Teaching effectively involves using content throughout the class that engages each learning style. It will be beneficial to all students, and capture their attention on each individual's level. Mixing it up is a safe way to ensure that each students' learning needs are met. As mentioned in the module, most people have a dominant learning style, but also benefit from other methods of delivery.
By knowing how your students perceive new information you can hone your lesson topics into the preferred method(s).
By reaching your students on this level, you should see the students learn the information more readily. Hopefully this will reflect on quizzes/exams.
I believe that it helps me lean in the direction to benefit the students.Using all the learning styles also helps keep the class fresh and moving
It helps you understand how your students prefer to receive information. This knowledge would in turn help you come up with ways to deliver the material geared toward their learning style. I think we should always try to deliver the content in a varity of methods to accomondate as many studnets as is possible.
Hi Annette - You're welcome! Isn't it great to see the enthusiasm and energy that is generated by allowing your students to "see and do"? Great work! Susan
Hi Annette- thanks for your post to the forum. i agree that mixing up delivery is the safest way to go. It will also encourage students to learn to adapt to other styles as well. This is somehing they will need to do once they get into their careers. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I think if you use the learning style that fits with the majority of the class it will be a beneficial. The students will participate more and maybe draw-in other students. However, I believe a good instructor would have a mix of learning styles to try and reach all students.
Thanks for responding. I have found most students like to learn by tactile learning and visual styles. The old fashion lectures, taking notes and written exams doesnt work for most of my students. They prefer...seeing and doing.
I think it is really important for students to understand all of the learning styles. Some students don't really know what they are. They just know how they like to learn. They may not know there is another style they may learn faster and comprehend more.
There is such a diverse represemtation in most class rooms, it is very important to realize the differing learning styles.
While understanding different students have different capacities for learning, it is often very difficult to recognize the needs (and supply the remedy) for those students.
While introducing my students to the curriculam, I advise them to come to me at any time that they are not "getting it". To let me know that they do not understand what is being taught so that I may customize my teaching methods to meet thier needs.
Hi Annette- thanks for your post to the forum. Do you find that your students seem to have primarily the same learning style? Best wishes Susan
Hi Bob - Thanks for your post to the forum and its really important message to us all. As you say, helping students to understand there preferences for learning will be invaluable throughoiut their careers! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
If you can find the style of person you are dealing with as a instructor, you will help them with ther growth.Not just in class room but in the life settings period.
What are the advantages of knowing the learning styles of our students?
A: Given that there is diversity in learning styles, with any sample of students of significant size, we might be best to assume that all styles should be represented.
Perhaps then the advantages are twofold:
1. It reminds us that there are diverse learning styles that we need to address.
2. When responding to an inquiry from a particular student we may try to frame our response in the style that we attribute to that student.
Knowing the learning styles of my students is important because it helps me deliver the information they need to know in a way the students will learn. My students have to take an exam to become licensed in their field so they will need to retain the information they learned in my classroom.
If you know the learning styles of your students, you can deliver content in those styles. For example, if your class has a high percentage of kinesthetic learners, you can include more activities for learning. By presenting information in the preferred learning styles of my students, they will learn the material better and have higher achievement.
Hi Michael - Here is a free learning style inventory that you can have your students use.
http://www.berghuis.co.nz/abiator/lsi/lsitest1.html
Best wishes! - Susan
It is important to understand how your students learn best because this will give them the best opportunity to be a success in the course.
By knowing the preferred learning styles, I would be able to incorporate the different styles into my content delivery. If there are different learning styles, I would be able to add in components for all learning styles best suited for my students.
How can I find out the learning styles of my students in a way that is quick and accurate?
I have found it effective to discuss with students on the first day of class, their best and worst learning experiences from the past; from there we discuss different learning styles and the students determine which applies to them. The next step is to have them identify their learning aversions and their need to accept them and try to improve upon them with a variety of techniques that are presented in class.
