LEARNING STYLES
Visual
Audio
(Reading)
Kinaesthetic
OR in layman terms See, Hear, Do/Feel
If we include all these mediums in our lesson we should catch everyone! But it is more complicated than that of course. Reece & Walker (2007: 141) talk about learning styles and strategies and how each style lends itself to material being presented or communicated in particular ways. "Students are intrinsically different and have different preferred learning styles" is one underpinning concept talked about. In coaching canoeing, by definition an active sport we would expect learners to learn by doing and doing is essential to check learning too! Part of the motivation for being a canoeist is to actually paddle surely! However I think we need to be able to learn in all ways and it very much depends on what we are ;learning. So some canoeist may well learn by watching Youtube videos of top slalom paddlers.
I want to teach mathematics. Learners will have to do that too, and by doing so will learn even if it is just by heart. So my point here is that it is how the teacher communicates that is the issue and that is where I think the VARK model comes in as well as the Honey and Mumford model talked about here with the picture below which I like.
Visual
Audio
(Reading)
Kinaesthetic
OR in layman terms See, Hear, Do/Feel
If we include all these mediums in our lesson we should catch everyone! But it is more complicated than that of course. Reece & Walker (2007: 141) talk about learning styles and strategies and how each style lends itself to material being presented or communicated in particular ways. "Students are intrinsically different and have different preferred learning styles" is one underpinning concept talked about. In coaching canoeing, by definition an active sport we would expect learners to learn by doing and doing is essential to check learning too! Part of the motivation for being a canoeist is to actually paddle surely! However I think we need to be able to learn in all ways and it very much depends on what we are ;learning. So some canoeist may well learn by watching Youtube videos of top slalom paddlers.
I want to teach mathematics. Learners will have to do that too, and by doing so will learn even if it is just by heart. So my point here is that it is how the teacher communicates that is the issue and that is where I think the VARK model comes in as well as the Honey and Mumford model talked about here with the picture below which I like.
In the above picture there is movement through the learning styles, which I have not seen before. In the coach education we talk about activists, reflectors, pragmatists and theorists noting that people may be one or more and this adjusting our communication/teaching styles to reflect learners needs. I have always thought that as learners, we change with our experiences of life and the roles we take on, so this idea that we move round the styles suits my thinking. In particular I managed an outdoor centre for 2.5 years. During that time I developed a pragmatic approach to problem solving, which previously I might have taken a more reflective theoretical approach to to achieve a more sustainable solution. However needs of an outdoor centre require immediate solutions, so a pragmatic, active approach is quicker and still solves the current issue.
The picture above simplifies that cyclic approach and could perhaps be aligned to Plan; Do; Review approach to teaching/coaching.
As a teacher I do need to be aware of these things but I am not sure whether telling the students is necessary, but perhaps an approach to improve their learning styles without them knowing may be more productive ....
As a teacher I do need to be aware of these things but I am not sure whether telling the students is necessary, but perhaps an approach to improve their learning styles without them knowing may be more productive ....