Chapter 4: Question 11: Should a teacher focus on students’ learning style?

Naomi Onike

          Chapter 4: Question 11:    Should a teacher focus on students’ learning style?

Learning styles pertain to consistent patterns of behaviors and performance one uses to acquire learning.   It has been broken down into different components as follows

·        Physical Settings; involve amount of light, temperature, sound or design

·        Social setting; whether individual like to study alone or in groups

·        Learning Senses; visual (reading, watching a video)

·        Auditory; listening

·        Kinesthetic; practicing, role playing

·        Tactile; writing, building, or constructing

·        Cognitive learning style; sequential learner or analytical, left-brained and Global learner.

The reality is that individuals are not limited to just one component of learning style in their quest to acquire knowledge.  Some may perform well under two or three components or even more.  To restrict students just to learning style that is theirs will be a huge mistake.  All the same, it is necessary for teachers to understand the learning styles of their students.  This will help the teacher know how to plan lessons in order to accommodate the styles of their students. 

Ch. 4- # 2: Recognizing Deficiency and Difference Orientation in your own teaching.

According to Noel (2008), deficiency orientation is when a student is lacking something and the teacher feels the student should have it in order to succeed properly. From my experience as a math teacher, a couple of my accelerated math students take a lot of time to finish a task. I always assumed that this delay is because of their lack of interest in math, and also the lack of content knowledge. Later, I came to know that the two students are interested in math but their pace of learning and working is low compared to other accelerated students. Also, I have another Hispanic student who is not succeeding in my math class and I assumed that he is not succeeding because he doesn’t like school at all. Later, I realized that he is not succeeding in math because he has so many family problems. As Noel (2008) stated, deficiency orientation is very dangerous because teachers end up blaming the students’ failure in school on wrong assumptions rather than knowing the students’ learning needs and personal issues.

According to Noel (2008), difference orientation means the teacher sees the students’ characteristics as different, not deficient. After a few weeks of teaching experience, I started to see my students’ characteristics as different, not deficient. I have a student who is in my regular math class, and he is a special needs student. He just moved in from a different state. It is very hard to keep him on task, and I tried many different ways. However, none of my techniques worked. Then, I realized that he can be kept on task by giving him rewards. He is good at math, but he finishes his task only if he gets a reward.

In my perspective, every child is different in their learning style. As a teacher, we should use the difference orientation rather than deficiency orientation.

9. Learning Styles and Intelligences Emphasized in Schools

When I was in highschool I really struggled with Math.  My teachers always used one method to teach math.  They would stand in front of the class and teach from the overhead.  I never would pay attention and my mind would wonder off as the teacher was lecturing.   Our desks were in straight rows and facing the front of the room.  She taught from the textbook and gave practice problems from the book.  This method did nothing for my learning style. Not everyone learns the old fashioned way.   In today's math class students are able to be reached in a variety of ways.  We have various technologies that keep the students attention.  I do not think my  math teacher every did  cooperative grouping learning where we could teach each other and share examples. 
At Lilburn the teachers have a variety of  methods for keeping the students attention.  The students are able to interact in the classroom at various levels and this helps with comprehension.  Most of the desks are arranged in groups.  Students are given hands on manipulatives to work with.  The textbook that is used can be accessed from  home and it has a tutorial video that mirrors the lesson for that day.  Also it has video interactive games for the students.  They can take practice quizzes and complete practice problems.  I wish this technology was available when I was a student in high school.  Teachers today are able to reach the whole child with a series of strategies that help students to make connections with the lesson.