NUTSHELL NOTES

"Teaching tips in a nutshell" - The University of Colorado
at Denver's One-page Newsletter for Teaching Excellence
Office of Teaching Effectiveness
1250 14th St. Room 720
Denver, CO 80217-3364 
Phone (303)556-4915
FAX (303)556-2678
Volume 4 Number 5 

DATE of WORKSHOP: What is the 4MAT® System?

We can recall some former teachers as our favorites, and yet know that these same teachers were disliked by some other students. This paradox parallels our experience as instructors; we look at students present on the first day of a class, and expect that we will successfully teach some, yet be unable to "reach" others. This results in part because only a few students in our classes are likely to learn in the same ways that we learn, and we tend to best "reach" those students who are most like us.

The 4MAT® system, developed largely by Excel, Inc., of Barrngton, Illinois, is designed to help us "reach" a higher percentage of our students. It is an integrated approach to teaching that pays special attention to the different ways in which students perceive and process information. These ways are often termed "learning styles" by researchers.

The 4MAT® model consists of four instructional goals: (1) Motivating students, (2) Teaching ideas and facts conceptually, (3) Experimenting with Concepts & Skills, and (4) Integrating new learning into real life. It addresses four styles of learners: (1) those who learn by listening and sharing ideas, (2) those who learn by conceptualizing — integrating their observations into what is known, (3) those who learn by experimenting—testing theories in practice, and (4) those who learn by creating—acting and then testing their new experience. A lesson in the 4MAT® system will present material through experiencing, conceptualizing, experimenting and creating. Further, it presents to each style in a way that has students connect to material through using their minds in both analytic and intuitive ways.

4MAT® has been embraced at a number of universities, and there is considerable literature at all levels of education on the outcomes of using it. Excel, Inc., offers several training sessions each year on use of 4MAT®, and offers in-depth programs that produce trainers. 


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