Math Mondays: Meeting Every Student's Learning Style
While this student was unique, he really isn't in that we know that students learn differently. Some students are strong auditory learners but many more are visual or kinesthetic learners. A study from the University of Illinois found that 50% of secondary students are kinesthetic learners, 40% are visual learners and roughly 10% are auditory learners. The study also found that 80% of secondary instruction is auditory. So as a classroom teacher, how do you meet the needs of the students? I'll demonstrate a simple way to address different learning styles (and stop talking so much) in your classroom with the common task of giving instructions:
- Auditory: Alright this one is obvious...tell students the instructions. If a student is taking notes for an interactive notebook, share the information out loud. One great way to do this in a differentiated classroom is to provide information in a video format. Students who are auditory learners can "plug in" and listen.
- Visual: Although it may seem readily apparent, you would be surprised at how many teachers fail to write the directions down. They expect students to pick up all the information just by listening. Write it down! Put it on the board, a smartboard or in a handout. The extra time spent providing written information saves time in the long run as students can easily access information by looking at it. And, if the opportunity arises, create an image to convey the message. Love this quick visual (below) of the procedure for leaving the classroom or this one with hand signals for different common questions. The hand signals are great tfor kinesthetic learners as well.
- Kinesthetic: I think that this is the one we, as teachers, struggle with the most. Sure, we can send students on gallery walks, move from station to station, or make visual probabilities with our bodies, but A LOT can be difficult to convey kinesthetically. Do give students opportunities to move around whenever possible, to create songs about concepts, to build paper chains, and more. Another great tool is to have students act it out - to literally go through the motions. In my differentiated classroom, procedures are important to keep the class from turning into complete chaos. So, in the first month we do lots with procedures. For my kinesthetic learners, students demonstrate their understanding of how to set up notebooks, what to do when a notebook is finished, and more. This "embodiment" of the procedures helps the rest of the year to run smoother.
- Say it (auditory)
- Write it or draw it (visual)
- Act out or build (kinesthetic)
In the coming months, I will provide additional specific ideas for each learning style related to specific topics. Have your own tips? Share them in the comments section below.
Math Mondays is
a bi-weekly blog post (2nd and 4th Monday of each month) sharing tips,
ideas, resources, and products for teaching math. If you have questions
or think there is something I should include, you can leave me a
message in the comments section below or at the store in the question and answer section.
Tags:
classroom management
Math
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