Learning Styles

So far in my study, both theoretical and practical, I have established an understanding that every student is unique and different in a variety of ways, including learning styles. Various theorists have differing views and opinions regarding this, but the one thing they do agree on is that each learner relies on different learning styles to engage them in a learning journey.

To reinforce this, I undertook the Memletics Learning Style Test (http://www.learning-styles-online.com/). This graph (right) is a representation of the results showing my dominante learning styles.

From the test, it appears to be evident that I learn best by physically doing things, socially and verbally. It also shows my weaker learning styles to be visual and logical. I feel that a short multi-choice test like this, at the start of a school year, could be beneficial for a learning manager to begin a profile of their new learning cohort.

Catering for a variety of learning styles in a classroom can be a difficult thing to do for any teacher, especially in the past. As we move on to a new century of technology and opportunity though, more tools are becoming available to support the delivery of learning to help cater for a diverse classroom. The introduction of ICT's allow teachers and learners a greater opportunity to interact with learning in a way that enhances engagement for the learners and extends learning opportunities.

With this in mind, although technology has the potential to increase and enhance learning experiences, a teacher needs to be technologically literate and have an understanding of its use and purpose in the classroom. Although there are many great tools available, being critical is important to provide meaningful and intended learning. It is also important to remember that these are great tools, but they do not override the importance of teacher-student learning opportunities.