In a classroom of 25 students (this is considered maximum class size in my district), you will have a mix of learning styles present. Many students will typically have a dominant learning style. Sometimes you will have students that do well with any learning style. Still others may have two that are equally dominant. In any event, it is helpful to understand and know what types of learners are in your classroom so that you can design instruction that will help them learn.
It is also important to know where a student is developmentally so that their learning style can be addressed appropriately within their developmental profile (Darling-Hammond, et al., n.d.). For example, a child that is a kinesthetic/tactile learner would benefit from some sort of movement, written expression, or manipulative incorporated into their learning. But it would not be developmentally appropriate to have a kindergarten student take notes during a lesson. This is an extreme example, but it shows that not all strategies will fit all learners. If a 4th grade student is functioning developmentally at a 1st grade level, then having them read a 4th grade level text out loud to the class would not be an appropriate strategy for them as an auditory learner. So it is important to ensure that the strategy being used is developmentally appropriate for the student.
All students in the identified group are kinesthetic or tactile learners as a primary learning style (the grey bar in Learning Style Survey #1 and the dark green portion of the bar in Learning Style Survey #2). For these students, several different strategies would be helpful to consider integrating when planning lessons. One that would be beneficial to use with this group of students is a gallery walk activity. The students walk around the room with post-it notes and answer questions that are posted in different places. Students answer each question on their post-it note and leave it at the station. Another activity that would be an effective strategy is to provide the students with manipulatives, a hands-on device or item that helps them visualize the information. Particularly useful during math lessons, manipulatives give the students something that they can touch to activate tactile learning. As a secondary learning styles, many of the students are auditory learners (the pink bar in both survey graphics). These learners would benefit from proximity to the instruction and repetition of instructions, as well as read-alouds rather than reading content silently.
At the beginning of the year I give all of my students an interview to fill out with their parents. Their parents also get one. This interview is an attempt to capture information on student interests, family traditions, cultural information, family make-up, student hobbies, activities, etc. I then can utilize this information as I am planning so that I can try to incorporate things that would be more engaging to my students. I also look at past years’ data to determine what they students areas of strength are and areas in which they could use additional support. This would include looking at test scores from prior years, discipline data, and any teacher notes that are in the student’s file.
To address multiple learning styles within assessments, one way would be to offer multiple ways for students to express their knowledge, such as a choice board or a tic-tac-toe board (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, n.d.). This would incorporate a visual design to the assessment map and would include multiple means of expression for the students to choose from. Using colorful images, maps, charts, or different fonts would appeal to visual learners. Having parts of the assessment read aloud or include listening as part of the assessment would be appropriate for aural learners. Kinesthetic learners would benefit from having a fidget in their hands in addition to a way to act out or demonstrate what they know.
Resources:
Anne Arundel County
Public Schools Division of Special Education. (2013). The learning and
behavior connection: a resources to enhance academic achievement through
proactive behavior management. Anne Arundel County Public Schools. https://www.aacps.org/cms/lib/MD02215556/Centricity/Domain/238/learningbehavior.pdf
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. (n.d.). How to accommodate different learning styles. Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts. https://www.umassd.edu/dss/resources/faculty-staff/how-to-teach-and-accommodate/how-to-accommodate-different-learning-styles/
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