The term “learning style” has been so widely used that honestly it is hard to know what the term means anymore. I wince each time I use “learning style” when writing about learning profiles. I’ve written about how individuals take in information about the world and how they order that information, yet when I researched the profiles, the term “learning style” was used to describe them.
“Learning style” is also used to describe the three primary modalities, which are the pathways into the brain or, how information is best absorbed and how people remember best. “Learning style” is also used to describe the various ways in which individuals can concentrate best (taken from Kenneth and Rita Dunn’s work). “Learning style” is used when we talk about Gardener’s theory of multiple intelligences, and finally “learning style” is used when we enter a discussion about whether a person is global or sequential in how he or she views life.
I’m going to reveal yet another pet peeve (in addition to “learning styles” being used to mean everything). Back in the day when Howard Gardener’s MI theory was hot new news, I was in graduate school absorbing everything I could about being a super teacher to every type of learner. We studied all the learning theories and of course had to create lessons that utilized these in creative ways. I remember observing a classmate of mine frantically demonstrating her lesson in class. She had chosen the MI to showcase and what she had done was try and teach the lesson in ways that would appeal to all seven intelligences. She had music playing, was using colorful pictures, was doing acrobatics, etc. I wonder how many classmates decided on the spot that they were finished with caring about learning styles if this sort of lesson would become the standard for what was best practice in the classroom!
My pet peeve about MI is that it is common for adults to think that they have to teach to all the intelligences. The problem with that notion is that parents and teachers themselves are not gifted in all 7-8 ways! So how is this helpful to their students?
What made the most sense to me about Howard Gardener’s work was that it helped make clear the various ways in which children can be gifted – NOT the ways in which they learn. I did many hours of formal observation with the students I had at the time (preschool) and benefitted tremendously from having these adorable guinea pigs to try my innovative lessons on. I decided that what I needed to do was teach to the three modalities (more on this later) and let the students respond and show their learning from within their own natural giftedness or intelligence.
This worked wonders because I got to teach in a way that didn’t involve tap dancing to music while teaching and my students enjoyed “school” far more because they were encouraged to work from within their best ability.
For an example of how this can work, let’s go back several years. I was teaching 6th grade social studies. The setting was colonial America. We studied the required stuff out of their textbook, with me trying my best to teach to the three modalities, but what made this unit shine is that rather than assigning one identical project to every child in the class, I encouraged children to create their project using the structure that appealed to them the most. The requirement was that they show their new-found knowledge very clearly and completely. In other words, their projects would be graded for excellence of content, but they could choose how they shared that knowledge. This would be their assessment for the unit.
What resulted was so amazing. One girl (probably intrapersonal) chose to work alone and she wrote a diary from the viewpoint of a young girl who was heading west with her family in a wagon train. The diary was beautifully done with the cover burned a bit to make it look really old. One child made a TV screen out of a large cardboard box and did a newscast to share what he learned. Another child interviewed a classmate. They had chosen the questions and answers prior to their presentation so that they would be sure and cover all they wanted to cover. Some children created huge posters colorfully illustrated. One group of four children hosted a game show similar to Jeopardy. No two projects were alike! The class had multiple reviews of the material we studied, no one was bored, and by sharing in a variety of ways and from within each child’s strength, learning was deepened.
Contrast this sort of learning assessment to the typical ones in which verbal presentations are required from all students whether or not they shine at giving speeches and everyone is ready to poke themselves with something sharp to keep from falling asleep by the time speech number 15 rolls around. Let alone speech number 25!
As homeschooling parents, you have the freedom to choose how you teach and what you cover. Take advantage of this by creating lessons that appeal to your children’s natural giftedness!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
“Learning style” is also used to describe the three primary modalities, which are the pathways into the brain or, how information is best absorbed and how people remember best. “Learning style” is also used to describe the various ways in which individuals can concentrate best (taken from Kenneth and Rita Dunn’s work). “Learning style” is used when we talk about Gardener’s theory of multiple intelligences, and finally “learning style” is used when we enter a discussion about whether a person is global or sequential in how he or she views life.
I’m going to reveal yet another pet peeve (in addition to “learning styles” being used to mean everything). Back in the day when Howard Gardener’s MI theory was hot new news, I was in graduate school absorbing everything I could about being a super teacher to every type of learner. We studied all the learning theories and of course had to create lessons that utilized these in creative ways. I remember observing a classmate of mine frantically demonstrating her lesson in class. She had chosen the MI to showcase and what she had done was try and teach the lesson in ways that would appeal to all seven intelligences. She had music playing, was using colorful pictures, was doing acrobatics, etc. I wonder how many classmates decided on the spot that they were finished with caring about learning styles if this sort of lesson would become the standard for what was best practice in the classroom!
My pet peeve about MI is that it is common for adults to think that they have to teach to all the intelligences. The problem with that notion is that parents and teachers themselves are not gifted in all 7-8 ways! So how is this helpful to their students?
What made the most sense to me about Howard Gardener’s work was that it helped make clear the various ways in which children can be gifted – NOT the ways in which they learn. I did many hours of formal observation with the students I had at the time (preschool) and benefitted tremendously from having these adorable guinea pigs to try my innovative lessons on. I decided that what I needed to do was teach to the three modalities (more on this later) and let the students respond and show their learning from within their own natural giftedness or intelligence.
This worked wonders because I got to teach in a way that didn’t involve tap dancing to music while teaching and my students enjoyed “school” far more because they were encouraged to work from within their best ability.
For an example of how this can work, let’s go back several years. I was teaching 6th grade social studies. The setting was colonial America. We studied the required stuff out of their textbook, with me trying my best to teach to the three modalities, but what made this unit shine is that rather than assigning one identical project to every child in the class, I encouraged children to create their project using the structure that appealed to them the most. The requirement was that they show their new-found knowledge very clearly and completely. In other words, their projects would be graded for excellence of content, but they could choose how they shared that knowledge. This would be their assessment for the unit.
What resulted was so amazing. One girl (probably intrapersonal) chose to work alone and she wrote a diary from the viewpoint of a young girl who was heading west with her family in a wagon train. The diary was beautifully done with the cover burned a bit to make it look really old. One child made a TV screen out of a large cardboard box and did a newscast to share what he learned. Another child interviewed a classmate. They had chosen the questions and answers prior to their presentation so that they would be sure and cover all they wanted to cover. Some children created huge posters colorfully illustrated. One group of four children hosted a game show similar to Jeopardy. No two projects were alike! The class had multiple reviews of the material we studied, no one was bored, and by sharing in a variety of ways and from within each child’s strength, learning was deepened.
Contrast this sort of learning assessment to the typical ones in which verbal presentations are required from all students whether or not they shine at giving speeches and everyone is ready to poke themselves with something sharp to keep from falling asleep by the time speech number 15 rolls around. Let alone speech number 25!
As homeschooling parents, you have the freedom to choose how you teach and what you cover. Take advantage of this by creating lessons that appeal to your children’s natural giftedness!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
