It lets you develop an informational delivery system that is flexible and diverse.
We have small groups of 12-20 in our classes. We teach with lecture, demo and production, so knowing the preffered learning style of each student would allow me to focus on the preffered learners of each syle. Auditory and written word during lecture(I always hand out copies of Power Points), and visual during demo. Students also work in groups, so I could pick partners according to mixed learning styles.
Near the start of each of my Cultural Diversity classes, my students go online to complete a free learning styles inventory. In this way, students are engaged in learning more about themselves while they are simultaneously providing me with important information about learning styles that I use to customize preplanned lessons as the semester goes on. Doing this regularly also lets me establish a generic "profile" of students that are usually in my class (they are usually a combination of visual and kinesthetic learners, I've found), which allows me to improve lessons down the road and reach common learning styles more often than uncommon ones. It also lets students try new learning techniques in my class, which can dispel previously held assumptions about their inability to grasp course content. As a final added bonus, the learning styles inventory gives me the opportunity to talk about authority in relation to the acquisition of knowledge, and whether or not students must simply accept the results of their learning profile.
My students are all working adults so I vary my styles to their area of experience. So many of the suggestions seem to be more appropriate for younger students.
Since some of my lectures involve math while others involve strategy and still others involve past experiences my styles must and do differ.
By understanding and knowing different learning styles helps you become a well rounded instructor as it shows you can adapt to the different styles of your students as they enter the classroom. With knowledge you are enabling your students to succeed in their chosen course.
The Students are better served by the instructors if the instructor is aware of the needs of their students. I tend to evaluate the class to change and redirect my delivery depending on the class learning styles. I encourage the students to know their styles as well. The more they understand the more they can learn.
Hi Dan - Welcome to ED 103! Your delivery is certainly addressing all the learning styles - well done!
Susan
being an Chef Instructor, I do a lot of demo, usually suported by a short lecture before and after, to keep them interested. then I normally will present a brief slideshow picture in a powerpoint presentation to illustrate the production that need to be done. The student will have to also go through their recipe in their book during production. that way I make sure I cover all learning style to please every body, so no one is left behind.
Hello, Great question. By knowing the learning styles of my students, I will be able to tailor a course outline to meet there needs and get better student to instructor interaction.
Knowing your students various learning prefernces in receivng new informational content would both please the student and certainly result in higher assessment feedback outcomes. In all my classes I try to combine all learning syles and combine the lecture(auditory)) with (power point), note taking(written), demonstrations(combines both visual &)audio), and lastly, food production(kinesthetic). Working in the culinary field, (smells) also come into play in the learning experience. It's visually and kinesthetically a great field to be teaching in, and allows my love and passion for this field to explode into the classroom with a curriculum easily designed to accomodate all student learning styles.
Bobby
You make a good point, Maureen - besides differences in learning styles, age differences can also require adjustments in delivery methods.
Knowledge of the learning styles enables me to focus on specific needs of individual students.
Adult students who haven't been in school for awhile benefit greatly when I suggest they make flash cards for study aids.
Younger students do very well using the information that we provide online.They are so comfortable with a computer.
I find that having team leaders for each group during production is very helpful to the students. They rotate being the leader on a daily basis; it helps them learn to delegate responsibility.
my students love my no nonsense approach.
I am direct and stright forward.
to them it is all very clear what they need to do
Where I teach we have students from many different levels of educational back ground. Some are fresh out of high school some with varying levels of post secondary education credits. Also the age range varies greatly. The great thing about the knowing the learning styles is that no matter what the previous knowledge or skill level we can apply the teaching style(s) that are most effective. A small part of what we do is done in the group setting and then the education process becomes a bit more focused to the individual which gives us the oppoptunity to apply more personalized teaching styles. I find that I am able to achieve better results by focusing on the individual.
The benefits of knowing learning styles can help the instructor plan the delivery of material to the class. Since all people do not learn material the same, it is important to know how the instructor can effectively get the information to the student.This can be achieved by giving an assessment the first day to see what style of delivery would best be suited for that class.
Wow Justin, you really do have to deal with diversity in your classroom! Nevertheless, teaching to the different learning styles will bring big payoffs! Best wishes - Susan
The students that we teach come form various back grounds and educational levels. Some are here as high school grads, some have been out of school fro some time and some have varying degrees of post secondary education. Within each group there are different learning style, maturity levels and expected educational outcomes. Knowing the learning styles of your students
gives the instructor the tools necesssry to maximize the learning outcomes desired for each student.
By knowing student learning styles, we can identify the best modalities to teach with. I think we all understand that there will be a majority or certain learners. And we will probably teach to that group while keeping in mind that we need to very our approach through out the course of the day. If we have a majority of readers I think it is safe to say using auditory and visual aids wil not impair their learning and probably will enhance it at the same time making learning easier for others students.
Simply put if you understand the learning styles you can be much more effective in teaching because you now have the knowledge and understanding how you need to vary your teaching methods so that every student is able to learn the material and concepts more effectively,
