Not everyone has the same learning styles and unfortunately, we, as instructors, tend to present the materials in the way we learn best. To insure that we reach all of the students, we must attmept to use all four learning styles during class times. If we know what learning style applies to a majority of the students by giving a "pretest", we can focus on that particular style more of the time. Regardless, it is important to include all four learning styles during a presentation to insure that our students are gaining the most from their classes.
The benefit of knowing the learning styles is that it helps you to construct lesson plans to reach everyone, utilizing all of the various methods to best reach people, which will make me a more effective instructor.
Hi Jon, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, varying our delivery styles is the best idea for all of us. Students will prefer certain styles but will learn to adapt to others. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
The benefits of knowing student learning styles are extensive. The biggest benefit, in my experience, is the ability to reach the learner in the most effective way for the individual. Being an education major, I focus on student learning styles/preferences ASAP within the classroom setting to determine the major learning style preference in the room, secondary style, etc. Based on this information, I then can plan my delivery style for the class accordingly, especially when we hit the most challenging portions of the course materials.
It may take a bit of time to get to know the learning styles of each of your students, however a good instructor should employ as many learning styles as possible into the course material.
Hi Elidon, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, as you state, as teachers, we do have a duty to do more than merely dispense information! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Every time you step in a classroom as an instructor it is your responsibility to get to know your students better and learn more about their learning style and what works or does not work for them.
If you know the learning styles of your students, you can map your students preferences, interest and styles.
Hi Vanessa, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, by varying our delivery style we usually get better responses from our students and, as you mention, as instructors, we also enjoy the variety! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I think that knowing the learning styles of your students helps to keep the class going. At times, it's difficult to determine learning styles of students. They tend to be a little shy. When I change my "routine", I get better feedback from the students as well as better grades. I enjoy the change of pace as well.
Vanessa
Helps in designing a lesson plan
Hi Steven, Thanks for your post to the forum. As you mention, being flexible in our delivery is vital to reach the learning styles of our students. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
By knowing the learning styles of students, I am better able to modify my "lectures" to accomodate those styles. I try to incorporate all the styles in the classroom, but if I discover the majority of the class has one style, I can modify the class to emphasize that style.
Hi Christopher, Thanks for your post to the forum. I really like your analogy of student learning styles to differing languages! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
The goal of teaching is to effective get information across to your students. How effective one is in attaining this goal depends on how easy it is for your students to receive, understand and retain the information. Understanding the learning style of students amouunts to understanding the language they speak and using that language to communicate with them.
Hi Donta, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, it takes more work and commitment to make sure that we reach each and every student, but as teachers that is what we must do! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Knowing the learning style of my students which I try to know from the first day go, is very vital in the delivery of information and knoweledge to the students. The teaching style used for a particular group will be reflective of the learning style of the majority of the class to be able to capture the understanding of the lecture or procedure being thought.
I think that as the Instructor it is your responsibility to make sure you can deliver your lecture in order to meet the needs of each student in your class. Being a good Instructor is not someone that can stand in front of a class room and talk about what he or she already knows. A good Instructor to me is making sure that every student in your class understand the materiel that was presented just as well as you regardless of there learning style.
The instructional benefits of knowing the learning styles for my students when I was teaching were getting to know their weakness and their strength in the skills that I demonstrated to theim first and for them to give me back the same accurate performance I showed them in order to receive good grades and to take the knowledge they learn from the classrooms into the medical field.
By knowing the learning styles of your students you are better able to develop or modify your instructional delivery mehtods to fit the learning tyles of your students. This enables your students to absorb, store, and retrieve the instructional content more quickly.
