School in Grades K-12, There Was Little

¶ … school in grades K-12, there was little understanding of differences in learning styles. The classroom experience was teacher-directed. The teacher presented the content and students listened. We read and completed assignments as we were asked to do. We seldom had a choice about the tasks we completed for assessment purposes. I was fortunate that I grasped most content easily. I was a good reader. Sometimes I think that I learned during my early school years in spite of my education, rather than because of it.

In college and now at the graduate level, I have a much better awareness and understanding of learning style, particularly my own. Kember and Gow (1991), Reid (1989) and Zubir (1988) (all cited in Rambruruth and McCormick, 2001, p. 336) argue that student learning is often more likely to be a function of teaching and learning environments than inherent characteristics of the individual. I would agree that the teacher has much more responsibility when students are younger. Although I do not agree with the teacher-centered methods of my generation, the teacher must take an active role in facilitating his/her students' learning. Young students do not have enough self-awareness to recognize their learning styles; the teacher can help them discover these and work more effectively with them. As an adult learner, however, I believe I am fully responsible for my learning. My instructors can guide me and provide feedback, but ultimately I can still learn even if the teaching and learning environments are not what I consider ideal. As a master's level student, I am highly motivated; I believe that makes a huge difference.

I am an auditory learner. I learn best when I can hear information presented and participate in discussions about the material. It helps me process the content initially and also affords better recall later. I enjoy reading for pleasure, but sometimes reading too much academic material is tedious. It helps to take notes or outline as I read to maintain focus. Instructor feedback has been most helpful when completing projects. Sometimes I feel I have been too close to the work, and an objective view helps me with rewriting or approaching a problem in a new way.

Reflecting on my learning process will make me a better teacher. It serves as a reminder that all students do not learn in the same way. I will need to present content in a variety of ways -- lecture, discussion, demonstrations, hands-on activities, visuals -- to make the content accessible to the greatest number of students possible. Obviously every lesson cannot be tailored for every learning style, but within lessons I can incorporate various methods. I can also give students some academic choice. For example, assessment for a social studies unit could include a book report, a research paper, a presentation to the class, or a student-made collection of maps and other visuals. I know from my own experience that when I have some choices in outcome, my learning feels as though it has more purpose and I am more enthusiastic about the process.