Student Awareness of Their Own Learning Styles
I am convinced that there are many students who are not even aware of the concept of learning styles - let alone which style works best for them.
With every class, I usually have at least one or two students who are putting a great deal of time and effort into their studies at home and yet continue to struggle to try learn and retain material.
Putting aside other factors (like learning disabilities, test anxiety, etc.), when I sit down with these students individually and ask them about their learning style(s), I have yet to find a student who could tell me how he/she learns best.
What generally happens is that if I educate these students a little bit about learning styles; help them to determine what their preferred style is; and then have them try changing their study techniques to incorporate that style... learning and retention usually improves significantly.
I was just wondering if others have encountered the same?
What a great way to find out what type of learners that you are working with. Understanding how our students learn is the key to having success in the classroom.
April,
I do the same with my classes and find this information is extremely helpful in my instructional planning. Thanks for sharing this strategy with us.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I actually give my students a short assessment on the first day of class to determine what their learning style likely is. I find that not only does it let me see if I have a majority of one learning style over another, it gives the students a chance to find out what their learning style is without drawing attention to any one student. I have found that taking those few minutes really seems to help out those students that want to do well.
I've also noticed most students are not aware of their learning styles. My goal with each class is to pay attention to each student, the way they react to questions, their feedback, interaction with other student, etc... After doing this, I am able to address certain students about their learning style. which usually is helpful to the student. This has been most effective for me.
Ernest,
Good point about how many students don't know their learning styles. I encounter this each time I teach a course. When I talk with the students about their learning styles and give them some instructional support, like guided notes or graphic organizers they start to do better in class immediately. They need support to learn more about themselves and how they process information.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
