I don’t think that educators should create assignments for every learning style, but I do believe that educators should mix up the styles of teaching within their current curriculum. You need to provide the most balanced education you can. This means to mix up your delivery to cover the biggest parts possible. You need to present your material visually, auditory and physically. By mixing up your styles you will challenge everyone in your class to strive for better than average. Change in delivery of material also makes class different and keeps everyone focused on the material being delivered. Setting goals for everyone in your class and helping them surpass them is an ideal mark to set for yourself as well as the students. If you achieve your goals too soon, set them higher. With practice you will know what the right height is for each and every student in your class. There is nothing like having a whole class who aces the state tests!
Ron, I think you hit the nail on the head with the word "Balance". While balance isn't always easy to obtain, having a class that is well balanced can make some students reach higher levels of achievement.
ReplyDeleteIn reality, the only way an educator, teacher, facilitator can reach various students from a group perspective is to try to create a balance. It is a careful balance, however....so as not to lose the rest of the crowd, while focusing on certain styles.
ReplyDelete"Everyone in your class to strive for better than average", this is one of the hardest tasks for an instructor to accomplish. I love to hear that other instructors want this for their students. I have removed instructors from my training room because they were ok with the students only being average. After some heart to heart talks, the instructors realized why it is important for the students to excel, and how the instructors were the ones on point leading them above and beyond.
ReplyDeleteDanny
Balance is imperative, do you think knowing the students learning styles before class would assist with creating this balance?
ReplyDeleteHI Ron...I know some of the owners/pilots of some of those balloons. They come to our balloon rally (White Sands Balloon Invitational each Sept).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think groups are good to some extent because hopefully there is a variety of student learning styles in each group. There really does have to be a variety of styles though. I don't think a teacher could cover each and every learning style, but they can incorporate many in a classroom. The student also has their own set of responsibilities.
Good posting.
Shelley
Comment to tm48thoughts: I only wish that information would be figured out before I was handed a group of students to teach. There have been many times that I have wished I could pick a few students from each class and put them together into one special class just for me. I am sure students feel the same way, especially if they are stuck in a class where I have spent large amount of class time redirecting the students who have issues.
ReplyDeleteI also think that would be the answer to the question I posted on Leonard's blog. Certain students prefer certain instructors and I really think it is because our learning style matches the way we teach and some students prefer one way over another.