Step 3: final

Ivey Lee

Joining the Conversation

Megan Keaton

3 April 2013

“Coffee Shop Talk”

Cast: Ivey (myself), Prevention India, Lisa Leopold, Marilee Sprenger, Gayle Gregory, Carolyn Chapman, and Lin Kuzmich.

            The setting is in Charlotte, North Carolina on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where a Learning Styles Convention for teachers is being held. In between conferences, six teachers meet at the on campus Starbucks for some coffee and pastries where I happen to be drinking my afternoon coffee. While sipping coffee and enjoying their break, a conversation is sparked about learning styles and the discussion escalates. I wait until I have the basis of what the conversation is about until I interject with my own concerns.

India: I absolutely love different learning styles. I mean, there is just no other way a classroom of children can be taught without having multiple learning methods to accommodate for each child!

Leopold: Agreed 100%!

Gregory: Of course, we all agree. That’s why we’re here.

Sprenger: Exactly. I have actually learned some new information since I’ve been here, like the fact that information enters the brain through all of our senses. I had no idea that all sensory information except the sense of smell is processed the same way!

Chapman: News to me too! It does make since though. Ever person has 4 senses that help bring in information and we can’t expect for everyone to have the same preference for learning when they have four different styles they could choose from. It’s clear that everyone has different preferences and needs.

Kuzmich: Yep, exactly what I was thinking. People become partial to one sense through nature and nurture. Not everyone is born the same and raised the same so it’s natural to have different learning strategies.

Peeks head into conversation.

Ivey: Excuse me, but what exactly are learning strategies?

Leopold: Oh, this is easy. Let me explain. Learning styles are different ways in which people can learn. Each person has a different preference for learning because, well, we’re all different and we all prefer different things. There are usually three types of learners: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Visual learners learn best by making notes, underlining what he/she reads, and prefers studying alone. An auditory learner learns best through listening, verbalizing, brainstorming, and studying with a small group or partner. The kinesthetic learner learns best by doing. They learn when they are moving or interacting with the material.

India: Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Sprenger: Actually, I prefer to break down the kinesthetic category into three different sub-sections. These sections include “hands-on learners”, “whole-body learners”, and “doodlers”. “Hands-on learners” prefer to touch things, like models or samples. “Whole-body learners” learn best by playing games that involve moving their entire body. “Doodlers” learn best by writing random side-notes and drawings that relate to the material they are leaning. These types of learners can make up songs and dances to help remember material. All of these sub-categories are related to physical activity which is why they are all included in the kinesthetic category.

Chapman: I find that interesting because I break up my kinesthetic learners into two sub-categories that are similar to your three. I separate the “tactile learners” from the “tactile/kinesthetic learners”. The tactile learner learns best by handling and being involved with concrete objects. The “tactile/kinesthetic learner” retains the most information by moving their body in ways that will help them memorize the material being learned.

Gregory: Essentially, the different ways in which the kinesthetic learning style can be broken down contains the same methods; they’re just called different things.

India: I never knew about the different sub-categories of kinesthetic learners. I guess you learn something new every day!

Kuzmich: …In every different way!

Ivey: From what I’ve heard so far, I think it’s safe to say I’m a visual learner. I like to look at things when I learn, like charts and tables.

Gregory fidgets with coffee.

Gregory: I’m definitely a kinesthetic learner.

Kuzmich: I can tell. You never sit still.

India: It’s common for many people to have different learning styles. One child may learn by writing notes or making diagrams, whereas another may learn by reading aloud or brainstorming.

Leopold: Yes! And that is why it is our job to find out what style fits the student and best accommodate for them. Since there are so many different styles and so many children, this can be difficult. I strongly believe that instructors should attempt to diversify their teaching to include all learning style preferences.

Sprenger: Whoa, whoa. We can’t take all the responsibility. I believe it is much more important for the student to understand his or her preferences so they can learn with their strengths.

Chapman: While I agree with you, it’s sometimes difficult for a student to know his or her strength in learning.

Gregory: Agreed. I believe it is important for teachers to be aware of the different modalities and provide adequate activates that tap into each of them during the school day. The more we as teachers can involve all modalities and learning styles, the more chance we have to engage learners in using their whole brain.

Leopold: To support this argument, I have actually heard that a mismatch in teaching and learning styles has been linked to poor academic performance. Conversely, a match between teaching and learning styles has been correlated with higher student achievement rates.

Ivey: Interesting. Honestly, I don’t even know how to measure my strongest learning style. Are there tests I could take that would tell me my learning style preference or would I just realize it over time with experience?

Kuzmich: There are definitely tests that can help determine what learning style you prefer but the best test is experience. What works best for you when memorizing things? Do you retain most information through seeing or hearing or doing? You have to experiment with all types of learning to find your preferred one.

Ivey: That makes sense. I learn best by writing things down and looking at them over and over so that proves I’m a visual learner, but I also enjoy making models and learning with my hands, like in my chemistry lab. I guess I’m visual and kinesthetic.

Gregory: You probably realized this when you were about twelve years of age. You see, the critical learning period for children is ages five to twelve. Studies have shown that by the age of twelve, students usually understand what method of learning works best for them and they have established that preference.

India: Really? Five to twelve? That seems pretty young to be the most crucial learning time in a person’s life…

Kuzmich: It’s true. Five year olds need to be taught things one at a time so they usually prefer visual learning because they can see what they need to know right in front of them and won’t get distracted by objects used for kinesthetic learners. By the age of eight, studies have shown that children are talkative and have lots of energy. These children usually prefer kinesthetic learning because they can use the physical methods of learning to release energy and retain information at the same time.

Gregory: On many occasions, students become distracted by outside stimuli.

Leopold: How does learning relate to distractions from outside stimuli?

Strenger: Distraction is inevitable sometimes because our senses are constantly taking in information whether we want it to or not. Since our learning is channel through one or many of our sense, it’s common for distractions to occur.

Kuzmich: A person can be distracted by peripheral stimuli including everything rom body language to classroom climate to physical environment, including décor and orderliness.

Ivey: I think it’s safe to say that I’ve learned more from you all than I could have by attending that Learning Styles Conference myself. From now own, I will encourage my peers to take into account the learning style they prefer and repeatedly practice that method in order to learn the maximum amount of information they can possibly can.

Works Cited

Gregory, Gayle, and Carolyn Chapman. Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size

Doesn't Fit All. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press, 2007. Print. 11 March 2013.

Gregory, Gayle, and Lin Kuzmich. Differentiated Literacy Strategies for Student Growth

and Achievement in Grades K-6. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press, 2005.

Print. 11 March 2013.

Leopold, Lisa. In The Classroom. “Prewriting Tasks for Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic

Learners.” TESL Canada Journal. Spring 2012. 11 March 2013.

Prevention India. “What’s Your Child’s Learning Style?” March 2011. 11 March 2013.

Sprenger, Marilee. Differentiation Through Learning Styles and Memory. Thousand Oaks,

Calif: Corwin Press, 2003. Print. 11 March 2013.