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Better comprehension,

increased retention of material,

more comfortable learning environment

effective use of these strategies.

Humor has been defined as “the mental faculty of discovering, expressing or appreciating something that is comical, amusing, or absurdly incongruous” (Merriam-Webster, 2001, p.564)

The use of humor as a pedagogical tool has been shown to reduce classroom anxiety, create a more positive atmosphere, as well as facilitate the learning process (Berk, 1996, 1998; Garner, 2003, in press; Glenn, 2002; Hill, 1988; Pollio & Humphreys, 1996).

Garner (in press) found that participants who were exposed to a series of lectures containing course-specific humor demonstrated increased retention of the course-content information as compared to those who received the same material without the infusion of humor.

According to Glenn (2002), humor may physiologically help to connect left-brain activities with the right-brained creative side

teaching philosophies of highly-rated teachers finds the use of humor as an important component of their teaching strategies. Humor can increase (Civikly, 1986) and sustain (Dodge & Rossett, 1982) student interest in learning and provides a means to engage in divergent thinking. Instructors’ use of effective humor in the classroom can foster mutual respect (Kher, Molstad, & Donahue, 1999), provide commonalities and connections between the instructor and students (Pollio & Humphreys, 1996) and even increase class attendance (Devadoss & Foltz, 1996; Romer, 1993; White, 1992). According to Bergen (1992), “teachers who use strategies that promote the connection between humor and learning usually provide students with their best school experiences” (p.106).

Metaphor and analogy have historically been used as an effective teaching tool. Greek myths, religious texts, and fairytales all use metaphor, analogy, and parables to teach and help us learn expected conduct (Gorden, 1978). The use of metaphor and analogy is pervasive in society in both language and communication

According to the National Research Council (2000) the effective use of metaphors and analogies is an important educational strategy.

. In teaching, using either analogy or metaphor allows the instructor to relate a potentially unfamiliar idea with that which is familiar.

Pedagogical use of analogy and metaphor can enhance learning and retention, but they must have a high degree of resonance for the listene

be most effective, an analogy or metaphor must transfer ideas from a familiar concept to one that is less familiar or unknown. According to Bowers (1993) the metaphorical relationship must be clear and accurate—possessing face validity.

Williams (1986) suggests that vivid metaphors have the capability to teach in a way that is not always available with the use of words alone.

*For you, what interesting questions remain unanswered about today’s topic?

In your opinion, what was the most useful idea discussed in today’s class?

*What do you think was the most important point or central concept communicated during today’s presentation?  

*What relationship did you see between today’s topic and other topics previously covered in this course?

Minute papers can provide a “conceptual bridge” between successive class periods

Minute papers are a more efficient way to promote writing-across-the curriculum than the traditional term paper.

Minute papers can function as an ongoing learning log or learning journal for the course.

Michael Polanyi placed a strong emphasis on dialogue within an open community

pre-logical phase of knowing as 'tacit knowledge

Perhaps the strongest echo of his work that we encounter as educators comes through the work of Donald Schön and Chris Argyris on knowing in action, and in Eisner's consistent arguments for connoisseurship and criticism in evaluation.

By paying attention to Polanyi's conception of the  tacit dimension we can begin to make sense of the place of intuition and hunches in informal education practice - and how we can come a better understanding of what might be going on in different situations

praxis (informed, committed actions) that stand at the heart of informal education.

Dunn, Deckinger, Withers & Katzenstein (1990), who found that teaching students based on their diagnosed learning style did significantly increase their achievement level (see also Napolitano 1986).

Research indicates learning style is not a stable construct, so one may alter instructional style to meet a learning style that will itself change, requiring a further change in instructional strategy.

Researchers have failed to address the question of how it is possible to achieve a tailoring of instructional approaches on anything other than an individual level.

What may be possible is to promote an educational environment developed for flexibility at the individual student level.

What is required is a stimulus-stimulus approach, where the student and the lecturer are actively involved in both learning and the mechanics of the learning process, the aim being to facilitate learner empowerment by developing in students a critical awareness of material studied and the delivery and structure of the material. Learners can then tailor flexible education strategies to their requirements to optimise the quality of the learning experience.

his ability of an individual to actively select from a personal style or skills portfolio, is part of what can be termed self-directed learning

In an educational setting, a self-directed learner no longer operates as a passive receiver of information, but takes responsibility for the achievement, and ultimately setting, of learning outcomes. In essence, the traditional lecturer-student divide becomes increasingly blurred, as the learner begins to pro-actively structure the programme to match their own learning attributes.

facilitator, and finally to that of a resource to be tapped

lecturer's role

Under such an approach, higher education ceases to be simply something that is done to people, and becomes a platform from which individuals can go on to, in effect, educate themselves

"causer of learning".

This approach will tend to create learned helplessness in people

Higher education should be concerned with not only enhancing learning in a specific situation, but should also constitute a catalyst for further self-initiated development of the individual, above and beyond the contents and aims of a particular course. T

The lecturer must avoid removing traditional barriers to self-direction, such as a rigid programme structure, only to erect new barriers through the use of prescriptive self-direction strategies imposed on the student.

allow the individual the freedom to define and devise learning strategies, and to make mistakes. T

The role of the lecturer must be essentially non-interventionist, unless the student seeks guidance

as people may still not choose to direct their own learning due to: a lack of belief in their own ability, a failure by them to recognise that self-direction is needed or preferable, the setting of an inappropriate learning goal(s) that fails to act as a motivator, and previous learning and education experiences.

That educational system primarily tends to concentrate on didactic approaches that often view learning as being of secondary importance to memory, where information acquisition and subsequent information regurgitation predominate.

This will require that the lecturer breaks down barriers to learning and self-direction that may be present. This covers: those barriers created by the student during the course (wrong choice of learning approach, poor motivation, lack of confidence), those barriers that the course itself may indirectly create (lack of flexibility, lack of direction and guidance, poor structure), and those barriers that the student brings to the course (reason for attending the course, poor learning skills, previous bad learning experiences).

In the initial stages of a programme, the lecturer will need to ensure the existence of an appropriate control structure, as students undergo the transition from being other-directed in their learning by external influences, to being self-directed.

caffold structure

clearly communicated and understood aims and objectives for the students at regular intervals.

allows students to progressively take control of their learning,

but that also offers sufficient guidance and direction in the early stages to prevent individuals from becoming lost.

The application of learning style theory in higher education teaching

Create the feeling that the class has come to a culmination and it is time to move on.

Projects, Letters, Brochures

Emotional Parting Way

Taking the time to say "good bye" and "thank you" to students can be very effective.

Particularly meaningful quotes can be distributed to students, or put on an overhead at the end of the last day of the course or during the final as a way of ending the class

Your own style.

Type of Closure

If no community, no need for closur

ecognize the limitations of a mono-cultural education system,

While western science and education tend to emphasize compartmentalized knowledge which is often de-contextualized and taught in the detached setting of a classroom or laboratory, indigenous people have traditionally acquired their knowledge through direct experience in the natural world.

The incongruities between western institutional structures and practices and indigenous cultural forms will not be easy to reconcile

The complexities that come into play when two fundamentally different worldviews converge present a formidable challenge.

As a concept, indigenous knowledge benchmarks the limitations of Eurocentric theory — its methodology, evidence, and conclusions — reconceptualizes the resilience and self-reliance of indigenous peoples, and underscores the importance of their own philosophies, heritages, and educational processes. Indigenous knowledge fills the ethical and knowledge gaps in Eurocentric education, research, and scholarship (2002:5).

The study of indigenous knowledge systems as it relates to education falls into three inter-related research themes: documentation and articulation of indigenous knowledge systems; delineating epistemological structures and learning/cognitive processes associated with indigenous ways of knowing; and developing/assessing educational strategies integrating indigenous and western knowledge and ways of knowing.

parent booster clubs, museum trips, student clubs, school activities, picnics and more.

Suggested lesson plans are provided to you each week, which update automatically as your child progresses