Learning Styles Analysis

 

Learning Styles Analysis

    The analysis and interpretation of data should support the fundamental purpose of assessment. And establishing and understanding where learners are in an aspect of their learning at the time of assessment is important. Data analysis can also help conclude what students know, what they should know, and what can be done to meet their academic needs. With appropriate investigation and understanding of data, teachers can make educated decisions that positively affect student growth (Lewis, Madison, Muoneke, Times, n.d.).

Data Collected from the Learning Style Inventory

     

 

Student A	Student B	Student C	Student D
Receiving Speech Services Is preforming at grade level	Receiving Speech Services and Resource for ELL Is preforming below grade level	Receiving Speech Services  Is preforming at grade level Has trouble focusing	Works hard but struggles academically Is preforming below grade level
Auditory Learner 4/4          0/4  Visual Learner 0/4         4/4  Kinesthetic Learner 1/4          3/4	Auditory Learner 4/4         0/4  Visual Learner 1/4          3/4 Kinesthetic Learner 1/4          3/4	Visual Learner 4/4           0/4  Kinesthetic Learner 4/4           0/4 Auditory Learner 4/4           0/4	Visual Learner 4/4           0/4 Auditory Learner 4/4           0/4  Kinesthetic Learner 1/4         3/4

 

      

            The above bar graph gives a visual representation of the four students that were given the learning style inventory.  There were four questions per learning style and as you can see, each student scored a 4/4 and is considered an auditory learner.  Student C needs help focusing, but benefits from all three types of learning styles. While Students A, B, and D all scored low in the kinesthetic section.  And after evaluating data teachers should determine the interconnection of learning styles and cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical development of the students.  Now, effective learning is not just about gaining new knowledge or skills. For learning to be effective, there needs to be interest, investment, and commitment. Learners must be engaged with the learning and they must interact with the content not only on a cognitive level but also on a behavioral and emotional level too (Boström & Lassen, 2006). And when thinking of learning styles in my classroom, each student has a unique way that they process and retain new information and skills. Bettina Brown, 2003, described the concept of learning style as “a unique way developed by students when he/she was learning new and difficult knowledge”. Learning style is about how students learn rather than what they learn. The learning process is different for each individual student. Even in the same educational environment, learning does not occur in all students at the same level and quality.  Plus, language skills and cognitive skills are related to each other. Stronger language skills mean stronger cognitive skills. Teachers don't just teach a list of facts; they teach students how to think (Boström & Lassen, 2006).

            Determining students’ learning styles provides information about their specific preferences. Understanding learning styles can make it easier to create, modify, and develop more efficient curriculum and educational programs. It can also encourage students’ participation in these programs and motivate them to gain new knowledge. Therefore, determining learning styles is quite valuable in order to achieve effective learning. And, researching learning styles provides data on how students learn and find answers to questions (Hawk, & Shah, 2007). For the auditory learners, they need to listen, speak, and interact in order to learn. They benefit from oral instruction, either from the teacher or from themselves. They also prefer to hear or recite information and benefit from auditory repetition. The visual learners like drawing, doodling, making posters, and using colors to think rather than using words. They also learn best by using images, pictures, colors, computers and any other visual media tools. They will frequently say “show me” when they want to learn something new. Kinesthetic learners are the most hands-on learning type. They learn best by doing and may get fidgety if forced to sit for long periods of time. Kinesthetic learners like to participate in activities or solve problems in a hands-on manner (Boström, & Lassen, 2006).

            Factoring for student interests works well with instructional planning based on readiness and learning profiles. Readiness combined with interest leads to students doing work at a respectable complexity level with the familiarity of a topic that they can relate to. For example, students could write persuasive reviews about games or items that they know, or they might explore science concepts through LEGO Robotics. Matching learning profiles with student interest allows learners to process understanding of concepts through different modalities based on their own experiences. One example is students watching videos, listening to speakers, and journaling to make comparisons between topics and events. Also, give students choices based on a variety of interests. Many students may share common ground, which means that there's often something for everyone. For individuals with serious disengagement issues, I've planned activities around their interests, either as a targeted readiness activity or as something the whole class could experience. The benefit is that disengaged students will make the connections they need, and the others get to see the learning target from a new perspective (Cox, 2008).

            Address all learning styles when developing and implementing assessments for the students is important. Students have different habits and a learning style of their own, and teachers invest a lot of effort into helping them achieve the best possible results. If learning is approached in the right way, the students will achieve better results not only in school, but also later in life. Of course, in order to know how to accommodate different learning styles in the classroom, teachers need to know how to recognize the children’s affinities and determine the best approach (Hawk & Shah, 2007). As stated, visual learners learn best through illustrations, animations, video recordings, charts, and photos that help them memorize information visually. This approach generally makes it easier for students to learn new things they have never heard of before. For example, younger students can be shown a globe in order to understand the concept of planet Earth and its elements. Now, auditory learning is based on the use of speech, music and sounds. Although this method seems like the most traditional approach to learning, combining sounds with the required information can take different forms. For example, information from a lesson can be associated with sounds to facilitate learning and by listening to how a word is pronounced can help (Boström & Lassen, 2006). And finally, kinesthetic learners often learn through touch, the manipulation of objects, repeated movements, etc. Learning in this way is often based on a great number of attempts in order to perfect something or reach a solution. Such as, playing an instrument or practicing a sport. In the chart below, you will find ways to accommodate the different learning styles in the classroom.

Visual Learners	Auditory Learners	Kinesthetic Learners
·         Using graphical representation of learning materials through drawings, photos of charts   ·         Asking students to draw the most important elements of the lesson they have covered with the teacher.   ·         Marking parts of text using different colored pens to facilitate memorization.   ·         Drawing a “comic” with “characters” from the lesson (these can be letters, numbers, historical figures, chemical elements…)   ·         Making reminders on differently colored papers to assist in studying. ·         Creating PowerPoint presentations with a lot of photographs and letters in different font styles and sizes.	Using different sounds to explain a lesson, where each character in the story is represented by a different musical instrument.   Memorizing information through rhyming or singing.   Learning aloud   Mastering tasks through group discussions.   Making audio recordings of lessons for repeated listening. Learning using audiobooks          Listening to music during work time.	·         Using various objects during lessons (touching rocks, making tools, cooking, etc.).   ·         Role-playing   ·         Learning through play with clearly set rules (e.g., learning numbers through playing hopscotch).   ·         Creating collages and drawings based on the topic of the lesson.   ·         Connecting physical movement with learning:  learning while standing up or walking (Caviglioli, & Harris, 2003).

         Overall, efficient teachers know how to choose and use different learning styles in their classroom. This is where the combining of learning styles in the classroom so that each student’s specific traits and interests are represented comes into focus. Coming up with a high-quality program and good classroom management are important aspects that contribute to the students’ development, and helping them to become excellent learners.  

 

  References

Boström, L., & Lassen, L. M. (2006). Unraveling learning, learning styles, learning strategies and meta‐cognition. Education+ Training.

Brown, B. L. (2003). Teaching style vs. learning style. Myths and realities, 26(1).

Caviglioli, O., & Harris, I. (2003). Thinking visually: Step-by-step exercises that promote visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning. Pembroke Publishers Limited.

Cox, S. G. (2008). Differentiated instruction in the elementary classroom. The Education Digest, 73(9), 52.

Hawk, T. F., & Shah, A. J. (2007). Using learning style instruments to enhance student learning. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 5(1), 1-19.

Lewis, D., Madison, R., Muoneke, A., & Times, C.(n.d.). Using data to guide instruction and improve student learning.  SEDL Letter Archive. https://sedl.org/pubs/sedl-letter/v22n02/using-data.html