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Learning styles and the implications for teaching

Look at these two quotes on the primary learner and VAK (visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning styles):

"Attending, concentrating and memorising are activities. Simply asking a child aged five or six to pay attention, concentrate, study, learn or remember is unlikely to bear fruit. Unless we embody the material to be learned and remembered in a task that makes sense to the child, one that involves objectives [s/he] can realise and that draws [his/her] attention 'naturally' to the elements we wish [him/her] to take in, our imperatives to concentrate, memorise or learn are bound to fail ... An example is given by Wood of children being asked to memorise the names of toy animals. If they are asked to point to and verbally label each animal, they are more likely to remember the names than when simply asked to remember the names without accompanying actions."

"They (primary learners) need physical movement and activity as much as stimulation for their thinking, and the closer together these can be, the better."

Brumfit, C., Moon, J. and Tongue, R. (1996)
Teaching English to Children - from practice to principle.
England: Longman

 

What do you think of these quotes? How realistic do you think they are for the average young learner and your classroom situation? Can you think of any problems?

 

3.2 What's your teaching style?

As teachers, we all have our own preferred learning styles, and these usually translate into preferred teaching styles.

However, we have to remember that we are working with young learners, who are mainly right- brained, visual and kinaesthetic in their learning styles.

Read the What's your teaching style? resource. Check your ideas in the Commentary - What's your teaching style? resource.

Once you have finished, post your ideas in the Your teaching style discussion in the Forum.

 

3.2 What's your teaching style?

Of course, it isn't always possible to incorporate all four learning styles - Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic and Left-brained - into every activity that you do. It’s a good idea, however, to try to get a balance in your lessons.

In the last part of the module you’re going to look at some different activities and the learning styles that they incorporate. For now, though, think more about your teaching style.

 

Look at the following statements and choose three which best describe you as a teacher:

1. I don't like fun or games in the classroom.

2. I use a lot of visual aids: pictures, the OHP, flashcards, etc.

3. I use my hands, face, gestures and body language when talking.

4. I am sensitive to noise and sounds in the classroom.

5. I insist on getting homework back on time; deadlines are very important to me.

6. I like explaining things in detail to my learners.

7. I give my learners lots of tests.

8. I use the cassette recorder a lot in class.

9. I get my learners to come up to the front of the class and show things or do board work.



10. I speak quite quickly because I want to get a lot done in the lesson.

11. I am imaginative and creative and believe in what my learners can do.

12. I say things like "I can't hear you ..." and "Please be quiet and listen to me."

 

When you have finished, read the Commentary - What's your teaching style? resource and check your ideas.

 

3.2 Commentary - What's your teaching style?

If statements 1, 6 and 7 best describe your teaching then you are left-brained in your style.

If you chose statements 2, 5 and 10 then you are a very visual teacher.

If you chose statements 3, 9 and 11 you are more kinaesthetic in your teaching.

You are probably more auditory in your teaching if sentences 4, 8 and 12 best describe you.

Of course, you may have chosen statements from two separate groups - this is quite possible.

 

As teachers, we all have our own preferred learning styles, and these usually translate into preferred teaching styles. However, we have to remember that we are working with young learners, who are mainly right-brained, visual and kinaesthetic in their learning styles.

If we want to teach them well, we have to use visual and kinaesthetic ways of teaching them! Or, as learning styles expert Rita Dunn says: "If the child is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the child learns."

Remember that as an adult and teacher you have the ability to adapt your teaching to suit the needs of your young learners but they can not change the way that they learn: none of us can!

 

What is your main teaching style? Do you tend to use more visual, auditory or kinaesthetic activities? Can you now see a link between the way you like to learn and the way you like to teach?


Date: 2016-01-03; view: 944


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