Now
that you have completed the learning and teaching style inventories,
provide a description of your results. As you answer this question,
describe how your learning style matches up with teaching style. As a
teacher, what would you have to differentiate the curriculum for a
student with your learning style. In what way would the learning in your
classroom change if you modified your teaching style?
I was very suprised just how accuarate my findings were. On my learning styles inventory I scored high on visual/spatial (picture smart)and Kinaesthetic (body smart). I also scored pretty strong in the areas of linguistic (word smart), interpersonal (people smart),and naturalistic (nature smart). My learning styles seemed to coincide with both my teaching goals and methods. On both matrix's I scored in Quadrant D. I actually do prefer analysis over rote in most learning situtations. I feel that memorization should just be used in certain situations and is not suitable for all learning applications. I am also a big supporter of hands-on learning. My oldest son who was born with a genetic disorder which limits his learning capabilities benefits so much better from hands-on type learning. I have always felt that when a child gets directly involved with their learning that so much more is accomplished and gained!I feel that students also gain great insight by working collaboratively with their peers. By having their classmates offer problems and solutions helps to build a bond with each other to help them learn how to work side by side with one another. I like to pair up students who usually don't associate with one another very much. This opens all kinds of doors for these students. I feel that my teaching style is for the most part accepted in my field of work. Working with special needs students I feel has sculpted some of the ways I not only teach but how I parent my own children. I would have to evaluate each student to see what teaching styles best fit their learning styles in order to achieve a beneficial learning environment!
ReplyDeleteKristy Estes
My natural learning style is linguistic/word smart. I also scored highly in the musical and visual/spatial categories. On the teaching styles inventory, my teaching goals are in quadrant B- prefering rote learning and practical applications. My teaching methods are in quadrant D-prefers students to learn through hands-on activities completed collaboratively.
ReplyDeleteI would say that all three of these results speak truly of my own personal learning style and greatly affect the way in which I teach and present information to students. Because I prefer words myself, in my classroom, I tend to present new information in a whole group setting and let students know my expectations for their learning (I then review this new information in subsequent days-rote learning)--After a brief mini lesson, I tell students how this new information can be applied to their lives or connect it to other topics they have already explored (I sometimes start with this part so that students are not wondering "Why are we doing this?"). After I have presented the new information whole group, I allow students to practice or explore this new information further through collaborative small group exercises. This format also seems to work well for the two subject areas that I teach, math and social studies. I present new skills or ideas, then students use the remainder of the class time to work together to practice these skills or work to research more information.
For a student with my learning style (linguistic), to make the information more accessible to him/her, I would give him/her multiple opportunities to discuss verbally or write to explore and understand the information more deeply. He/she would also better understand the information by reading books, articles, and seeing examples related to the topic. It would be important to provide many different types of literature and verbal/written communication in order for the student to succeed.
If I modified my teaching goals and methods, different groups of students would likely benefit. For example, even though I might not naturally be a kinesthetic learner, I recognize that many of my students are, and by incorporating more activities for these learners, they may grasp concepts quicker or more easily. Bodily movements would also provide another avenue to "experience" the information which may promote retention.
I also think that sometimes in my instruction I am TOO explicit and practical, and don't give students the opportunity to analyze and think more abstractly (quadrant C/D in teaching goals). If I gave students more opportunities to "search" at the beginning of lessons, they would likely develop deeper analysis skills and more creative thinking processes. Instead, I usually do the opposite, and give students the basic concept, and encourage them to analyze/dig deeper after the fact. Many of my higher ability students are able to do this, but my strugglers lack the motivation and prerequisite skills, so they are rarely forced to analyze information without my guidance. Using front loading and flexible grouping, I could prepare my struggling students for the lesson, but then pair them with a higher student in order to hopefully have them both able to look at concepts more closely/deeply.
My learning and teaching style match up pretty well. On the learning style inventory, I scored high on the visual/spatial and linguistic. I also scored high on the interpersonal. On the teaching style inventory, I scored in quadrant C and D on the teaching goals matrix. Teaching methods matrix, I scored in quadrant B and D. I am a very visual/hands on learner. Hands on learning is a major part of the way I teach in my classroom. My students learn through many types of manipulatives. I believe that using hands on helps all students understand what is being presented.
ReplyDeleteTeaching gifted, my students do almost everything in groups of their choice. In groups, they are working together to discuss and solve problems. They learn through hands on activities in which they complete collaboratively in their groups to have a finished product.
After reading y'all's responses, it seems like the teaching/learning style inventories were accurate. I like that everyone described the need to adjust your teaching style a little in order to meet those students who do not naturally match with your natural teaching style. However, at the heart of everyone's responses is the need to provide students with hands-on, engaging learning experiences. I often tell my students - especially pre-service students - that they need to remove 'fun' from their vocabulary. Fun should not be the goal of any learning experience; rather, it should be to provide the learner with an engaging and meaningful learning experience. If that happens, fun will take care of itself. However, some of my students misunderstood my point and often clashed with me about that notion. Typically, I do not bring that up any more.
ReplyDeleteSo true: Fun should not be the goal of any learning experience; rather, it should be to provide the learner with an engaging and meaningful learning experience. IF THAT HAPPENS, FUN WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.
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