Module 6: Learning Styles

Student	Characteristics	Instruction
1	v  Girl v  Bodily kinesthetic v  Dynamic v  Spatial	v  Integrate songs, and stories into instruction v  Allow her to create drawings and illustrations v  Give personal freedom within centers in order to aid exploration v  Allow for action packed centers for example, when teaching vibrations give rubber bands and have her experiment on her own
2	v  Boy v  Accommodator v  Logical mathematical v  Analytic	v  Allow him to have choice of activities to complete v  Create an adaptive environment to maximize learning v  Loves math- integrate math problems during science v  Thinks very critically and likes to offer solutions- PBL would be a great lesson for him
3	v  Boy v  Creative v  Accommodator v  interpersonal	v  Intuitive- allow for hands on experiments v  Allow for him to make a game to play with the class called “Hot Seat”. He will create and ask questions to the class (whole or small group) v  Loves interacting with his peers and responds well to group activities
4	v  Girl v  Gifted v  Musical v  creative	v  Use songs to help teach and reinforce content such as raps v  Create a concept map to see her connections that take place while learning v  Allow her to make a model of a plant cell- making models is a good way to express her creativity
5	v  Boy v  Practical v  Verbal/ linguistic v  Diverger	v  Create a chart and make multiple connections to the real world v  Write to explain why something happens v  Promote learning with lots of literature on the subject v  Include a listening center to extend learning
6	v  Girl v  Assimilator v  Interpersonal	v  Allow her to create models in order to demonstrate her understanding v  Her role in her group should be the discussion leader, she is very inquisitive and is a strong leader
7	v  Girl v  Intrapersonal v  Converger	v  Does not like to work in groups v  Create a checklist in order to assess her own progress as she works v  Allow for a  plan to be created and implemented
8	v  Boy v  Diverger v  Visual/ spatial learner	v  Show a rubric prior to beginning a project. He likes to look at the whole picture rather than in parts v  He likes concrete examples and learns by observations v  Graphic organizer s help him learn
9	v  Girl v  Naturalistic v  Accommodator	v  Inquiry based lessons keep her attention and allow for her to investigate on her own v  Expert in classifying things v  Hold class or demonstrations outside every now and then to create a new learning environment v  Loves the choice of activities and is usually very spontaneous
10	v  Boy v  Intrapersonal v	v  Include rubrics prior to beginning the lesson and go over all expectations; v  Allow him to create his own personal goals before the lesson and implement a timeline to help him stay organized v  Does not like to work in groups v  Make real world connections to how the lesson will help his life

Everyone learns in different ways. It is important for us to remember this as teachers, especially when teaching science. Hammerman writes, “Multicultural education advocates the belief that students and their life histories and experiences should be placed at the center of the teaching and learning…and address multiple ways of thinking.” Students may or may not be able to connect to the content based on their own previous experiences or what they have been exposed to while growing up. It is important to embrace new cultures and understanding in order to create a rigorous and engaging learning environment. Here are ways we can “embrace and celebrate” multiculturalism within our own classrooms: we can do this by assessing what are students are familiar with. Another way to improve multiculturalism is to expose our students to scientists from a variety of cultures. It may be easier for them to make multiple connections to his or her own life, as well as the life of his or her peers after being exposed to scientist they can relate to. It is important for us to investigate various cultures in which have impacted our nation’s history. We can expand learning by integrating a variety of literature. By comparing and contrasting in science students become more familiar with multiple connections.

We can create a multicultural classroom, but we also need to “know the learner”. The learners are the ones we cater to as teachers. It is important for us to know how our learners learn, what interests them, and things we can do to maximize learning. Once we identify how our students learn, we can easily integrate activities into our lessons. While student teaching we called these “Contextual Factors”. These factors were the very first page of our lesson plans. We assessed the learning type, special needs, ethnicities… It really allowed me to effectively analyze my classroom.  Now, I find that this is one of the first things I incorporate into my teaching. I check out and analyze how my students learn as well as what they enjoy.  I do this by giving several attitude quizzes and multiple intelligence tests that I have found for elementary school children. The tests are short and written in a way my students can relate to. These factors set the tone of my teaching and lead to a supportive learning environment.