I have always used audio, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles in my classroom so I can capture the multiple intelligences. I will give more attention to the written learning style in the future although I do apply areas of this learning style.
Much of the training I have received through Delta Education has concentrated on verbal/linguistic/auditory, visual/spatial, and kinesthetic. We do not talk much about intrapersonal, logical, interpersonal, or naturalist intelligence (Howard Gardner's research on multiple intelligences). I integrate simulations, sensing of another's motives, use of empathy, sensory stimulation, and group/team projects in my instructional planning.
Michael,
Great for you and your program. You get to reinforce to the students the content they have covered through the hands on activities. This greatly increases the retention of the content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
George,
Great idea on how to group students but in a way that is supportive to and for everyone. This helps to get the students engaged and focused from the beginning session throughout the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Alissa,
This is a valuable resource for you to have when doing your instructional planning. It is service that needs to be appreciated because you are being given an understanding of your incoming students that you don't have to develop yourself.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
our students like hands on and fortunately we are able to offer them significant lab hours to work with equipment.
After the first day of class, I rearrange the seating into smaller groups of similar types of intelligences. I am able to see how to change up my delivery methods of the teaching material better this way and this seems to help the students absorb more content through their preferred learning type.
I teach dental hygiene in a career college. They all take a test prior to entering the program that breaks down their learning styles. I like to review each students results. Most of the time, the students have no idea what kind of learner they are, and I find it helpful in creating a better learning environment.
Richele,
The more we know about our students the more accurately we can target our instruction to meet the needs of our students.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
understanding multiple intelligences can affect the way you deliver instuction by an awareness of different learning and processing of material. designing a course by blending the different learning styles to most effectivly reach all the students. lecture, visual, hands on, demonstration, the use of outlines and study guides.
Brandon,
I like knowing this information as well. Having knowledge of this enables you to more accurately target and customize your instructional content as well as delivery.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I think an initial assessment of learning styles is very helpful when appropriate in a course so that you're actively aware of who is in the class and what styles you do not have to include in your differentiation.
Andre,
I teach a similar mix of students and find that I have to work hard to bring in a variety of instructional deliveries that appeal to the different intelligences and learning preferences. The results are well worth it all the effort though due to the learning that the students experience.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I always try to incorporate the different methods for different learning styles as I also have adult former military students interspersed with "fresh outta high school" students, and I find different methods will be required for the group as a whole to absorb the lesson. I also try to be very "up front" to the class about my openess to field questions and imply that I myself had difficulty grasping some lessons if the methods used were not to my learning style.
Mark,
Having taught a number of short duration courses just as you do I can appreciate your approach. With these time limitations the best approach is what you are doing. You are offering variety and as a result you catch the different learning preferences and intelligences throughout the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Knowing how your students process and retain information is important. You can deliver your instruction in a way that complements their learning styles. Often this takes time to figure out. If you teach short courses like I do you don't have the time to determine types of intelligences in your class. Therefore I use multiple delivery methods to teach my material. Hopefully this covers most of the bases.
Understanding the way students process information will better help us write lesson plans to maximize learning. We really like the idea of giving our students' an entry assessment so that our theory instructor is aware of each classes different learning intelligences.
Nicole,
Offering variety and change of pace in your delivery will help students of all different learning preferences to become engaged. The key is effectively communicating your content in a way that helps students to see the value of it.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Understanding how students process new input will affect the way I teach. It is not that I will not use the other intelligences, because they all must be obtained, it is that I will prioritize and maximize to ensure students get more from my instruction. The example I would use would be presenting a lecture through the use of PowerPoint. It would be visual, but at some point I would stop and have the students demonstrate what they have learned.
Robert,
Well planned for reaching the different learning preferences of your students. You are going to have some very engaged students as a result of what you are doing in each of these areas.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
