As a learner I was always amazed by the arrogance of the instructor! It always seem as though they were never in the position of their students, understanding how it is to balance families, jobs and life around trying to further their education. I don't mean to say that an instructor should allow any and all things, however they should handle situations on a case by case basis. Having that "big head, I'm in charge" attitude helps no one.
Now that I've got that off my chest, let me address, the argument of adhering too much to learning styles. Any situation can get out of hand if the rules are not established up front. I believe assessing your student's learning style can only serve to foster the learning experience. The student must however have an open mind to be able to adapt their strategy to include other learning styles. I believe a strategy that includes some components of other learning styles does the most good for the learner in the long run. These are also my thoughts for the instructor as well. As an instructor we have to have different ways to explain information to the learner so they hit that AH-HA moment. To be an effective instructor we must adapt to our audience as much as we can, otherwise what is the point of an instructor whose learners don't learn. I have seen examples of instructors who love the subject that they are teaching but are unable to teach the subject. This is truly a loose-loose situation, no one gets anything from this type of relationship. Most often the learner has an immediate loss, possible having to put out additional money, time and effort to re-take a class with a different instructor. It happens too often to ignore! I don't advocate trying to address individually a lesson plan per student, but I believe because we are aware of the learning styles components that we can incorporate components of each to have a more comprehensive learning environment.
Hi Virgina. I really like your blog. You did a great job on it. It's pleasing to the eye and very easy to navigate around. Great job. There's nothing I can recommend...looks great (besides I really don't understand enough about bloggs ro recommend anything...LOL).
ReplyDeleteTake care, Shelley
I like your thoughts about the instructor Shelley. I can also remember similar times when the instructor was definitely in need of a time out :) I have found in the last few years that the more I've learned about my own learning styles and needs has made me a better student and facilitator. I agree that it can be difficult to teach to all learning styles, but it is our responsibility to try. Getting honest feedback would be helpful, do you think we should teach students how to be effective when providing feedback so that we could improve our teaching strategies?
ReplyDeleteClearly learning styles do exist but to what extent should they be considered? Do they determine the learning ability of a learner? Are they the only factors to be considered when creating a teaching style or learning environment? W. J. McKeachie (1998) asserts that "prior knowledge,intellegence and motivation..." are more important components to be factored into the equation. Personally I believe determination is a primary component to a learner's success. Regardless of the teaching or learning style, if a learner is not determined and motivated the success of learning will be doomed. In a perfect world all learners are sufficiently motivated to strive to do their very best and persevere regardless of any obstacle. But when has any learning situation had a perfect setting? Consider how many learners don't have adequate time, finances, or even support afforded to them. Then ask yourself how important are learning styles! I do believe they exist and should be considered however not solely!
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteyour blog is nice. I really enjoy the style you have and the background. How did you get the words to look like you did? I don't know much about blogs so I am learning as I go but I do agree that learning styles are all different and as we try to instruct students of all styles I believe we need to at least understand all styles in order to be successful