How to Improve Learning in the Classroom

Classroom education has become the primary method of early learning from preschool to college, adult continuing education and job training. Educators and trainers, as well as the students themselves, would benefit from knowing ways to engage in the classroom and improve learning to take in information faster and comprehend it more completely. People are now using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to improve learning.

The goal for teachers and students using NLP is to develop a connection between them and improve communication. If the student feels that the teacher relates to her, then the student can be more engaged and focused. This is called building a rapport with students. Hayat Eid Alroudhan, College of Languages and Translation, Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, explains that teachers should take note of each student's interests and goals. Telling a story is a proven way to improve retention of information, and a teacher can target lessons with something that students relate to based on their backgrounds and goals.

Body language is a major part of NLP and goes both ways. Teachers can adjust their body language to match how their students behave when they're talking about an interesting topic. At the same time, they can watch the students and identify whether a student is engaged, confused, or losing focus. INLP Center cites that up to 93% of communication is through body language.

Another aspect is teaching the same information in different ways to cover multiple pathways of learning. Most people have sat in a presentation with someone speaking and writing or displaying information or have been given something to read with charts and infographics. These are visual and auditory methods. Kinesthetic is the physical, hands-on channel of learning. While individual students may favor one or two of these channels, everyone can learn from all three. According to EFL Magazine, using "teaching / re-teaching" techniques to cover all three types of learning communicates the lesson more effectively.

However, learning isn't only about the teacher's methods. Most of our learning experience depends on whether we want to learn, whether we believe learning a particular topic aligns with our internal goals. If a student comes into class projecting they're going to hate it or expecting to fail, they won't be as engaged with the teacher and lessons. The teacher can identify this from body language but won't be able to make the student learn at an optimum level until the student adjusts his or her perspective.

Both the students and the teacher can improve the process of learning within the classroom using Neuro-Linguistic Programming. The student should be aware of their own learning styles, but also be willing to work with the teacher and approach a topic from all angles. Teachers can create a rapport with their students by understanding their internal goals, observing student responses, and adjusting the approach to the lesson.