I always wondered why most students would have difficulty in understanding a concept or a lesson especially in Math, say for example adding dissimilar fractions. The process is dead simple; convert the fraction to become similar fractions by getting the LCD and proportional change thereafter for the numerator, then proceed as in adding similar fraction. Make sure to reduce the sum to the lowest term. This is taught as early as Grade 3 or Grade 4.
I am not being too jutting but imagine my frustrations where even Grade 10 students will have difficulty answering them. I am even aghast by the fact that I knew a couple of people who are college graduates not able to correctly execute such simple task.
Well, Mr. George Roberts at least helped me understand my seemingly shameful behavior. The whole video can be viewed from here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtT31Sn1Ukk
Mr. Roberts touched on different facets of learning proving that indeed learning is a complicated process. He helped me understand that there are different types of learners and each of them may learn differently according to different approaches such as the depth, presentation, direction, purpose, sequence, etc. Learning approaches and views indeed, as what he cited in some examples, may even have implications on different policies and how things are done.
The lecturer provided a remark on the differences of the learning style of the learner and the learning style of the teacher. So that brought me to the next question.
What kind of learner am I?
Bringing back to my subconscious, I have forcibly categorized myself as logical-visual-spatial type of learner. I am good at pattern recognition so I can be an inductive type of learner. I might excel in problem based learning approach. That is probably why I belong to the upper class in Math.
As the lecture progresses, a question is building up on my mind. As a teacher, what approach should you use in teaching your students taking into account that your student may have a different learning style than you are.
So what is the style?
At the end of the lecture, Mr. Robert suggested to keep the learning within your style but you don’t expect everyone to like that style. Having said that, it means, you may not be sure whether students having different preferred learning style will be able to maximize learning in your class.
Notwithstanding the differences in the learning style between you, the teacher, and your students, you might have difficulty in executing the learning process if you change your style just to suit the style of some of students. Chances are, you might end up messing with the lesson because the approach you have selected may not suit up for you thus will render you less effective. In your effort to cater some preferred learning style, your entire class may end up learning nothing at all.
Choosing your own preference as well will help you balance and maximize the possible benefit of your preference-abilities tandem thereby maximizing learning potential for the whole class.
As the question in the famous radio program in Cebu, how about you, what’s the style?
iambognan 