“That’s not the way I learn.”
But that’s so easy. Just repeat what I said.
When I first moved to Korea, I began learning the Hangul language. I studied the 24 character alphabet on my own, but I needed to know more than that. I began asking my co-teachers how to say various things: hello, thank you, how are you?, cream and sugar please. At lunch, I noticed that all of the teachers said the same thing to each other as they began eating. I was curious as to what it meant.
It means ‘enjoy your meal’. And then my co-teacher rattled off a very quick cluster of Korean words. I had no idea what she said. I asked her to repeat it, and then pulled out a napkin and pen so that she could write it down for me.
But that’s so easy. Just repeat what I said.
I’m a visual learner. I must see what it is I’m attempting to learn. If I only hear the new vocabulary pronunciation, I am very uncertain if I heard it correctly. Pronunciation, accents, and local dialects vary, but on paper correct letter sounds have a standard. Actually, it’s not that easy, and I can’t just repeat what you said.
What about your students? Do they learn best by seeing or hearing? Do they have to write down the new vocabulary words before they grasp them? Or maybe they need to get up out of their seat and interact with the material in some way. All are valid methods of taking in new information.
What about you? Are you teaching your students in the most effective way?
Go to the next:
What They’re Not Telling You (10 of 10)
