if the instructor can identify the learning styles of his/her students then the instructor should be able to give each student the course content. which should help the class understand the ciriculium.
The benefits of knowing each students learning style are being able to "reach" each student with the "new" information also it will mitigate the tendency for the student to become frustrated due to lack of comprehension of the given material.
I have seen and used the this for a bout 6 mo. they really do help the learners!
That's exactly the way to approach their style, Peter!
Hi Warren - I agree with you - it is difficult to assess 30 students styles in such a short time. This is why it just makes sense to try to incorporate teaching to all the styles in your classes. In other words, lecture a bit, have some visuals, have some hands on activities etc. Realistically you won't do all of this in every class but as often as possible will be terrific!
Knowing the students can be very beneficial in presenting the material. Sometimes it can be difficult when you are trying to learn the learning styles of 30 students in a 3 week period.
The courses I teach have around 95% tactile learners so I try and keep as many components as possible available for students to see and touch during lecture.
I definitely agree Kay. Often students get used to learning in a certain way and will "tune out" instruction that doesn't fit that style. If encouraged however, they may find that different learning strategies may be helpful.
I agree that students come in often with assumptions about what type of teaching style they like as well as what they think is correct. I believe an orientation to the types of instructional strategies involved in a curriculum will help students learn since they will understand rationale for varying styles. Also, helping students expand their effective learning styles will help them in the work environment where they may not have a choice.
Great response Stephen! I liked that you pointed out how you can put together teams taking into account their learning styles. It makes for a great division of labor also; each member of the team can contribute work that fits with their style.
By Knowing the learning styles of the students
you can plan how to deliver the information.
Also when working with group projects,
by mixing the types of learners on a project
that uses more than one type of delivery,
the students in the group who understand
a type of delivery can help others in the group
with that type of information. By varying
the different learning styles in such a project
all the members of the group are able to make
a meaningful contribution in the project, and
learn from the other members of the group.
A good question Abundio! Rarely will you have a class that does not have at least some of a mix of learning styles, so it makes sense to just always try to incorporate each of the styles in your teaching. You will really find that it makes it more interesting for you as well. Try to find something on "You Tube" that fits with your lesson, find a great article in the paper, bring in something to demonstrate or have the students handle or examine. It makes instruction so much more interesting for you and for your students.
I agreed. But what you can recommend exercises to find their style of learning? See, one of my experienced is one pre-test is not enough for me to know or learn what my student way or style or style of learning. Some student like reading, sum would like to visual or demonstration? So will take me few day or weeks so I can have a feel of everyone style of learning.
What suggestion could you give me so I can try and learn how to analized their style of learning?
By knowing the the learning styles of your students you will be more effective in your presentation of the course material. The students will benefit because they will have a much easier time processing the material in their own way.
This will help me to better understand & communicate with my students in the classroom. It can also help the student to discover another learning style.
You're right Cynthia, students can really learn to learn. For example , it is really wonderful to watch a kinesthetic student who may not have done well in high school because they were mostly lectured to. When they are taught using "hands on" activities wherever possible they absolutely shine!
the benefits would be to aquire a broader range of teaching stategies to be able to reach each student in class. It would help me to learn the differences of the students and effective ways to reach them, I may also be able to help them expand their learning capabilities.
As it is necessary to have the knowledge in the field that you are teaching, it is equally important to know the learning style of you students. Learning styles of students of course vary between individual the students but may also, depending on the task to be learned, vary within the same student. It is impossible to teach in all four learning styles at the same time so it is necessary to combine your teaching styles whenever possible and to use the teaching style that you feel will put the information forward to as many students as possible.
Knowing student's needs, and addressing multiple learning styles accordingly helps to even out the learning field, as well as mastering of the material.
I can see the benefits as two fold; by using the learning styles that your students learn best with, you increase participation and retention of the information you are presenting. Second, it makes the class more interesting to teach and therefore the information more relevant to the students.
Applying this knowledge will make me a more effective instructor due to those factors and will certainly aid in the students garnering the information they need in their professions.
I like the idea of adding different things to lectures that might be out of the norm, like music or even chewing gum!
