I have taken many tests and questionares about my learning styles, leadership styles, and personality type, but I feel like I am always all over the place on things. I have learned that I learn best in math when I see an example and then try things on my own. When receiving directions, I need to draw a picture and also move my hands in the directions I will be turning. If someone gives me verbal directions, they might as well have said, "blah, blah, blah, blah" because I just can not remember them. In math and science, I am a visual learner. I can read through the book or examples on my own and then do problems to practice. I know that I need to do examples and check them to make sure I understand. Additionally, notecards are also helpful and I learn best from them when I write down the answers. I have to write them down, just as I would for a test; it is not enough to look at the cards and say the answers aloud. When we would review for tests in my science class, I always could be the first to write down answers, but the last to get them out of my mouth. For math and science, I am a visual learner, but my attention span often gets the best of me and I need to begin doing something with the knowledge.
For anything other than math and science, I usuallly learn best when someone verbally explains things and lets me write down my own notes to refer back to. If it is not math and science, I do not prefer to read on my own as I would for math or science. Additionally, I do not need extensive directions because I enjoy exploring and doing things on my own. Currently, I struggle to read through all the directions tutorials in the assignments for my online class, but I am lucky to be taking the classes with someone who I can briefly discuss things with. The videos "In Plain English" have been the best for me because they are short, sweet, and to the point, and then I am able to look through things on my own.
My personal feeling about learning styles, is that I have just found a way to adapt to my teachers and learn. I have always felt that regardless of my teacher and what he or she does, I will take it upon myself to learn. Unfortunately, an online course provides you with that opportunity, but I have struggled to enjoy the freedom. What I am learning is that I prefer to have someone there as a reference for my questions because I get overwhelmed with too much reading or listening. Sometimes, I feel that there is so much in the sessions that I don't know where to focus my attention and I lose my desire to keep looking through the next clip and the next clip. I know that I am the kind of person who can't handle too many choices and I feel that this class gives us so many choices to pick from. I would rather pick one things and learn it well. If after a while, it doesn't provide me with what I need then I will search some where else or find a way to manipulate things.
I have been sitting infront of this one post for over an hour trying to determine my learning style and I don't feel like I have decided any more than I had an hour ago. Depending on what I am doing, I find that my learning style fluctuates. What is important to me is a focused content with the opportunity to explore within that area. But now I flip to the other side and feel that the most amazing thing about math is the ability to solve a problem in so many ways. However, my ability to solve an algebra problem from so many ways is that I had a focused and thorough understanding of the basics and as things become more complex, I am able to see the simplicities in a variety of ways. As a math teacher, I feel that many curriculums are a mile wide and an inch thick, and it makes it more difficult for students to see the beauty in solving problems in a variety of ways later. Now, I am on another topic and all over the place. . . but still haven't decided on my learning style. My final comment: Regardless of how my teacher teaches, I need time to process, and when I don't have that time, there isn't a learning style that can help me!
After reading this post, I would add, logical/mathematical and interpersonal to the list. If things get too overwhelming, and you need someone to talk to, I'm a phone call away. 989 288-4823
ReplyDeleteThanks! This year, I am at a new school where the expectations are much higher! During the week, I am overwhelmed creating lessons that are more engaging and suitable for the students. I have a double period math class that I create a new lesson for after looking at the work each night. I don't get to this class until the weekend and that is just not enough time. I find out so many cool and interesting things that I don't have time to explore it all. I have found that with the push for integrating technology they don't give us enough time. On one of the videos of the 21st teacher, they kept putting up how many hours they spend searching for things. When I started teaching, I could look over the material and prepare a lesson in no time. Now, I spend endless amounts of time making things more interactive. But my questions is. . . WHAT IS MORE INTERACTIVE? Students coming to the board. . . they can come to the chalk board. Steaming the internet. . . you can do that with a projector. Polling students. . . I can do that with "Thumbs up, Thumbs down. My personal feeling is that until students' notes become interactive it isn't meaningful. When my lessons become "too interactive" with bells and whistle, students don't know what to write down, or I get "Ms. Loznak, I can't do that on my paper." Don't get me wrong, I love my Promethean Board, but I love it because I can record lessons when I am gone or because everything is streamed to one place from the computer or dvd player. I am trying to infuse technology, but I have so many new ideas from this class that I don't know when I will have the time to use it all or become knowledgeablle about it. Anyways, I need to get back to my technology plan. . .
ReplyDelete