Knowing the learning styles of your students helps the instructor to tailor the information being taught and increase student productivity. Effective instructors do more than just instruct; they affect the world one student at a time.
HI Robert - Thanks for your post to the forum and for sharing some great ideas for active learning!
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
One of the first things I do when I am ready to begin a new quarter with a class is ask them what their learning style is. I usually have more hands-on and visual learners. After that I know how to teach that particular course. Some lecturing, but not alot, power points, presentations etc.
I think one of the benefits is that you can feel satisfied with yourself. It makes you feel great when you can include all of your students in your instructional delivery and see that they are getting it. No one feels left out.
it helps knowing their learning style, because you know were you should spend more of your time
In the past I have found that knowing the learning styles of my students assists me as well as my students in the class and produce a enviorment where student participate more during class. It allows me to effectively target areas with the different styles of learners making the class more effective and enjoyable for the students with a higher test grade outcome meaning that students are learning more.
I think of my students as customer and try to "give them what they want." For example, I've had classes that requested more hands-on activities, so I included more hands-on in the class. I also had a class that expressed interest in having a guest speaker, so we did that too. Not only did this help the students have a better learning experience, but it also made them feel as though they were part of a team. They had suggestions and they were implemented.
Besides the benefits explained in the course, knowing the learning styles of your students allows you to expand your own skill set. As the course explains, every person learns best 1 way, but it isn't the only way we learn. By learning to adapt to our students' abilities, we broaden our understanding of ourselves. Thus, we become better teachers, better learners, and better people.
This is important to be aware of in order to engage all the students in the classroom.
I ask students and show examples of different ways of learning to assess their styles.
I agree that it is important to know the learning style of each student. One of the very first questions I ask the students is "how do you like to learn?"
1. The instructional benefits of knowing the learning styles of my students are that my students can be taught what they are supposed to be taught.
2. The knowledge of the learning styles of my students gives me enough power to achieve the result, that is, the students will be taught what they are supposed to be taught.
I cannot stress enough how critical it is to be aware of the different learning styles of your students. Students are more relaxed and confident when they feel that their teacher is looking out for their best interest by paying close attention to the needs of each student in regard to their learning style. Failure to take this approach and assuming the attitude that the student does not have the intellegence and apptitude for the material is unfortunate and demonstrates that the teacher needs to understand that there are different learning styles and that many of the most successful entrepreneurs in this country have had difficulty in school and have overcome their difficulties in learning to succeed where their peers have failed.
Hi John - Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree that ppt alone can cause students to just tune out. I try to add video to my ppts and to stop periodically to ask questions and get students participating. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Roderick - Thanks for your post to the forum. You have beautifully summarized the need to teach to the learning styles! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
The instructional benefit of knowing the learning styles is that it assist with assuring that the information is transferred effectively to the maximized number of students level of understanding. By knowing this, instructors would use different techniques while instructing that would meet the different needs of each student while also enhancing the instructors delivery skills. Most of us get so comfortable instructing in a way that works best for us that forget our purpose. Realizing that there are different learning styles, instructors will move out of that comfort zone into one that would enhance the educational experience for all students.
Hi John, I agree with you as well. Delivery every 25-30 minutes does assist in keeping the attention of everyone, including yourself.
It is good to know the learning styles of your students because it allows you to prepare adequate lessons that they will understand and apply in the real world. However, it is good to incorporate all learning styles to introduce students to different methods. This is a great took because it will push you, the instructor, to teach different methods that you are not comfortable with. This is a challenge that will push you to become your very best in the classroom and outside of the classroom.
Connection to your students is paramount to your success as a teacher. This involves knowing what type of learning styles are present in your classroom, modifying and varying your efforts to match these styles and monitoring the outcomes.
I've noticed over the years that different students respond to different approaches to teaching. Even if you have an excellent PPT presentation, at least some of your students will soon become distracted and not absorb the information because this is not the approach that speaks to them. I find that by using a variety of presentations, graphics, spoken word, supported by writing on a whiteboard and audio and sometimes video aids, I can keep my students attentive through my lectures.
Hi Eugene- Thanks for your post to the forum. What sort of courses do you teach? I will try to come up with kinesthetic activities for you.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
