Role playing can be pretty fun. For me it is a useful way to learn. What I do is chair fly. I'm sure most of us have done it at least once. With a student, I could role play by chair flying a situation with him or her. I could have them go through checklists, simulate emergency procedures, and practice those in-flight maneuvers. Hopefully they won't feel silly doing this because I believe it is a very effective way to learn and improve skills in the airplane. The first time I chair flew, I demonstrated a great power off stall to James and he was impressed. It felt good!
Now for the four categories of instructional methods.
First you have instructor-centered methods. The teacher is the one responsible for getting the information to the students. They can do this through lecturing, questioning, and demonstrations.
Then you have interactive methods. Here there is communication going on between the instructor and the students. Learning is made easier by involving the student and having them participate and collaborate in the lesson. This can be done through class discussions, discussion groups, group projects, and peer teaching. Discussion groups seem to be the most common at Westminster. I would use these in a small class. Say there are many categories of a subject to go over, I could split the class into small groups and have them each summarize and present one of the subjects. This way, the students would be more involved and the learning process would be enhanced. Also, all the subjects would get covered and the students' attentions will not go away so easily.
You also have individualized learning methods. This is the assumption that all individuals learn at different paces. It focuses on the needs of each student and that feedback enhances the learning process. This seems to be a more one-on-one kind of learning environment. This can be good for the student because he or she is always getting feedback and learning at hir or her own pace.
And finally, you have experiential learning methods. This is a more hands on kind of learning. You cannot learn to fly an airplane by staying on the ground. you have to get out there!
The instructor can choose any of these methods depending on the amount of students being taught at once and the personalities of the students. It is up to the instructor to choose the method in which to teach.
Adult learners have had a lot more time to become who they are today. They have had experiences that shape all their beliefs. There are also differences in the ways that men and women learn. It is important to avoid stereotyping in order to not discourage the students.
Also, when it comes to adult learners, basically they learn slower. When we are growing up, our brains are like sponges, taking in new information as it comes to us. Let's just say I'm glad I was taught Spanish at an early age, or I would be very disappointed that half my family speaks it and I couldn't. It would be very hard to learn Spanish, or any language, at my age.
So basically, if I get an adult student, I know that the pace will likely be slower than that of a younger student with a spongy brain.
Buena revisión de los métodos. ¿Cuándo quieres usarlos en el entrenamiento de vuelo? Los adultos aprenden de manera diferente que definitivamente los jóvenes estudiantes. Será fácil para pasar a formas que se adapten a sus antecedentes en la instrucción de vuelo uno a uno. ¿Cómo podría hacer esto en un salón de clases?
ReplyDeleteOr translated:Good review of the methods. When would you use them in flight training? Adults definitely learn differently than young students. It will be easy to shift to ways that fit their background in one-on-one flight instruction. How might you do this in a classroom?