{"id":1177,"date":"2018-01-29T11:19:26","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T17:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/?p=1177"},"modified":"2021-09-14T11:41:39","modified_gmt":"2021-09-14T17:41:39","slug":"sip-7-2-teaching-military-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/sips\/sip-7-2-teaching-military-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"SIP 7.2 Teaching Military Veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thirsty for a Strong Instructional Practice?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

They look like their peers. They sound like their peers. They act like their peers.\u00a0Students who are military veterans\u00a0often have different needs than their peers, however.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Faculty who understand\u00a0and respect\u00a0differences\u00a0in military and civilian life\u00a0can help faculty\u00a0support those who have already given a lot of themselves to support us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a SIP of This:\u00a0Teaching Military Veterans<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Expectations<\/b>\u00a0in the military\u00a0<\/b>are typically communicated in<\/b>\u00a0very<\/b>\u00a0explicit,<\/b>\u00a0straightforward and concise<\/b>\u00a0language<\/b>.<\/b>\u00a0Expectations\u00a0in higher education can sometimes be\u00a0communicated with less clarity\u00a0leaving veteran students frustrated when they don\u2019t understand what is being asked of them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sensory sensitivity and alertness that is part of living and working on a military base can make focusing in classroom environments a challenge.<\/b>\u00a0Visual or auditory stimuli that might be imperceptible to most students can be distracting to\u00a0student\u00a0veterans.\u00a0Even mild traumatic experiences can result in reduced concentration skills. Students who come to class late or talk during lecture can be highly problematic to a student veteran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the military,\u00a0<\/b>the purpose of learning particular<\/b>\u00a0knowledg<\/b>e\u00a0<\/b>occurs<\/b>\u00a0<\/b>in order to complete a work-related task or to meet a goal<\/b>.\u00a0<\/b>Adult learners\u2019 motivation will increase when they understand\u00a0the \u201creal life\u201d application of what they are learning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Student veterans are serious about school.<\/b>\u00a0They are working toward specific goals and outcomes. They may become frustrated with their peers who are disrespectful or who appear to take their opportunities for granted.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Student<\/b>\u00a0veteran<\/b>s\u00a0<\/b>have\u00a0<\/b>cultural and political perspectives that can enrich instruction.\u00a0<\/b>Having lived all over the US and the world, military veterans have unique perspectives on various cultures that can contribute to rich classroom discussion. Their experiences in political situations may lend itself to underrepresented perspectives that can expand their peers\u2019 thinking.\u00a0The children and spouses of active duty and military veterans have perspectives based on their own set of experiences that can benefit others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Military veterans have practiced accountability to others, accountability to work and accountability to time.<\/b>\u00a0In leaving the service our military veterans\u00a0transition from highly structured expectations for accountability to expectations that can be fluent and\u00a0unclear.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Military veterans bring career and leadership experience to civilian life.<\/b>\u00a0Student service members can model responsibility in ways that can benefit their peers.\u00a0They can be good candidates for group leaders and may become frustrated by projects that drag on if classmates don\u2019t do their part.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like many MSU Denver students,\u00a0<\/b>student<\/b>\u00a0veterans are<\/b>\u00a0entering school<\/b>\u00a0later than\u00a0<\/b>typical freshmen<\/b>.<\/b>\u00a0Their experiences in\u00a0high school could have been very different than that of their peers. Gaps between high school and college can result in having to relearn study, writing, and test-taking skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Good ideas for teaching all students, but particularly military veterans:<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n