LEARNING STYLES ANALYSIS
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The Connection Between Learning Styles and Human Development
“The environment is seen as one of the major factors affecting learning” (Journal of Community Nursing, 2021). Knowing students learning styles helps teachers plan for instruction that is most appropriate for students’ academic success. However, a student’s life experiences play a major role in their development. Dame and Harp are both visual learners. They need to see information, write it down, and have someone model for them what is expected of them to do, to best understand new learning. Komi is a kinesthetic learner. She needs something tactile in her hands or be physically involved in an activity, to best understand new learning. Just as these students’ learning styles differ, so do their life experiences.
Building relationships with my students has helped me see the connection between their personal lives and their academic success. Dame is a competitor. He’s very active in sports and loves to play video games, so during instruction, he’s very quick with blurting out answers and easily gets frustrated when his answers are incorrect. Having the desire to always win at something, Dame forgets to process information and strategize first, before blurting out answers. So, when students are given a math problem to solve, I’ll have Dame write the problem down first, the give him wait time. Doing so allows him time to visualize the problem in his head, understand what he is asked to do, and then come up with strategies on how he can solve the problem before allowing him to say the answer. Even if Dame gets the answer wrong, now he sees his mistakes and doesn’t let them upset him. Harp is also a visual learner; however, she likes to seek for attention that is not related to the learning objective. She’s easily distracted by external stimuli, such as looking out the window, and often is redirected. When creating process charts for the class, I’ll have Harp copy the steps from the board onto chart paper and then read them back to me to help her maintain focus. Writing serves as a distraction for Harp, but it will also help her visualize information and recall it when needed to solve a problem. Komi does not like math, struggles with remembering math strategies, and struggles to keep still in class. Komi is my kinesthetic learner and rather draw than write lecture notes. When Komi is in class, I allow her to choose a fidget of choice and give instructional breaks to meet her emotional, physical, and cognitive needs. When planning for instruction, I make certain to give students a three-minute break halfway through learning and put on music for students to dance or stretch to. Providing this break along with a fidget in hand allows for Komi brain to rewire and get back on track for learning. I also give Komi math manipulatives when performing math calculations to help with computing numbers and allow her to draw in class, only after her math notes are written.
The Effect Learning Styles Have on Instructional Planning
When planning for instruction, I would use the learning styles inventory to help plan activities that will deepen and extend students learning of a specific topic. For example, if students are learning how to calculate the speed of an object using the formula (speed= distance/time), I would have students actively participate in a running activity. On the floor would be measuring tape (secured to the floor) and students would work in groups of threes. Students would receive paper, a pencil, and a stopwatch, and take turns calculating the speed of their peers running from one end of the measuring tape to the other end using the formula. This activity is appropriate for both my visual learners and my kinesthetic learner because “physical movement will add to the visual images that are necessary for conceptual understanding” (Rapp, 2009). Dame and Harp can visually see and calculate how fast their peers are running, whereas Komi will always refer to this learning experience whenever solving a speed problem in the future.
The Effect Students Have on Instruction
Prior to learning a new unit, I have my students take a pre-assessment to have a better understanding of what my students know and do not know. Using the data from the preassessment, helps me plan strategically on what my students’ strengths are within this unit and major content standards I need to focus on during instruction to address the areas where my students need growth. This is usually how I create and plan for small group instruction. Komi, for example, struggles with multiplication but knows how to add numbers. In small group, I would work with her on adding numbers with regrouping and repeated addition. Once she demonstrates mastery of those two skills, I can help her make the connection that multiplication is repeated addition. Having relationships with my students lets me know what my students’ interests are, so when planning for instruction, I know what activities to plan to keep students’ interests and what not to plan and risk losing their interest. Keeping students engaged in their learning helps them focus more; thus, improve students’ success.
The Effect Learning Styles Have on Assessments
According to Schweitzer (2020), the most used curriculum in K-12 public schools located in within the U.S. are subject-centered curriculums. This style of curriculum design focuses more on the content rather than learning styles; therefore, developing assessments to address students learning styles is difficult to do when the assessments are pre-made and digital. I work for Baltimore City Public Schools, and it is mandatory for all teachers (content specific) to teach the adopted curriculum with fidelity. That said, I am unable to create or modify assessments based on my students’ learning styles because district-level officials and school administrators monitors assessment completion.
With the limitations I have on creating assessments, I have all the autonomy to implement assessments the way that I think is best for my students. So, when administering math assessments in my classroom, students have visual access to process charts that were created during the instructional learning blocks. These process charts are filled with pictures, diagrams, and written reminders for how to solve problems using varied strategies. Students also have access to both virtual and concrete manipulatives; virtual manipulatives are provided through a link embedded within the assessment and concrete manipulatives are available within the classroom, so students have a choice on which manipulatives they want to use. Lastly, both visual learners and kinesthetic learners can benefit from auditory practices, so I do read assessment questions for all my students. Reading assessment questions supports those students who struggle with reading.
References
Rapp, W. H. (2009). Avoiding Math Taboos: Effective Math Strategies for Visual-Spatial
Learners. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 6(2), 2–12.
Schweitzer, Karen. "Curriculum Design: Definition, Purpose and Types." ThoughtCo, Oct. 29,
2020, thoughtco.com/curriculum-design-definition-4154176.
Teaching and learning styles and why they matter. (2021). Journal of Community Nursing,
35(4), 10–16.
“The environment is seen as one of the major factors affecting learning” (Journal of Community Nursing, 2021). Knowing students learning styles helps teachers plan for instruction that is most appropriate for students’ academic success. However, a student’s life experiences play a major role in their development. Dame and Harp are both visual learners. They need to see information, write it down, and have someone model for them what is expected of them to do, to best understand new learning. Komi is a kinesthetic learner. She needs something tactile in her hands or be physically involved in an activity, to best understand new learning. Just as these students’ learning styles differ, so do their life experiences.
Building relationships with my students has helped me see the connection between their personal lives and their academic success. Dame is a competitor. He’s very active in sports and loves to play video games, so during instruction, he’s very quick with blurting out answers and easily gets frustrated when his answers are incorrect. Having the desire to always win at something, Dame forgets to process information and strategize first, before blurting out answers. So, when students are given a math problem to solve, I’ll have Dame write the problem down first, the give him wait time. Doing so allows him time to visualize the problem in his head, understand what he is asked to do, and then come up with strategies on how he can solve the problem before allowing him to say the answer. Even if Dame gets the answer wrong, now he sees his mistakes and doesn’t let them upset him. Harp is also a visual learner; however, she likes to seek for attention that is not related to the learning objective. She’s easily distracted by external stimuli, such as looking out the window, and often is redirected. When creating process charts for the class, I’ll have Harp copy the steps from the board onto chart paper and then read them back to me to help her maintain focus. Writing serves as a distraction for Harp, but it will also help her visualize information and recall it when needed to solve a problem. Komi does not like math, struggles with remembering math strategies, and struggles to keep still in class. Komi is my kinesthetic learner and rather draw than write lecture notes. When Komi is in class, I allow her to choose a fidget of choice and give instructional breaks to meet her emotional, physical, and cognitive needs. When planning for instruction, I make certain to give students a three-minute break halfway through learning and put on music for students to dance or stretch to. Providing this break along with a fidget in hand allows for Komi brain to rewire and get back on track for learning. I also give Komi math manipulatives when performing math calculations to help with computing numbers and allow her to draw in class, only after her math notes are written.
The Effect Learning Styles Have on Instructional Planning
When planning for instruction, I would use the learning styles inventory to help plan activities that will deepen and extend students learning of a specific topic. For example, if students are learning how to calculate the speed of an object using the formula (speed= distance/time), I would have students actively participate in a running activity. On the floor would be measuring tape (secured to the floor) and students would work in groups of threes. Students would receive paper, a pencil, and a stopwatch, and take turns calculating the speed of their peers running from one end of the measuring tape to the other end using the formula. This activity is appropriate for both my visual learners and my kinesthetic learner because “physical movement will add to the visual images that are necessary for conceptual understanding” (Rapp, 2009). Dame and Harp can visually see and calculate how fast their peers are running, whereas Komi will always refer to this learning experience whenever solving a speed problem in the future.
The Effect Students Have on Instruction
Prior to learning a new unit, I have my students take a pre-assessment to have a better understanding of what my students know and do not know. Using the data from the preassessment, helps me plan strategically on what my students’ strengths are within this unit and major content standards I need to focus on during instruction to address the areas where my students need growth. This is usually how I create and plan for small group instruction. Komi, for example, struggles with multiplication but knows how to add numbers. In small group, I would work with her on adding numbers with regrouping and repeated addition. Once she demonstrates mastery of those two skills, I can help her make the connection that multiplication is repeated addition. Having relationships with my students lets me know what my students’ interests are, so when planning for instruction, I know what activities to plan to keep students’ interests and what not to plan and risk losing their interest. Keeping students engaged in their learning helps them focus more; thus, improve students’ success.
The Effect Learning Styles Have on Assessments
According to Schweitzer (2020), the most used curriculum in K-12 public schools located in within the U.S. are subject-centered curriculums. This style of curriculum design focuses more on the content rather than learning styles; therefore, developing assessments to address students learning styles is difficult to do when the assessments are pre-made and digital. I work for Baltimore City Public Schools, and it is mandatory for all teachers (content specific) to teach the adopted curriculum with fidelity. That said, I am unable to create or modify assessments based on my students’ learning styles because district-level officials and school administrators monitors assessment completion.
With the limitations I have on creating assessments, I have all the autonomy to implement assessments the way that I think is best for my students. So, when administering math assessments in my classroom, students have visual access to process charts that were created during the instructional learning blocks. These process charts are filled with pictures, diagrams, and written reminders for how to solve problems using varied strategies. Students also have access to both virtual and concrete manipulatives; virtual manipulatives are provided through a link embedded within the assessment and concrete manipulatives are available within the classroom, so students have a choice on which manipulatives they want to use. Lastly, both visual learners and kinesthetic learners can benefit from auditory practices, so I do read assessment questions for all my students. Reading assessment questions supports those students who struggle with reading.
References
Rapp, W. H. (2009). Avoiding Math Taboos: Effective Math Strategies for Visual-Spatial
Learners. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 6(2), 2–12.
Schweitzer, Karen. "Curriculum Design: Definition, Purpose and Types." ThoughtCo, Oct. 29,
2020, thoughtco.com/curriculum-design-definition-4154176.
Teaching and learning styles and why they matter. (2021). Journal of Community Nursing,
35(4), 10–16.
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