Students learn in a variety of ways, and to accommodate these differences teachers have devised a variety of methods and strategies to correlate with these student learning styles. Various strategies have been researched and implemented in the classroom. For example, Rita and Kenneth Dunn (1978) have developed a comprehensive approach to learning styles and have found that student learning styles are affected by their (1) immediate environment; (2) own emotionality; (3) sociological needs; (4) physical needs and (5) psychological processes. Other researches explored the dichotomous way the left and right hemispheres of the brain process and interpret information. Some researchers have divided student learning styles into categories, such as Bernice McCarthy (1980). She has devised a system in which four learning styles are identified: innovative learners, analytic learners, common-sense learners, and dynamic learners. In this section we will explore these ideas, and identify some implications for science teaching.
Students, Teachers and Learning Styles
Learning style pertains to how we learn. To some educators, "ones learning style is a biologically and developmentally imposed set of characteristics that explains why the same lecture, readings interactions, classroom settings and teachers affect individuals so differently." Two crucial questions with regard to student learning styles are: In what ways do students differ in their manner of learning? and How do teachers accommodate students with different learning styles? In order to find out you ideas on these two question, please do the following activity before reading ahead.
The Psychology of Learning Styles
Some students in your class would rather look at pictures of plants, rather than read about them. You might have a student who prefers to discuss questions in a small group rather than participate in a large group discussion. Another student might prefer to learn chemical nomenclature by matching the chemical symbols (printed on blue index cards) with the names of the elements or compounds (green index cards). We all have preferences for the way we learn. What do we know about learning styles, and how can this be helpful to you as a beginning science teacher?
Discovering Learning Styles. Consider for a moment your own approach to learning. Here are some sample items from an instrument designed to diagnose student learning styles. Do these describe some of your preferences when it comes to learning?
• I study best when it is quiet.• I have to be reminded often to do something.
• I really like to draw, color, or trace things.
• I like to study by myself.
Rita and Kenneth Dunn have explored a universe of factors that affect the way students learn. The 21 Elements Chart summarizes the variety of elements that are categorized into one of the following categories: environmental, emotional, sociological, physical, and psychological. Using the Learning Styles Inventory---a comprehensive approach to assessing students' learning style---researchers have surveyed individuals' styles in each of the twenty-two areas. The instrument consists of over a hundred preference statements (like the four listed above) that identify students' learning preferences. Knowledge of these categories is helpful in understanding the differences in learning preferences of your students. Briefly, here are some comments on the five categories identified by the Dunn's and implications for science teaching.
Environmental Elements. It shouldn't surprise us that sound, light, temperature and design impact learning styles. According to Dunn, 10 to 40 percent of students are affected by differences in sound (quiet versus sound), bright or soft lighting, warm or cool temperatures, and formal versus informal seating designs. Science teachers have an opportunity to create a physical learning environment that is appealing to a wide range of students. One of the suggestions that the Dunn's make is to "change the classroom box into a multi-faceted learning environment. We will explore the classroom learning environment in greater detail in Chapter 9.
Emotional Elements. Motivation, persistence on completing a task, degree of responsibility, and structure (specificity of rules governing work and assignments) constitute emotional elements that affect student learning style.
Physical Elements. There are several physical elements including perceptual strengths, intake (of food or drink), time (of the day) and mobility that influence learning. Perceptual strengths refers to learning through the different senses. At the secondary school level, greatest emphasis is given to auditory and visual learning. However, secondary teachers who have used electroboards, flips charts, task cards and other manipulatives have reported increased increased achievement and interest for the tactile student. Secondary teachers who employed kinesthetic (whole body) activities such as field trips, dramatizing, interviewing, role playing, also reported increases in achievement and interest. Many students also learn better if they are engaged in multisensory learning activities, e.g. combining tactile and kinesthetic, or visual and auditory.
Sociological Elements. Do students like to learn alone, in pairs, with a small team or the whole class. The answer from the Dunn's research is that students respond to a variety of social groupings, and appear to be "unresponsive to a conistent instructional routine."The classroom that provides apportunities not only throughout a science course, but within individual lessons for variety in social groupings is paying attention to the sociological needs of the learner.
Psychological.Elements There are a number of pyschological factors that psychologists have examined related to learning style. Two major ideas emerge in this regard, namely, how learners process information, and how learners perceive. Processing information can be viewed as a global process or an analytical process. Global (processing in wholes) versus analytical (processing in parts) is analagous to right hemishperic thinking and left hemishperic thinking. Learners appear to perceive either actively or reflectively.