WORKSHOP 1 LEARNING STYLES

Coastline ROP Teacher

Mentor Workshop Series
2016-17
1

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES
Gain insight into your preferred learning styles
Discover the different varieties and flavors of learning styles
Learn how to incorporate them into your classroom

EVERYONE FALLS IN A SPECIAL PLACE ON THE

LEARNING SPECTRUM.

REFLECTION
Think about how you learn best.
What kind of presentations
techniques really get to you in the
classroom???

WHAT ARE LEARNING

STYLES
Learning styles are various
approaches that the brain takes in,
organizes, and processes
information.
They involve education methods,
particular to an individual, that are
presumed to allow that individual to
learn best.

YOUR LEARNING STYLE

Take this short quiz to determine what your learning style is.
Vark Questionnaire

FLEMINGS VARK MODEL

1. Visual Learners
2. Auditory Learners
3. Reading/Writing-preference learners
(Many dont include this as a separate category and call the rest the VAK model)

4. Kinesthetic Learners

VISUAL LEARNERS
Visual Learners prefer
Pictures, plots, charts, diagrams
Films, demonstrations
Memorizing information by visualizing the words
Making illustrations in notes
Concept maps

VISUAL LEARNERS
TEACHING STRATEGIES
Use multiple visual formats
Charts, presentation software, videos, notes, flipcharts, diagrams

Write goals/objectives of lesson on board

Open-ended creative questions
Leave white space on handouts for note taking
Invite questions to keep them alert
Use mind mapping

10

AUDITORY LEARNERS
Auditory Learners prefer:
Listening to lectures, not reading books
Listening to music while studying
Reading aloud to themselves
Oral exams

11

AUDITORY LEARNERS
TEACHING STRATEGIES
Enjoy traditional lectures
Individual conference
Allow thinking time to process information
Tasks calling for specific answers
Phrase information several different ways
Auditory activities like brainstorming or
jeopardy
Begin new material with what is coming
and conclude with what was covered
Give time to debrief in order to make
connections
12

READ/WRITE PREFERENCE
LEARNERS
Read/Write Learners prefer:
Written explanations
Reading books
Written notes
Post-it notes everywhere

13

READ/WRITE PREFERENCE
LEARNERS TEACHING
STRATEGIES
Give handouts with a lot of explanation
Let students write extensive notes
Create bullet point lists
Turn diagrams/charts into words
Put subheadings or descriptions of what chart means

Have dictionaries/thesaurus available

Vocabulary mnemonics
Re-write notes
14

KINESTHETIC LEARNERS
Kinesthetic Learners prefer:
Learning by doing things
Not sitting passively through lectures
Moving around while revising things
Experiments, group activities, etc.

15

KINESTHETIC LEARNERS
TEACHING
STRATEGIES
Experiential learning activities
Labs, education games

Simulations
Interactions with technology
Demonstrations
Role playing
Internships
Give frequent stretch/brain breaks
Have students transfer information to
another medium like a keyboard
16

OTHER STYLES
17

OTHER STYLES
These other styles may influence/and or be in conjunction with the
learning styles in the VARK model.

18

OTHER STYLES
Sequential Learners
Prefer a linear, step-by-step
process
Global Learners
Absorb information almost randomly without seeing the connections
and then suddenly get it

19

OTHER STYLES
Sensing Learners
AKA concrete learners
Like to solves facts
Prefer to use well established
methods
Are patient with details and
good at memorizing facts

Intuitive Learners
AKA abstract learners
Prefer discovering possibilities and relationships
Like innovations and dislike repetition
Grasp abstract concepts easily but have difficult memorizing facts.

Prefer observable, concrete

information
20

OTHER STYLES
Active Learners
Same as Kinesthetic
Understand by doing
Prefer to work in groups
Have difficulty sitting passively
through lectures

Reflective Learners
Thinking about information before applying it
Prefer working alone
Have less difficulty sitting through lectures

21

22

ACCOMMODATING
DIFFERENCES
Teaching strategies often reflect the
teachers learning preference.
We need to make sure that we use a
variety of strategies to accommodate all
our students personal learning
preferences in our lesson plans.
This will ensure that all students have the
opportunity to learn.

23

24

REFLECTION
Think of a recent class..
How did you present new material?
What methods did you use to help students learn?
Lecture, discussion, group work, etc.

What could you do differently?

25

HOW DO I KNOW?
Have you students take the online
learning style quiz
You can also ask them just like one of
the questions does on the 10 Tweets
handout

58

26

CONCLUSION
27

CONCLUSION
Dont change everything at once.
Be aware that people are a mix of various styles.
Just try one unique activity at a time and see what
works best for you and your class.

28

RESOURCES
VARK Quiz - Quiz
Learning Styles - Handout
Article highlighting the skepticism of learning styles Skepticism
Teaching approaches for Myers-Briggs Personality Test Myers Briggs

29