Today in class we took the learning styles questionnaire. This was a questionnaire that entailed many questions associated with different styles of learning. For me, my strong points in learning are sensing and visual learning. These types of learning are quite accurate as I really prefer being presented with facts and information in an orderly manner that are realistic to todays world. For example as I am studying the French language I love learning and practicing grammar as the explanations of verb conjugations are laid out clearly and one must follow the steps given. Of course practicing oral work is probably my favourite as it’s practical and worthwhile when learning a language. However, I am currently studying ‘Candide’ by Voltaire written in the 1700s for a sensing learner like me discussing the ideas, themes and thinking profoundly about 18th century literature is not my forte! Of course I can’t escape this and must therefore try to use my other preferred learning styles to retain such information.
As a visual learning I love being presented with pictures and diagrams. As I’m studying Linguistics which can be difficult at times, I appreciate when the lecturer displays graphs of data explaining a topic to the class. It really helps me to remember the topic as a visual learner.
Active learning is where students engage with the material, participate in the class, and collaborate with each other. This really helps me with my learning as I love hearing other students ideas and opinions in class. It allows me to think even further on my opinion and develop much further thought.
I would definitely consider myself to be a global learning too in some cases. Global learners tend to learn in large jumps, absorbing material almost randomly without seeing connections, and then suddenly “getting it.” they can solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture. I like to see the big picture in what I’m learning first and then slowly picking up the smaller details as I go along. For example in my Linguistics module I prefer to be presented with the general idea or concept and afterwards as I proceed with my learning I like to pick up the smaller details gradually.
Method of teaching a language
I decided to choose teaching a language to visual learners as this is probably the most common learning style for students. I found a very interesting website which gave me loads of information on how to conduct this method of teaching and what not to do to grasp the attention of visual learners!
Personalised language learning
From studying this website I have concluded that to suit language learning for visual learners one must print new words in large font and using imagery on the classroom walls. Combining both of these methods, If I was to teach a class of new french language learners I would introduce a new ‘Word of the Day’ to the class. I would place the new word visibly in the class and in an eye catching font and a symbol associated with the new word. Therefore students can always remember this word and build on their vocabulary.
Advantages/Disadvantages
I believe this personalisation of language learning can really help students to put their specific learning style to good use. Being able to cater for different language styles is a huge skill in itself as a teacher. However some students may find it difficult to adapt to this form of teaching as it may not suit each student. Some students may prefer to be with groups and discussing different topics, practicing vocabulary and speaking the language. So, teaching for the visually acquired students may not benefit the students who are more active learners in the class.
Courtney Collins 