1. Teaching Skills & Strategies
TechShop Training
Fall 2009

2. What’s your learning style?
Visual Learner: Thinks in pictures and learns best from visual displays including diagrams, videos, and handouts.
Auditory Learner: Learns best through verbal lectures, discussions, and listening to what others have to say.
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learner: Learns best through hands-on, active exploration of the world.

3. Learning style techniques
Visual: Computer, diagrams
Auditory: Read materials out loud together
Tactile: Have partner use the computer
Learn preferred style

4. Learning strategies Adapted from “Laws of Learning,” The Thiagi Group (2008)
Reinforcement: reward quality work
Active Learning: provide opportunities for interaction versus passive listening
Practice & Feedback: create activities that allow for practice and provide feedback
Individual Differences: accommodate learning styles
Response Level: master skills at level of training; challenge partner with authentic problems

5. Learning strategies for adults Adapted from Malcolm Knowles’ theory of adult education
Andragogy vs. pedagogy
Self concept & motivation to learn: need to be involved in planning and evaluation of instruction
Experience: experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities
Readiness to learn: subjects with immediate relevance to job or life
Orientation to learning: problem-centered vs. content-centered

6. Practice
Work in groups of 2 (or 3) and prepare a strategy for teaching a simple task, such as:
change contact info on facebook
search for a friend of a friend on facebook
create a post on a blog
tag a photo on flickr
search for and play a video on youtube
Remember to incorporate learning styles and strategies (that are appropriate for the task)!
Present to each other
Evaluate how well each group utilizes the different strategies

7. Questions?