" professor. I really did a miserable job on one of my midterms this semester. I vowed to do better on the final. I downloaded all the online notes and presentations and read through them. I was disappointed to find that, as far as the notes went, my notes were essentially the same as the ones the prof provided.
However, when I reviewing the points in the study guide, I discovered that there were a lot of things we were supposed to know that were neither in my notes nor in the online materials. There was also an optional text for the course to which we did not adhere closely. I was able to get the answers from one of my classmates, who does a better job of taking notes than I. Several of the major points he wanted us to know came from things he had said.
I know a lot of professors will not write things down if they are available in other sources. I also know that professors like to provide supplemental information in class that is not available in the texts. However, this is a finer point. Should a professor expect students to know information if it was stated in class but not provided through additional means?
It seems okay on the surface because you want students in class, right? Unfortunately, it does set some students up for poor performance to do that. Generally, if you think a point is important when you're teaching, it's a good idea to remember that students may need to take in input in different ways. Some ways will be more effective, some will be less, and those ways will vary from person to person. Things should be presented in as many formats as possible.
In truth, this is the one thing I dread about teaching; I have managed to learn enough "verbal/sequential/detail-oriented" ways of thinking that I can cope in that environment, but I do not feel comfortable or learn as effectively as I could if the style of the teacher were more suited to my "visual/spatial/global" thinking and learning style. However, I worry that, as a person with a minority learning style teaching people who are, by definition, part of the majority, I will end up isolating several or possibly most of them when I present material. On the other hand, for those who share my approach, they will probably be very relieved to find themselves in a class where the way of thinking about things caters to their gifts.
(And before you think I'm being sauerkraut about the class, I'm not. I will do fine in the class and actually enjoyed it. But one can still enjoy a class and be critical of some of the aspects of it's implementation.)