LEARNING STYLES

LEARNING STYLES

Developing a keen understanding of the learners for success

Experience does not come by the number of years that a teacher served in the field. Instead it is more about what the teacher has learned and how to apply. As teachers we need to understand that one student’s road map will not be identical for all the students. For teachers it’s important to know the ways that students learn best. The teacher should plan varied approaches to what students need to learn, how they will learn, and/ or how they will show what they have learned in order to increase how much they learn. Catering for individual needs arise because teachers need to respond effectively to student’s readiness level, interest and learning profiles. The varied approaches that the teacher takes into a classroom should meet the needs of all the students.

What is learning styles?

Learning styles refers to the way that students gather and assimilate information. It’s the best way that once can use the knowledge in a specific way.  The ways that people go about gathering and interpreting information can be surprisingly different. Different students use different styles, it can be either one style or a combination of different styles. “Research shows that people have different preferences and strengths in how they take in, and process, information. These preferences are sometimes referred to as learning styles and are used to describe and help us understand the different ways in which different people learn” (Research Summary… para.1)

Teaching to students learning styles

Students come from various diverse backgrounds and this differs in their way of learning and instruction to which they respond. How can we teach students if we do not know how they learn? How can we improve the performance if we don’t know how to enhance their performance? According to Stahl’s article researchers have been unable to find that assessing students learning styles and matching it to instructional methods has any effect on their learning. (Stahl, 1999)

It’s important for the teachers to identify the needs of the learners, capacities, potentials and learning preference in order to give the best to the students. Otherwise teaching may become a futile process if these needs are not met.

Do Individual learning styles matter?

Several studies measured using varieties of models in 1970’s proved that students have benefited from learning how they learn and how their patterns differ from those of the other students (Felder, 2010).

Individual learning styles is important to determine how students learn best and to let them do at their best level and enhance their confidence. Use of learning styles in education suggests that teachers need to assess their students learning style and adjust it to their classroom methods to accommodate all the learners or fit each students learning style. This basically believes in providing an inclusive education for all the learners. Hilgersom Volk quotes Gregorc's strong statement concerning the application of learning style theory: “First, teachers must learn to honour their own individual learning styles. Second, teachers must attempt to facilitate the true ability of the learner. Not to do so has serious implications. 'To purposefully cause mental distress by presenting materials in ways that they (learners) cannot truly fashion and handle, is indeed a moral issue (p. 4).”  (Yamagishi, 1990).There is enough evidence to show that individuals differ in their thinking and ways of processing various types of information. Among all, few studies have reliably tested the power of using learning styles in education. This shows that whether the use of learning styles can be used in classrooms. Critics have argued on the point that there is no such evidence which proves, identifying students individual learning styles produces better outcome (Learning Styles, 2013). Moreover well-designed studies reveals that students learn best if the method used is appropriate for the students learning styles.

Matching teaching and learning styles will improve students’ performance. Educators can use their knowledge of learning styles to develop effective classroom management skills and open a meaningful dialogue with parents. Educators also enjoy increased professionalism and confidence. Improved communication with colleagues will help educators discover the power of working in teams.