Learning Style Analysis

 

  Teaching to each student can be a tricky process. By understand their learning styles and background, we as teachers can better accommodate to our students.  I had administered a learning inventory assessment last week from Georgia Department of Education (2020). This assessment was based on the learning styles using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning. This was a 14-question assessment that determined which type of learning style worked best for them. Here are the results:

 Each student showed a learning style that works best for them. Student 1 scored highest on the visual learning. Student 2 scored highest on kinesthetic learning. Lastly, Student 3 scored highest on visual learning.

Interconnections between learning styles and developments of the students:

 Student 1 is from a lower socio-economic status. He is below grade level in his reading and scored below average on his state testing in reading. He has high attendance and his at school regularly. According to this assessment, he scored the highest on visual learning. According to Kelly Roell (2019), visual learners make up about 65% of your class. These students are good direction followers. They are great organizers, can see words from a book in their mind, and tend to visualize objects. This is a great example of Student 1. He is very organized, is kind, and follows directions very well. Some strategies that we could use to help with his reading might be:

-          Incorporating more color into class lessons and presentations

-          Give written instructions and expectations

-          Use videos to help explain the lessons

-          Vary teacher read alouds with silent reading time (Roell, 2019)

Each of these strategies might reinforce visual learners when trying to increase reading scores.

             Student 3 also scored highest on visual learning; Student 3 is below grade level in her reading as well. She is on grade level for her math and struggles with writing. She has scored below grade level on her spelling tests throughout the year. Her attendance is high, and she participates well in class discussions. By using these strategies for Student 3 as well, we can determine using assessments if she is able to catch up to her grade level in reading, writing, and spelling.        

Student 2 scored highest on kinesthetic learning. Student 2 is below grade level in both math and reading. She is a hard worker and tries to do well. She lacks participation because she does not understand the concept. Students with kinesthetic learning styles have a hard time in traditional lecture-based schooling because their body is not doing something to make the connection (Roell, K., 2018). This could be why Student 2 does not participate in classroom discussions, rather than not understanding the concept. Students who are kinesthetic learners have good hand-eye coordination, good at sports, high energy, and quick reactions. Some strategies for students that are kinesthetic learners might be:

-          Standing up at your desk while learning

-          Change up your writing tools while you read- underline passages in books and papers

-          Use tension and relaxation while you study

-          Use exercise while studying or during lessons (Roell, K., 2018).

           Each of these strategies might be effective for the kinesthetic learner in your classroom. This learning styles inventory could be administered to a whole class and the data could be analyzed to help with differentiating teaching styles to the learners. After learning about strategies and traits of each type of learner, teachers can use appropriate teaching methods in order to accommodate.

   Addressing learning styles when developing and implementing assessments: 

Rhoda P. Erhardt (2014) discusses this. She says, “Teachers, therapists, and parents who want to teach academic, motor, and self-help skills to children effectively need an individualized assessment methodology that (a) identifies preferred learning styles, (b) contains correlated teaching strategies, and (c) provides ways to evaluate results of the selected intervention strategies in order to adapt or modify them. Thus, tests must be both qualitative (to individualize learning modes), and quantitative (to measure progress). By using her steps of teaching to the learning style of the student, using correct strategies, using interventions as necessary based on informal assessments, and using qualitative and quantitative data on the test, we can make sure we are meeting the needs of our learners.

 

References

Erhardt, R. P. (2014). The Process of Creating a Learning-Teaching Style Assessment: A Checklist for Documenting Observations and Teaching Strategies. Comprehensive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.2466/07.IT.3.11

Georgia Department of Education. (2020). Learning style inventory. Retrieved on April 28, 2021 from https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Documents/IDEAS%202014%20Handouts/LearningStyleInventory.pdf

Roell, K. (2018, Sept. 11). The kinesthetic learning style: traits and study strategies. ThoughtCo. Retrieved on May 5, 2021 from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-kinesthetic-learning-style-3212046

Roell, K. (2019, Aug. 15). The visual learning style. ThoughtCo. Retrieved on May 5, 2021 from https://www.thoughtco.com/visual-learning-style-3212062