learning styles affect the method of which I teach because it is important to addresss different learning styles in content delivery. This will help to ensure that everyone is able to undertand the content delivered. I have previoulsy studied teaching perspectives and taken a Teaching perspectives assessment. It was great to see what category I fell in as a teacher, but this means nothing if you dont incorporate the learning style of the actual learners.
Isabel
in my feild it will help me to form groups of students with different styles to achieve the goal of learning. i will have one read the procedure while one observes the other performing the task
A lesson plan can be formulated around all learning styles attempting to accomodate all.
It is beneficial to know the learning styles of students so you will be able to reach all students in the class, so they will all understand the topic you are covering. Varying your instruction methods to reach each style learner will not only keep your instruction fresh, it will keep your students engaged in learning.
Hi Janice - Thanks for sharing that - using real life examples makes the material more relevant for our students. Susan
Hi Diana-Thanks for your post to the forum. This is why I think it is important to have a discussion about learning styles on the first day of class. Let the students know that you recognize that there are diverse styles in the class and that you will be doing your best to accomodate everyone. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
One of my biggest challenges is when I change to meet other types of learning styles - some of the students get up set and want certain types of presentations.
Susan,
As a long time instructor, I think that it is vital to know the learning styles of the students. I use this information to help me with the preparation of lessons and using the examples from real life that can attract all styles. I have found that to be especially beneficial and wanted to share that.
Janice
Hi Rosita- I am so glad that you found something really useful from this class! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
I absolutely love the idea of "stations" This will work well in my A&P class! Thanks!
I teach both at the high school level and college level and everytime I start a new class I give new students a learning style inventory. I can usually tell after a few interactions with the student what their learning style is just by how they interact in class but it is fun to see if I am correct. In whatever class I am teaching I know what material I must present but it is hard to plan a lesson without knowing what the kids respond to best.
If I have activities that warrant group work, such that each member gets a different job e.g. researcher, recorder, presentator etc... I like to make sure I organize the groups so I have each learning style represented. This way the kids can naturally fall into their roles and feel more comfortable in the group.
Another activity I often do for material that is complex and not as interesting to kids is stations. Each station covers a different part of the material. I have one strong student (peer teaching) from each learning style in charge of a station that focuses a part of the lesson using that learning style. This allows all the students to feel success and it helps them get through the material. It is no secret that if students are interested in something and feel like they can be successful they will be engaged and work like you have never seen before. I also find that with well matched groups and stations the students are comfortable asking peers for help which allows me to roam around and assist/teach students in a more informal manner.
Hi Rosita - You have it exactly correct - knowing and accomodating the learning styles of your students will indeed make for a much more productive learning experience! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
The instructional benefits of knowing the learning styles of my students would be to better structure my lecture, activities etc. to best deliver the material. If I have a general idea of how many different learning styles I am accommodating, then I can tailor my lesson plans accordingly, thus making the student's learning experience a positive and productive one!
Hi Lauren - Thanks for your post to the forum. Your first day assessment idea is excellent -it will enable you to structure your instruction to better accomodate your students. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
By understanding the learning styles of your students, you can actually increase the success rate of students successfully completing your course. What I mean by this, if you ensure students are receiving information in the most beneficial way (their learning style), they will more that likely understand the material better.
I have started issuing a questionaire on the first day of class in one of my memorization courses, asking students the best way they memorize things. This has helped me change my way of instructing the class.
Some benefits of knowing the learning styles of our students are that by knowing their learning styles we can include visual, auditory and tactile in each lesson. This way each student can learn in the way that best suits them. It also makes an instructor more effective because more students will pass and retain the information.
A class of 24 will bring many learning styles and I would only hope I could work with all styles.
HI Juanita- Thanks for your post to the forum. Your first day efforts at helping your students to feel comfortable in your classroom must obviously have great paybacks as your class progresses. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
it improves retention and future success of the student . i believe as well your future in successful instruction
