Teaching/Learning Styles
Much has been written about how our students learn. Most of us are very familiar with the visual, auditor, and tactile learners. I have found in my experience if we as instructors involve students in four distinct ways in each class, it is a recipie for their success. These four ways are in each class designing presentations to ensure for writing, reading, participation, and engagement in activities. Not only will you increase the probability of your student's success, but you will be a much more effective instructor
Marshall,
I commend you for the interest you took in this individual student. You demonstrated to him that you care about his success and you want to help him move toward his career goals. I know he will be appreciative of your efforts.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I learned a lesson about teaching and learning styles just two days ago with a student who was falling behind the rest of the class. We had a meeting prior to class. Later in lab I shadowed the student to keep him on track in an effort to help him to gain the confidence to complete his assignment. Through it I learned more about him and his learning methods; also I learned more about teaching.
Douglas,
Good points about how we need to develop our instructional style. A key phrase from Dr. Gardner that I really like is "It is not how smart you are but how you are smart." The more we can help our students to develop their critical thinking and problem solving skills the better prepared they will be for career success.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
Probably the most popular theorist to support these differences in learning styles is Howard Gardner. In his Theory of Mutliple Intelligences, Gardner identified eight primary abilities by which individuals tend to learn more readily:
Spatial
Linguistic
Logical-mathematical
Bodily-kinesthetic
Musical
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Naturalistic
It is important to note that while his model explains that certain people exhibit a preference or knack for one ability over the other, they are not limited to learning solely via the preferred ability. In surgical technology, we incorporate a heavy laboratory component into coursework as the field requires an emphasis on practical application and critical thinking skills. In this environment it is readily apparent which learners prefer kinesthetic learning style over those who lean toward linguistic, for example. With that said, each student will excel in certain areas of the program and may struggle in others. It is therefore important that we, as instructors, do not focus on all of our attention on one avenue of instruction, i.e., only lecture or only lab. Instruction needs to incorporate many methodologies in order to help ensure the success of each student.
