Teach Middle East Magazine September 2014 Issue 1 Vol. 2 | Page 27

Sharing Good Practice

LEARNING STYLES MATTER
By Bettina Fuentes

O

ne of the most important
elements of a classroom is
the activities that are used to
facilitate learning. A challenge
many educators face is figuring out
how to ensure that all students are
given equal learning opportunities,
especially since they learn in different
ways. It therefore helps to use some of
the valuable time in the first few days of
returning to school to conduct a learning
style survey of your students. Once this
is done, you can then plan your lessons
according to the kinds of learning styles
that are in your classroom.

Next, know your teaching style.
Many of us teach according to how we
learn most effectively. Being a visual
learner, I tend to use many visual aids,
posters, and pictures to illustrate my
lessons.
Unfortunately, an aural or
kinesthetic learner in my class is going to
need more than that to comprehend the
key concepts of the lesson. Therefore, I
have to make a conscious effort to cater
to the other learning styles which may be
present in my classroom. Here are just
some of the things that we as teachers can
do to ensure we are catering to as many of
our students’ learning styles as possible:

Why are learning styles important?
Learning styles determine how a
student acquires and processes the
information given in the classroom. If a
student is unable to do this effectively,
the lesson is lost and the student’s
achievement will suffer.

Visual:
Visual students process information
using sight. They should be placed
near the front of the classroom so
that other students or objects do
not distract them. When teaching
vocabulary, a good strategy for visual
learners is to show them the word
accompanied by a picture or illustration
of the word. Math teachers should use
a document projector to show stepby-step solutions to problems. Subject
area content should be enhanced with
the use of video clips, slide shows,
presentations and pictures.

What are the basic learning styles?
Learning styles basically encompass
three basic senses: Visual, Auditory and
Kinesthetic. There are other researchers
who propose far more categories but
for this article I will focus primarily on
these three. By reflecting on students
in your past classes, you can probably
identify some students as ‘always out
of their seat’, ‘always making noises’,
or ‘always drawing/doodling on their
papers’. These are some of the outward
clues which can help in identifying your
students’ learning styles.

Auditory/Aural:
Students in this category need to hear
information in order to process it. They
are the learners who will need to sit
close enough to hear
the
information,

but do not necessarily need a clear
line of vision. An effective vocabulary
lesson for auditory learners includes
choral repitition and spelling of words
and definitions. Math lessons should
include narration of each step in
the problem-solving process. Audio
clips, songs, mnemonic devices
and speeches will ease the learning
process for these learners in all other
subjects.
Kinesthetic:
Many younger students fall into the
kinesthetic category. These students
should be allowed to have controlled
movement during lessons in order to
allow their learning process to take
place (i.e. squeezing stress balls,
sitting on alternative seating such as
a gym ball, or standing at their desk).
A kinesthetic vocabulary activity might
include spelling out words using
letter tiles or even paper plates with
letters on them. Improved retention
of math concepts can be gained by
using manipulatives such as cubes or
counters. All kinesthetic learners will
benefit from dramatization activities,
interactive games and scavenger hunts.
Where can you find learning style
surveys?
They are as close as your computer.
Some good websites to try are varklearn.com, ldpride.net, and edutopia.
org. Use and modify these surveys to fit
your students. Younger children should
be asked fewer, simpler questions,
while Cycle 2 and 3 students can
take a complete survey. Feel free to
share these websites with your Arabic
colleagues as these surveys can also
be translated into Arabic.
Learning and using a variety of learning
styles in your classroom has the added
benefit of expanding your teaching
experience. Don’t be afraid to think
outside your own learning style – you
will find the new skills rewarding!

Class Time

September 2014

25