Easier learning: Teacher factors

What makes learning easier? Teacher factors

Sense of humor

Humor with a lesson lets your students know that you are human and that you can relate to the information being presented. The learner will also feel more comfortable with you instead of maybe feeling inferior which again boils down to having a "safe" environment. Laughing and learning in the classroom is a plus and make the learning so much more interesting! —Nora Lamas February 27, 2008, EDCI 6304

Humor is helpful during lectures because it catches the attention of students. When I was taking an undergraduate chemistry class, our professor would always start lecture with a joke making the classroom environment more enjoyable. I was more likely to trigger my attention and I enjoyed his class.—Emily Fierros February 27, 2008, EDCI 6304

I like to teach with humor in my classroom because I think it relaxes the students and it helps them be at ease. If the students like to go to your class and they feel comfortable they will open up their brains to you so you can feed them the knowledge they need to succeed. Don’t get me wrong there is a fine line between students getting to comfortable in the class that then there is no learning going on, but we as teachers need to monitor so as to stay within our line. —Esteban Rubalcava March 3, 2008, EDCI 6304

The use of humor in the classroom is a topic that elicits a wide range of comments. The veteran teachers usually tell the beginning teacher that a student should never see you laugh. While others say that its okay to use humor in the classroom. I think that the use of humor can be an asset to a teacher if used correctly. In my personal experience, I use humor in my classroom quite often, and the students are more relaxed and less prone to discipline problems.—Carlos Moreno March 4, 2008, EDCI 6304

I love to use humor when I teach. The kids really respond to it. They also seem to learn better because it makes me look more human instead of an android and therefore, they are more comfortable.—Analicia Springer March 2, 2008, EDCI 6304

I enjoy adding humor to my classes because the learning process goes smoother and it is fun. For example I was discussing an exothermic reaction and how it feels hot, one of my students mentioned that he will remember exothermic by thinking of his ex-girlfriend because she was hot and then he said with a puzzled voice “why is she my ex and not my girlfriend”. From his example I could relate to him a little better because I knew he would share some of his humor with me.—Aracelie Gutierrez, Jan 29, 2008, EDCI 6304

Be a personable teacher, be a human

Anytime we can help our students find a personal association with their learning, we are going to have eager learners. The problem with our learners is that they often do not see the relevance of their learning. They can not see how what we are teaching will be put to use in their lives. Making this connection will, not only motivate our students, it will also be exciting for them to come to school. Everybody has their own way of memorizing information mnemonic is a great tool our students can use. It is important for them to come up with their own mnemonic word or phrase so the can really understand and remember the information.—Ernesto Guillen March 3, 2008, EDCI 6304

When I use personal association in class to teach something new, all of the children want to tell me their story. They usually pay more attention and are more focused to the class when we use their personal experiences. —Griselda Garcia March 3, 2008, EDCI 6304

When incorporating humor and personal association, the students are able to feel a sense of relaxation due to the fact that their teacher is building a stronger relationship with them. Sure, the teacher still has authority in the classroom but they are able to interact with the students by helping them connect concepts using mnemonics, personal association and mnemonics.—Mayra Garcia February 27, 2008, EDCI 6304

I have always inspired others through understanding of learner needs at the individual levels. This has worked wonders for me as I know a lot about each of my students and what drives them to succeed. I can relate to my students because I explain to them that I was once a student just like them at the school that I am now a teacher at. They see me as one of them and truly believe that I understand how they feel and what they go through as middle school students.—Raul Gracia February 26, 2008, EDCI 6304

As a teacher, I tend to use personal association quite often because it helps students internalize new material. Sometimes information tends to be dismissed by a student because they do not have a frame of reference to capture that information. When you relate new information to something they already know, the chances for retention increases. —Carlos Moreno March 4, 2008, EDCI 6304

Instill confidence in students

I exert a lot of willpower and I need to trust myself that I could get it right this time. So when it comes to classroom practice, as teachers we must recognize that just as it is important to teach the content, it is also crucial that teachers help students who are discouraged by school, by the course work , learn to trust themselves again in the learning situation. This was what we did last week. Dr Boyanton using instructional time gave the class the opportunity to share learning problems, solutions, and ultimately regain self –confidence and trust in his/ her learning capabilities.—Dorothy, Dorothy, February 26, 2008, EDCI 6304

Encouraging students to create their own learning strategies

Students have a tendency to associate everything that is not interesting to be boring. Using mnemonics in the class helps students understand the concept better if they can associate it to something they like. Whenever new stimulus is presented students need to dissect the information and use mnemonics to memorize it. I think if they have ownership of their mnemonics, they will be able to remember it much easier because they came up with it.—Luz Guillen March 4, 2008 , EDCI 6304

Something that I noticed particularly interesting was that many students used a different mnemonics device for their peers’ names than the one that they shared with the class. For example, one person remembered Pedro better by Peter Piper Pizza than by Peter Pan has Pedro himself came up with. I think that it is important to note that as a teacher, we must be sensitive to the fact that the way we remember things is not necessarily the way that our students will. We need to encourage them to come up with their own strategies that help them succeed. –Eldon Clark, Jan 14, 2008, EDCI 4322-60

To read more on easier learning:
Greetings from the Editor/Instructor
Easier learning: Introduction
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-I
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-II
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-III
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-VI
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-V
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-VI
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-VII
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-VIII
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-IX
Easier learning: Instructional strategies-X
Easier learning: Teacher factors
Easier learing: Be a strategic learner