Get Your Students Hired
Succinctly, this knowledge will permit the utilization of the most effective method(s) of teaching with the greatest potential of students' learning by gearing to their highest collective & individualistic reception patterns.
Knowledge about the learning styles of students takes the guess work out of instructional strategies. It means that instructional techniques are not created in an isolated environment - there is a specific reason for a particular strategy. And of course that reason is the unique style of the learner. Armed with this knowledge, an instructor increases the odds that a higher number of learners will be successful in their learning efforts.
Understanding the learning styles of my students is another way to meet them where they are at. As a teacher, it is our responsibility to help the students learn the material. I also think our responsibility goes more than that. We need to help them learn the material as well as help them have fun and being able to use the material far beyond the classroom. For one student who is a visual learner, it can be frustrating to only be given material in a written format. This can led to frustration and, in some cases, not learning at all. Finding out how students learn is the first step in the process of ensuring that students learn.
Hi Jennifer, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, when students don't benefit from an instructor's delivery, frustration is inevitable! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
You'll need to break down the 3 different skills for all students to be able to learn.
You'll need to divide teaching time up into the 3 different teaching styles to accomindate each student.
Identifying and understanding each student's learning style keeps them engaged, which leads to higher levels of learning. It can also help you anticipate common frustrations that may arise. Most of the frustrations students experience in the classroom are due to learning-style discrepencies.
Hi Stacy, Thanks for your post to the forum. Varying our delivery formats is generally the best strategy to reach the learning styles. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
It is beneficial to know the learning styles of the student but can be challenging to remember who has what type especially in the beginning of the course. I try to include all 4 learning styles as best I can during my classroom time.
Hi Jeff, Thanks for your post to the forum. You are using an excellent mix of delivery formats! Best wishes for an excellent July quarter!
Susan Polick
Understanding the learning styles of each student helps me relate the classroom material better since I know which style will work better for each student.
Knowing the learning styles of your students and utilizing them, will help to make your instruction and their learning more efficient. The students are more likely to have higher scores, and the instructor is less likely to have to go back over problem areas in content coverage.
A smoother running class is a definite plus. Our classes are rather large, and each of the learning styles are representative of the students. Majority of the students are kinesthetic learners and prefer that influence in the receiving of information. We use power point, assign reading material and have interactive videos and tests that are all well received by the class. Of all the different ways we present class material, it does stand out that the hands on group practices has the greatest measure comprehension. Using hands on group practice complemented with the other formats I mentioned earlier, do help to reinforce the material and procedures we use in our industry.
I think if you are able to blend all learning styles if even for small bites of time in the classroom that eventually all students will grasp something.
I find that lecture plus power point then take them to lab and show them how to do the task work for our students very well.
Hi Sandra, Thanks for your post to the forum. I think it is likely that your students are being made aware of learning styles and understanding how they learn most effectively. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi ROBERT, Thanks for your post to the forum. That is excellent advice! When students understand how they learn best, they are more effective at managing their own learning. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
This is an effective aid in determining the best way to present the lesson in a manner that will best benefit the student. I like to vary my presentations. If it's possible I will have an example of the type of equipment I'm lecturing on. At the completion of the lecture I demonstrate the proper use of the device and give the students the opportunity to work with it themselves.
I find it very important and beneficial to include various learning styles in start up or introductory courses, keeps the class lively and students engaged. Perhaps students at this level are still finding their preferred learning style? In upper level courses I find the students tend to quickly dictate to me their preferred learning style and I find myself more in a guidance role to facilitate learning at their own pace. With upper level students I am free to work with them more one on one in their preferred method.
Knowing the different learning styles of the students who come through the classes I teach helps me to plan the day’s lessons and activities. It also insures that I make the class informative and relevant to all students present.
While understanding different learning styles is important to the instructor most schools are also bringing the theory of multiple learning styles to its students by having a workshop on learning styles as one of their first classes. .This way the students themselves can take some ownership of their education.
If the school you teach at does not offer this workshop I would strongly advise the instructor to make it part of his or hers first class. In this way the students will understand what’s going on when the instructor lectures for 20min, followed by a hand on activity, followed by a 15 min video, followed by student presentations and then a written paper to end the day. Depending on the students background some students question “why didn’t we just lecture for the entire day and then all day lab the next� Understanding what the instructor is doing should help all the students in the class have an enjoyable and productive time.