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Volume 9 |
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Designing Units & Courses |
Ginny Almeder: I accommodate students with different learning styles in my classroom by using different modalities which include auditory, visual, and tactile components. Each teaching unit is a composite of lecture, written work, large and small group discussion, audiovisual, and laboratory activities. I generally use activities which involve all of the students one way or another. One other thing that I would add is this. There is some flexibility built into participation. For example, following group work students may do an oral presentation or a written presentation using the blackboard. For homework, they may elect to write out their objectives or cross-reference the objectives with the notes. This is a more efficient approach for those students who learn better by listening than by writing. Some students also benefit from reversing the teacher-student relationship by working in after-school study groups where they act as tutors. Some student mentors come to realize very quickly that teaching is a form of learning.
John Ricciardi: I try to plan and construct lesson activities that are constantly in a directional movement or "flow" from one particular learning style to another. Individual learning styles are not fixed, like still pools of water. Maximum brain-mind stimulus is more a style of learning that is symbolized by the water movement in a small country stream...the liquid patterns are observed to be in constant oscillating, pendulating motion. In the classroom, there is, say 25 different "stream" patterns of thought emanating and synergizing. The only real common denominator is that there is a pendulation or "back and forth" learning flow of focal attention. Like the bubbling brook, the brain-mind is constantly jumping here and there, picking and choosing between modalities of information, input, such as symbolic, visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and so forth. I try to juxtapose my lesson activities to this random mental movement, moving through at least three, and sometimes up to six different instructional modalities within a 50 minute period.
Jerry Pelletier: I approach my class in what I call a multi-learning style. Students are given the chance to learn through their various senses. We observe, we listen, we manipulate, we read, we write, we communicate, and we question. In order for a student to understand a scientific concept they are given these multi-faceted lessons. My classroom is set up with heterogeneous groups. When given activities, these groups are asked to work with each other in a cooperative manner. Decisions and questions are produced by the whole group. This allows students to use their own skills and styles in a structured learning environment. Every student participates not only because they are expected to, but because the classroom environment is conducive to bringing out the special talents of each student.
Mary Wilde: Accommodating students with different learning styles is easily achieved when teaching science. When introducing a new scientific concept, I begin with a demonstration (visual) to stimulate the thought processes of the child. Through discussion (oral), we, as a group, attempt to explain the concept. After I have aroused the interest, I then proceed to provide more background information through lecture (oral) and notes (visual). I then try to follow up every new concept with an application activity (tactile), for many of us do not learn until we see and do for ourselves. In order for students to comprehend the most from laboratory activities, I group students heterogeneously by ability and learning style preference. I have much better results and greater achievement if I take into consideration each child's preferred learning style when developing laboratory groups, for the groups function better as a unit.
Bob Miller: I try to vary my presentation of materials depending on the strengths and interests of the students. I offer alternate activities at different levels of difficulty. A large variety of offerings usually results in better work being turned in and possibly it being more creative.