Stephanie Draxdorf Mini-Course
Introduction to Learning Styles!
"No two people are the same", a quote we have all heard at some point in our lives. Every person is different, and learns best differently. As teachers, it is important to understand how to adjust curriculum, modify lesson plans, and provide support for different learners. As students, it is beneficial to understand what learning style benefits your understanding of material best.
The importance of this topic will be demonstrated through research findings and understanding will be assessed through case analysis.
Before beginning, please take at least one of the surveys below. These surveys will help you have a better idea of your own preferences of learning styles and allow you to get the most out of this mini-course.
Needs Assessment
Instructional needs- No two students are exactly the same. Students are more comfortable in different subjects, learn at different paces, have varying strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly have different unique learning styles that best fit them. Although teachers may be working to a common goal, lessons cannot be uniformly presented to all students for this reason. It is sometimes hard to accommodate to a classroom full of students with different learning styles, but it is not impossible! When teachers understand their students needs, they are able to meet them.
According to The Role of Learning Styles in the Teaching/Learning Process,
"Students vary in the way they process and understand information. Many instructors at the postsecondary level still do not realize the significance of thesedifferences in how their students approach learning; and as a result, these instructors do not attempt to respond to these differences in how they teach [8]. Teachers must understand the learner (students) to be learner centered [1]. The increasingly diverse student body requires the use of a wide variety of teaching methods and materials"
Information gathered- Through a survey distributed to 40 random people or different ages and schooling, data was able to be gathered. Those who took part in the survey answered several questions addressing how they would approach different learning and everyday situations. Through their answers, we were able to draw a conclusion as to what style of learning they felt most comfortable using. Their answers provided me with data as too which of Neil Fleming's "VARK" learning styles they most fit. The acronym VARK stands for Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic sensory modalities.
Summary- A summary of the survey results are included within the course, where we will better examine the data.
Learner Outcomes
Learners will be able to:
- Identify and apply the learning styles they are most comfortable with to their own learning.
- Understand how you learn best.
- Understand unique characteristics of each learning style.
- Demonstrate knowledge of supporting material for each learning style.
- Identify study strategies that are helpful and those that might be a waste of time for each style.
- Develop study strategies that are more effective based upon your learning style resulting in greater academic success.
- Analyze the use of multimedia formats from various media that support each learning style.
Course Units
This mini-course includes the following units. Click the title of a unit to go to its page.
Lesson 1 will break down the Visual Learning Style. We will take a closer look at what visual learner's tend to prefer and how to best reach these students.
Lesson 2 will break down the Aural (auditory) Learning Style. We will take a closer look at what visual learner's tend to prefer and how to best reach these students.
Lesson 3 will break down the Read/Write Learning Style. We will take a closer look at what visual learner's tend to prefer and how to best reach these students.
Lesson 4 will break down the Kinesthetic Learning Style. We will take a closer look at what visual learner's tend to prefer and how to best reach these students.
Final Learning Style Assessment - to be completed as the last step.
Extended Resources
https://iacis.org/iis/2006/Csapo_Hayen.pdf
https://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/
https://learningstyles101com.wordpress.com/blog/
All other resources are organized within the specific lesson it is used in.