An Inservice Project

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Design - Is your VPI lab set up the same way for all students?  Are your chairs all exactly the same?  Are the tables all the same height? Students are not.  They come in all sizes.  In addition to having different size desks available, let students choose to sit at tables, chairs or in different parts of the room.  Many students in your VPI lab may not have had successful educational experiences.  Help them to feel comfortable in your classroom by letting them self-select where they will sit and whether they are more comfortable in an informal versus formal setting.

Sociological Preference - Some students prefer to work alone whereas other students work together best in a cooperative learning arrangement.  Cooperative learning can be either in pairs, small groups or large groups. Many students like to learn with the teacher rather than in a group.  However, sociological preferences may vary according to the learning task.  Remember, you are preparing your students for the workforce.  An important soft skill is working as part of a team.

Motivation - Students learn best when they see a need for the information.  The ARCS model, developed by Keller (1987), is an acronym for Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction.

Attention This is the need to arouse and sustain the learner's curiosity and perceptual arousal.  As a VPI instructor, use a wide range of methods and media to vary your presentation to meet the learning styles of your students.

Relevance Instruction needs to relate to the learner's needs.  Make lessons familiar, goal oriented, meaningful and understandable for both the students' knowledge levels and their backgrounds.

Confidence A learner's challenges need to match a learner's capabilities.  Your students need to be successful.  Make lessons challenging while providing still positive feedback to students.

Satisfaction Both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are needed by all students.  When planning lessons, provide positive feedback so that students continue to want to learn.

This program was developed by the State of Florida Adult Secondary/GED/VPI Committee of the Practitioners' Task Force, through an Adult Education State Leadership Grant from the Florida Department of Education, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education.

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this web-based training component, it is not an official publication of the Florida Department of Education.