Ahoskie Elementary School Learning Styles

1. Ahoskie Elementary School Learning Styles Stan Warren, Principal Kimberly Scott, Assistant Principal

2. Learning Style Implementation AES • Received information from Principal’s Meeting • Introduced to Leadership Team • Discussed at PLT’s/PLC’s • Completed surveys in classes • Posted in classrooms • What are the teachers doing with the data? • Counselor conducted PD on learning styles • PLC’s determined how to address in classrooms/lesson plans • Allowed teachers creativity to display

3. What is a learning style? Ellis (1985) described a learning style as the more or less consistent way in which a person perceives, conceptualizes, organizes and recalls information.

4. Where do learning styles come from? Your students' learning styles will be influenced by their genetic make-up, their previous learning experiences, their culture and the society they live in.

5. Why should teachers know about learning styles? Sue Davidoff and Owen van den Berg (1990) suggest four steps: plan, teach / act, observe and reflect. Here are some guidelines for each step. • Students learn better and more quickly if the teaching methods used match their preferred learning styles. • As learning improves, so too does self esteem. This has a further positive effect on learning. • Students who have become bored with learning may become interested once again. • The student-teacher relationship can improve because the student is more successful and is more interested in learning.

6. Learning Styles • Visual • Use many visuals in the classroom. For example, wall displays posters, realia, flash cards, graphic organizers etc. • Auditory • Use audio tapes and videos, storytelling, songs, jazz chants, memorization and drills • Allow learners to work in pairs and small groups regularly. • Kinesthetic • Use physical activities, competitions, board games, role plays etc. • Intersperse activities which require students to sit quietly with activities that allow them to move around and be active • Tactile • Use board and card games, demonstrations, projects, role plays etc. • Use while-listening and reading activities. For example, ask students to fill in a table while listening to a talk, or to label a diagram while reading

7. Samples of Learning Style Charts from Ahoskie Elementary School

9. Links to Learning Style Inventories • http://www.uu.edu/programs/tesl/elementaryschool/learningstylesinventory.htm • http://capone.mtsu.edu/studskl/hd/learn.html • http://sunburst.usd.edu/~bwjames/tut/learning-style/

10. Elementary Learning Style Survey

11. Elementary Learning Style Survey • Page 2 • Remember to place a check () in all the blanks that describe you. • Auditory Learning Style • 1. I remember best if I hear something. • 2. It is easier for me to listen to a story on tape than to read it. • 3. I understand better when I read out loud. • 4. I follow spoken directions well. • 5. I like to sing or hum to myself. • 6. I like to talk to my friends or family. • 7. Music helps me learn things better. • 8. I can easily remember what people say. • 9. It helps when the teacher explains posters or pictures to me. • 10. I can remember more about something new if I can talk about it. • How many checks () did you have?

12. Elementary Learning Style Survey • Tactile/Kinesthetic Learning Style • 1. I remember best if I can make something that tells about what I am learning. • 2. I would rather play sports than read. • 3. I like playing card or board games to learn new things. • 4. I like to write letters or write in a journal. • 5. I like it when teachers let me practice something with an activity. • 6. I like putting together puzzles. • 7. If I have to solve a problem, it helps me to move while I think. • 8. It is hard for me to sit for a long time. • 9. I enjoy dancing or moving to music. • 10. I like to act things out to show what I have learned. • How many checks () did you have?

13. Elementary Learning Style Survey • Page 4 • Tell Me . . . • Which list had the most () checks? • Which list had the fewest () checks? • Did you have any lists that had the same number of () checks? • If so, which ones? • Do you think the list that had the most checks () tells how you like • to learn best? • What Does It Mean? • Visual Learning Style • Pictures help you learn. • Seeing things helps you organize your • thoughts and remember things. • You think in images or pictures. • Tactile/Kinesthetic Learning Style • It helps you to use your body, hands and sense • of touch to learn new things. • Writing, drawing and movement help you • remember important things. • You like to show what you have learned by • demonstrating or making projects.

14. Elementary Learning Style Survey Auditory Learning Style • It helps for you to talk out loud. • Sound and music help you learn. • You learn best when you hear things more than once.

15. Examples in Lesson Plans • Differentiation - Strategies: • Spatial learners will see the images in the text and on the prezi. • Body-kinesthetic learners will be able to move around the room. • Linguistic learners will be able to read, write, and discuss their work. • Interpersonal learners will be able to work in groups. • Intrapersonal learners will be able to work independently.

16. Examples in Lesson Plans • -Visuals through PowerPoints and videos • -Auditory-Listening to songs, lectures, videos, group members discussing the story elements, etc. • -Kinesthetic-Students moving around the room and sitting on the floor to create products.