Sometimes standing on a soap box is so powerful. I have to wonder why I do not do it more often. Well maybe because while it is essential to share information with others, it is not as necessary for me to preach it. So I will step off this soap box and ask you to join me in a conversation about learning styles.
The greatest thing about being a human is that no two of us are alike. We are all unique, right down to our fingerprints. We have different physical features, different personalities, individual dreams and we truly do learn differently. Imagine what a dull world it would be if we were all the same.
I am an independent, introvert, global, auditory, cognitive, and abstract learner. That is just to name a few of the learning style labels I have been gifted with. While I do not like being labeled, I love knowing how I learn. I do not know about you, but I am paying for a college education and I want to walk away with more than a piece of paper. I want to walk away taking the knowledge that is given to me and do something with it.
There are so many learning style theories that grace the web. So many confusing web sites that state their learning theory is better than the others. So how do we as educators use the information on learning style theories? Do we try out all of the theories or do we pick just one and hope it works for our students? How is a teacher to know?
I believe that all theories have significance, but what we as educators can do is take bits of pieces that resonate with us and apply them to your own learning style theory. You can even name your theory and develop a web page for it, if you want. Learning theories are a base in which you can build your classrooms curriculum on that engages all the learners. Do not spend hours researching them all, take a few theories and build your teaching style from them.
What if you do not believe in learning theories? Is it because you feel that learning theories are labels that allow students to make excuses? Is it because you like to teach the way you do and feel that if the student is not learning, that is their problem?
Think back on a time in your life when you were struggling in a class to acquire the knowledge that you needed. Do you ever image that it could have been different if the teacher would have engaged you as a learner by complementing your learning style.
If only that teacher took some time to incorporate elements that engaged the visual, auditory and the tactile/ kinesthetic learners in the curriculum. Imagine what you could have done with that knowledge. Knowledge is power…power is knowing how you learn.
We all were born to learn. A learner needs to use whatever tools they have in their tool belt to get the most out of their learning experiences. Knowing how you learn is the most powerful tool you have.
4 comments:
Don't you think that all the varying information about learning styles might create some confusion? At the heart of them all, there are similarities. I think that the reality of there being so many creates opportunities for other individuals to say that learning styles obviously aren't important. Just a thought.
I know I get confused when I have to read theory after theory after theory. That is why I think an educator needs to choose a few mainstream theories and find what resonates with them.
There are so many theories that sound and look alike, that it would be easier if there was one. But we dont live in a world where only one theory has importance. That is the great thing about our country, we all have the right to make our own theories and share them.
As with anything, people have free will to believe or not to believe. There will always be controversies around anything that contains the the word "Theory." Ultimately, it is up to every individual to choose if they believe in any theory.
Theories are just that, Theories. No scientific proof that they are right or wrong. As you had stated in your blog, there are so many of them and they go to some extremes to get theirs read. They are just one person’s opinion over someone else’s. You also said that everyone is unique, all the way down to their fingerprints, and then you want to group all of these unique individuals into easy to carry containers. I think you will run into the possibilities of excluding some of your students if you try that approach. I think that if you teach to all 3 learning styles, visual, auditory and the tactile/ kinesthetic, you will cover all theory possibilities. I enjoy reading about the styles and how to approach them and train/teach to each of them. The theories just get in the way. I do not want to hear excuses either; I want to hear”AHHH, I see and understand”. When I hear that I know I have completed my task.
Thank you for your help with my blog page, as you can see here, I got it to work and got the comments problem figured out too!
Ron, I am glad you got everything figured out for your blog and commenting. Sometimes technology has its moments and for most of those moments. I call my teenagers.
I had to really contemplate your comment about me putting individuals into containers. Websters defines container as an object that can be used to hold or transport something.
That got me thinking about while we are all individuals we do put portions of our lives and personality's into containers and label them.
So why would our learning style be any different from my bubbly personality, my shyness,my optimism etc. It is almost like we or at least I, need to label parts of myself. After all , the parts all make me whole.
As an educator you are given small pieces of a puzzle box that will never be able to contain any students complete learning style becuase most people are constantly growing and changing. But having the basis of the learning styles in your hat and being prepared to use them if necessary to reach that student for the A-Ha moment is worth it.
Post a Comment