Reflection On Education

What is the main argument the author makes and how does it apply to contemporary education?

In school everyone learns differently; however, according to the article The Myth of Learning Styles, “The idea of learning styles is based on a theory… developed in the early 1980’s.” (pg 1.) A lot has certainly changed from the 1980’s as we learn new more material in every class we take. With this being said, someone the scientists referred to in the article “assumed” that learning styles challenged the way of the educational system when in reality, it is simply a myth. Students, like myself, only prefer to process information that they find useful or interesting to him or her. Thus giving us the problems of that teachers may take too long to cover one idea, and students may miss out out on information because he or she did not prefer that learning style.

Being aware of learning style is beneficial for individuals in both teaching and learning roles. By knowing personal strengths and preferences, the learner is able to devise ways to augment and tailor the way in which information is received and processed regardless of the way it is presented. With that being said, those that are in teaching positions must make the realization that not everyone learns in the same manner. Being aware of this will lead the teacher to discover new ways to present information in a way that will address the needs of all members of the class. If all parties involved are knowledgeable of prominent styles within a group; the teaching learning environment can be much more effective.

It’s important for me to identify my ‘Learning Style’ because it maximises my own personal learning; Honey and Mumford states ‘’each learner ought to understand their learning style and seek out opportunities to learn using that style’’ to do this. I’d say I’m very particular about the way I go about learning and I am not entirely open-minded in my approach to

From an early age I found learning hard and in my early educational years I

i. Understanding the learners learning styles can make my course to be engaging. Flemming (1987) noted three different styles of learning; visual, kinaesthetic and aural. In order to know which method(s) to use to benefit my students the first lesson on my course will centre around discussions on what they already know, the resources they are familiar with, and a learning style questionnaire which will provide me with information on preferred learning styles. Effectiveness can also be enhanced if I adapt my teaching style to give maximum benefit to learners.

Understanding learning styles can help in the development of self-learning and influence the teaching strategies that may be used in helping others understand new matter. For example, when teaching the VARK learning style having the learner complete the VARK questionnaire so that they can develop an understanding of how they learn would be great. In the real world life application, it completing a learning styles assessment is just not practical. It is the responsibility of the teacher to develop multimodal ways to deliver information. It would include something like a lecture with a handout in a possible power point format that include diagrams of how the information may be applied and complete it with a discussion to cement the information. The lecture appeals to the aural learner. The power point aids the reader along with the visual learners. How to apply the information stimulates the kinesthetic learner and the completion with an open discussion cements the information and gives the aural learner a chance to

“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.

The learning style survey reflected that I am a strong visual learner. The survey was extremely accurate and has a strong correlation as to why certain subjects are easier for me to be successful in than others. For example, math is easier for me to grasp than literature based courses. Mathematics is comprised of complex formulas and diagrams. Explicit modeling must be done by the instructor (solving problems on the board and drawing diagrams) in order to effectively teach math. This is a direct contrast to literature instruction.

This almost seems like one of those times that discussing something and hearing about a similar idea later is more than coincidence. In an almost serendipitous turn of events, I have spent the week discussing with teachers the importance of differentiation, and more importantly, the adherence to presenting material in more than one way through our professional learning communities. This was along similar lines to Gardner’s work with learning styles as discussed by Hattie in Visible Learning (2012). The connection stems from Hattie’s assertion that not all learning styles are equal and that visual and auditory are more prevalent than others in our society. This is not to say that others are less important, but rather that some occur as strengths

Learning styles and barriers to learning can be by the VARK to give a profile of learning preferences of how a person takes in and gives out information or Tidwell and Rodgers Practical learning styles Questionnaire. The VARK learning styles determines if the person learns by being a theorist, reflector, activist and/or pragmatist. The practical learning styles questionnaire looks at how people learn by their orientation, whether they are a realistic or creative, by their interaction, are they a doer or a thinker, by how they represent things, either by words or pictures, and how they process information, whether they are a surface or deep processor. There are many other

After reading the descriptions of the learning styles, do you agree with the results? Why or why not?

I like the theme that Patrick O’Malley describes in his article because I am now a student and my son is a pupil too. I also like the logical sequence of this article. He tried to write this article in logical sequence, although there are weak points in it too. He clearly described the problem and what solutions he sees. The examples given in the article confirm that he carried out research in this matter.

Learning styles is one of the ways schools have changed over the past couple of years in regards to diversity. The varieties of learning styles of students have become more

In fact, I realized, as I continued to read, my teachers did a lot of modeling and demonstrations on completing a task. In addition, they had the ability to adjust learning to their students learning need and style, even though learning styles were not part of the system yet (Hamond et al., n.d.). Therefore, much of my teaching mimics how I learned from those teachers. I believe in guiding my students toward discovery on their own; therefore, my lessons were thought out, so they encompassed each student’s learning style. I taught 6th-grade social studies, not an exhilarating course to garner excitement.