Students learn in a variety of ways. I have to find the way that a student learns best so he/she can reach his/her maximum potential. I can also keep a student more engaged in the classroom if he/she is learning to their maximum potential.
Hi Patricia - Thanks for your post to the forum. Thanks for reminding us that we need to push ourselves to "stretch" and try new things to help our students succeed! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Great point about not staying in our comfort zone...after all, we'd only be comfortable in one or two different teaching styles. It is surprisingly difficult to appeal to all four learning styles, particularly the hands-on type, but I always try my best!
All of us learn and gather information in a variety of ways. Knowing our personal strengths, as well as our weaknesses, we can obtain maximum gain from any situation.
As instructors we can motivate and enhance our classes by NOT staying in our own comfort zone. We need to remember how our students might be feeling if their learning style doesn't match with our one style of "teaching."
By knowing the different learning styles it helps the instructor to effectively reach all the students in the class. It will also vary the teaching methods which will help with overall learning of everyone in the class.
The benefits of knowing the learning styles of your students is that the students will enjoy and absorb the material being taught.
I would be a more effective instructor because the students would understand and "get" the information I am giving them and they would ultimately succeed.
As we all know everyone is different and I think just knowing this is 1/2 our battle! Taking the time to learn your students learning styles will save us and them alot of time and dissapointment.
HI Daryl- Thanks for your post to the forum - it really summed up the importance of teaching to the learning styles! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Kevin- Thanks for your post to the forum. That's exactly it! Mixing up your delivery as often as possible is the way to go! Best wishes for continued success in your tdeaching career. - Susan
Knowing the learning style of students helps the instructor use more than one method of teaching to help the students learn. So, if I do some lecture on a certain subject, I may want to incorporate an aid that appeals to another learning style as well to drive home the same point.
The bottom line with instuction is that I need to do whatever it takes for my students to learn as effectively as possible. With this in mind, the more that I understand the learning styles of my students, the better I will be able to help them learn as much as possible as quickly as possible.
Hi Randy - Thanks for your post to the forum. You mention something no one else has hit upon so far - using strategic seating in the classroom to benefit the learning styles - terrific idea! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
The benefits are abviously the lesson plan can be made to accomadate the different styles but also in assigning seating and group assignments different learning styles can be put together to help each other
You will have a better understanding of how the students in you class learn most effectively. THis can make lesson plans more effective as well.
Hi Cheryl- Thanks for your post to the forum which gives us an additional benefit of teaching to the learning styles. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career! Susan
It is very beneficial to know the learning styles of your students so that you can develop course materials, lesson plans, and activities that allow students to use their primary learning style. By developing learning activities that enhance diverse learning styles, some students may be able to expand their performance using a non-dominant learning style. Additionally, students who have opportunities to learn using their preferred learning style may achieve higher scores and learn more in the course.
As an online Professor it is challenging to know what learning style all my students are. I really believe that we all learn differently. I make a point of trying to approach a topic from many different angles, using different types of technology. I try to convey the material so that all styles of learners can learn successfully the way they like to.
By knowing the learning styles of my students I can tailor my delivery of content. I like to use Jing Screencasts in my courses to add an extra media source for my students. This is particularly helpful in courses that are primarily textbook based. It is good to supplement the textbook with activities that can reach students that have learning styles other that written word. I also find that discussion can really assist students in gain new ideas on how to view and speak about course concepts.
Lacey Finley
Well the instructor will have the upper hand on helping the student learn fast because they will know how to teach them so they can understand the 1st time around.
If you know how a student gathers information, it can make your job easier by using the learning style that works best for that student.
The instructor will waste less time, and can use it to give the class more information, and skills
