Whitney Vick April 26, 2012 Liberty University Customized Learning Theory Many educators operate their classrooms using a “learning theory” that they feel optimizes the best learning environment for their students. As an educator it is very important to create your own customized learning theory to use in your classroom. A customized learning theory is developed to create an optimum learning environment for students. Educators have to research and put into practice the ideas that they feel may work best in their classroom. In this paper, I will be discussing my own customized learning theory incorporating theoretical perspectives that I believe make an ideal learning environment. …show more content…
Differentiated instruction would be an ideal way for teachers to use Piaget's theory and teach each child according to their specific needs. “Just as students have different personalities, they also have different ways of learing (Slavin, 107).” Learning styles are another important factor to incorporate when implementing the best learning environment. Learning styles are defined as an individual's mode of gaining knowledge. The most common learning styles addressed are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Auditory leaners understand information through hearing. Visual learners need more visual aids in the learning process, such as diagrams, webs, or pictures. Kinesthetic learners learn better by using manipulatives or by being physically involved in the learning process. Learning styles is a piece of the “backbone” of differentiated learning. Both are used to individualize instruction to help students achieve the most success. What Makes an Effective Teacher and Learning Environment? What is an effective teacher? Is it a teacher who is caring, compassionate, warming, and personable? Or is it a teacher who is good at planning, works well with other teachers/administrators, and self-disciplined? Many people would say that these qualities and characteristics would make an ideal teacher, and they would be correct. But these qualities alone are not enough to be considered an effective teacher. An effective teacher is above all,
There are several methods used to determine learning styles. “A learning style is, rather, a description of a process, or of preferences. Any inventory that encourages a learner to think about the way that he or she learns is a useful step towards understanding, and hence improving, learning” (Fleming, N., & Baume, D., 2006, p.4). . One of the most commonly used learning styles is the Fleming VARK model. VARK stands for visual, auditory, reading and writing and kinesthetic learners. This model focuses on the best way for a student to learn and retain new information based on sensory modality. “The only perceptual modes, or senses, it does not
Your child/student took a “Learning Styles Inventory” last week to determine how they learn best. They discovered that they were a visual, an auditory, or a kinesthetic learner.
Knowing their particular learning styles(s) should encourage student/patient self-enhancement. It is also important for each individual be not only knowledgeable of their learning preferences but to practice other styles to enhance their learning abilities. It is believed this encourages well rounded education and learning.
To travel more smoothly along their educational journey, it is also helpful to students to have a good understanding of their personal learning style. For example, I have discovered that I learn best by reading, audio or demonstrational video. In sitting through a lecture, I find myself easily distracted by the presenter’s mannerism or style. Having good reading resources, listening to recorded lectures, or viewing technical videos allows me to productively maintain my focus. Others may not be as comfortable with reading, and would prefer learning in a live lecture environment. Knowing their learning style and using it to their advantage will provide the student with the assurance that they will learn productively and stay on track with their goals.
Learning styles refer to the different ways that people process and retain information and they serve as an indicator of the learning method that each student prefers. The learning styles theories/models that we will discuss about in this report are the Neil Fleming’s Visual-Auditory-Read/Write-Kinesthetic model and David Kolb’s Experiential Learning model.
This issue is a controversy. The reason learning styles are such a controversial issue because learning styles theories have been criticized by many due to the lack of evidence to support this topic on the idea that people are somehow a particular type of learner (Coffield, Moseley, Hall, & Ecclestone, 2004). Moreover, several psychologists and neuroscientists questioned the scientific basis on which learning theories is established. Also, several educational psychologists believe that there is little to no evidence to support the efficacy of most learning style models because the models often rest on dubious theoretical grounds (Curry, 1990). Even though there is more evidence to support the lack of evidence on this topic that
Being knowledgeable about learning styles can be very useful for your academic and professional career. We communicate with our peers and colleagues on a daily basis, so it’s important to understand how each party does so. Just recently, I completed the online “Learning Styles Inventory” evaluation provided by the Baker College Academic Office. The results showed that my primary learning style is “auditory”, followed closely by “tactile-kinesthetic” which I believe is a fairly accurate assessment. For simplicity, the focus of this paper will be auditory learning.
The fact that people have different learning capacities and that people can absorb content differently is fueling the rise and acceptance of customized learning. Is customized learning the way to go in ensuring that every student needs are met? Many still are proponents of the traditional method of instruction citing the massive resources required for adoption and full implementation of customized learning. Despite this, is am a serious proponent of quality rather than quantity and therefore my position is that customized learning I the way to go. The argument for resources is rather weak because if a student needs are not met (in traditional
Learning styles refer to the way students concentrate on, process, internalize, and recall new and difficult information. Most people have preferences, but individual preferences differ. The stronger the preference, the more important it is to
Are we done with the theories now? Not until you complete the course learning at the end of the semester! We’ll constantly use these theory lenses to view and analyze classroom teaching practices, articulate our own beliefs in teaching and learning, and design a lesson based on the theory that we believe. I am glad that now we can apply the knowledge in the learning theories to further develop our understanding about learning in the educational settings! First, we are going to do some ‘analysis’ work for next week, let’s think about teacher-centered instruction Vs student-centered instruction utilizing our knowledge and beliefs in teaching and
There are three types of learning styles. They are: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. An auditory learner processes information by hearing and discussing the information. Visual learners process information through visuals such as charts, pictures, and other types of printed information. Kinesthetic learners process information by muscle movements and experiences that are hands-on.
I believe an outstanding teacher must differentiate, have good behavior management skills, content knowledge, collaboration, and passion. Teachers need to have the ability to understand students and their abilities. By doing this, teachers will be able to deliver lessons based on their abilities. Managing behavior is no easy task; you need to create a safe and welcoming environment for the students to feel like they are part of the classroom. Teachers need to be able to deliver content in a way students will be able to comprehend no matter what level they might be at. An outstanding teacher always plans before delivering a lesson, strives to improve, and uses many different strategies to teach. Collaboration is key to growing as a first
A learning style is an individual’s unique approach to learning based on strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. There are three primary ways in which a person can learn. Those include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. A visual learner is known to absorb more information by utilizing visual aids such as graphs, charts, or index cards. Auditory learners prefer to hear the information to learn it. Kinesthetic learners use more of a hands-on approach by touching or doing. I considered each of these learning styles before attending the American Public University System to get a degree online.
What are "learning styles"? The topic of learning styles has been discussed throughout the academic world for several years, but do we really understand how it affects the way students learn? From public school to higher education, different learning styles can be found everywhere. The three main types of learning styles are visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic (hands on) . Each style reflects the main ability of how the individual learns best. Visual learners need to see the speaker and watch facial expressions in order to comprehend the material. They learn best from visual displays and often prefer to take detailed notes during lectures. According to researchers , visual
According to Li et al., 2014, “learners have their preferred ways of perceiving, organizing and retaining information that are distinct and consistent. Consequently, individuals favor particular methods of interacting with, taking in, and processing stimuli and information when they learn” (p.230). There are a number of methods to determine an individual’s preferred learning style. Some of the tools available are, The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS), the Visual, Aural, Read/write, and Kinesthetic inventory (VARK) model, the Index of Learning Styles (ILS), and the Learning Style Inventory are among the many other online assessments an individual could