If you score on a scale 1 - 3 you are well balanced on the two dimensons of that scale. If you score a scale 5-7 you have a moderate preference for one dimension of the scale and will learn more easily in a teaching evironment which favours that dimension. If you score on a scale 9-11 you have a very strong preference for one dimension of the scale. You may have difficulty learning in an environment which does not support that preference.
What is your learning style? What sorts of learning experiences would suit you best with your learning style?
Before I undertook the Felder & Solomon Learning Style test I was unsure on my exact learning style. However, I am now aware that my learning style is quite distinct as evident in the results.
The results suggest the following:
• I show a moderate preference to active and verbal learning than reflective and visual learning respectively.
• I am anything but an intuitive learner, thus I am a sensor learner.
• I am a well balanced sequential/global learner.
Thus the following learning experiences would suit best with my learning style:
• Active Learning = Group work & Hands on activities
• Verbal Learning = Group work & Summarising Course Material
• Sense Learning = Memorising activities
• Sequential & Global Learning = Prepare an overall outline of a terms course of work and then logically order all the material in that course.
In a traditional classroom of 25 students, how would you support the range of learning styles each lesson?
As we are aware each person has their own individual learning style. Therefore as a teacher of 25 students I would utilise various learning experiences to engage the interests of ALL students.
Accordingly, I would:
• Include interactive activities where the student must think about what they are doing before they perform the physical/active part and reflect on the activity afterwards.
• Allow students to brainstorm and think intuitively before providing real facts that they can memorise.
• Provide both a visual and written aspect to lecture to a class about whilst teaching a topic.
• Outline to the students the BIG picture of a topic and relate it to any relevant information that they may already know and then take the students through the more detailed points of the topic. (I remember my high school teachers using this method in most classes)
With your current knowledge of ICT, how could your design and digital pedagogy support your learners better?
Today students tend to be digital natives, learn better when content or teaching relates to the REAL world in some form and may expect digital technology to be automatically included in the classroom. Therefore to support these learners I will ensure that I provide many opportunities to use various ICTS to cater for the different learning styles of each student (explained further in the answer to question 5) and to help relate content back to the REAL world. Most importantly I will use ICTs to facilitate quality learning experiences for the student.
What sorts of profiling questions would you be asking about your learners to ensure you cater for everyone's preferences?
Do students like to work in groups or by themselves?
Do they like to read and write about topics? or
Do they prefer visual aids such as diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs and flow charts?
Do they like an interactive part included when learning a new topic?
Do they like memorising content to a topic?
Do they mind being tested on material that has not been explicitly covered in class?
Do they like learning a topic without knowing the BIG picture or outline of it?
Do they like the content of a topic to be related back to the REAL world?
How does ICT support differences in learning styles?
Firstly, ICTs can be employed to help determine each students individual learning styles. Secondly, they can also then be applied in the classroom scenario to cater for the different learning styles. There is a huge range of ICTs that can be used in the classroom to cater for different learning styles, some of these include:
Laptops and Ipods – These can be used individually and enables access to other various ICTs and interactive learning activities such as spelling games etc.
Interactive Whiteboard – To be used by the whole class or by group work that also allows access to other various ICTs and interactive learning activities.
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