Assignment 4.2
The strongest learning experience that I have had this far in my course work is the realization that not only are there different learning styles, but that I myself do not have just one preferred style. When I took the various learning style assessments they all four told me that I very much had an even split between auditory, visual, and tactile learning style preferences. I can now see why I have been able to adapt to many different teaching styles while others have seemed to struggle.
By know knowing that my learning style preferences are varied I can improve my learning in the future by using varied approaches to study and learn. By evaluating the information I need to learn and determining which learning style will suit me the best for retaining the knowledge in my long term memory. I can then use for instance verbal sorting to help memorize the blood flow through the heart to long term memory. Thus tapping into my auditory learning style preference.
One discovery that I have made is that by watching my students I have been able to better understand their individual learning preferences and adjust my lesson plans to better accommodate them. By realizing that quite a few of my students seem to lean toward the tactile or kinesthetic learning style I have found that during lecture I am involving them more in a discussion format and having the student actually give the presentation to the class instead of myself. This allows the student to be up moving around and explaining what they understand about the subject. The other learning style preferences students also seem to be benefiting by the use of laptops to take lecture notes. They can follow along with the PowerPoint making notes in the notes section and then print it out later if needed to study. Also the use of interactive simulation models on the computer have benefited the students and I would like to find more for them to use in order to keep the learning interesting for them.
Hi Jennifer, I too have switched my teaching over to student centered learning. In my pathology class I have assigned each of them the diseases per chapter. This was my first time doing this and I loved it. Each student is coming up front to the class and doing a presentation. They are using power point, posters, diagrams and handouts. It has worked out well.
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