Page 76 - EdViewptsSpring2017

Students Are Created Equally

and Differently

By Eloise Marks-Stewart, Ed.D., Supervisor of Special Services,

Hillsborough Township Schools

As educators, we must these learning styles, should prove to look at (visual learning). This particular
teach to accommodate all be beneficial to the entire class. By al- student may receive more information
from listening to the teacher, whereby
lowing students to access information
learners. Learning styles speak using various modalities would likely another student may rely more on the
to the understanding that every child increase their academic confidence. pictures and video clips of the model
learns differently. Students learn more As a general rule, students often airplane.
and retain more when they are pre- process information using two or three Achievement is fostered when teach-
sented with material that is comfortable modalities at the same time. However, ers use strategies compatible with
to them. One would guess that every one modality will always appear much students’ primary learning modalities
single student in a classroom has a stronger than the others. For example, (Felder, 2010). It is almost impossible
preferred learning style. These ways one student may be listening attentive- to determine which modalities are
are called learning styles or learning ly to how to construct a model airplane the strongest for each student in a
modalities, and generally one modal- (auditory learning) but also is reinforc- given situation. Incorporating various
ity is stronger than the others (Dunn, ing that information by looking at the modalities into teaching, there is a
1988). By trying to incorporate various pictures and video clips of the model higher probability that each student’s
modalities into teaching, the expecta- airplane, the teacher is actually provid- preferred learning needs are met. Best
tion is to reach the majority of students ing (visual learning). The teacher may teaching practices combine the three
in the classroom. Identifying students choose to pass around samples of the modalities in a lesson to meet the
as visual, auditory or kinesthetic learn- model airplane being constructed for learning styles of all students.
ers, and aligning the curriculum with students to feel (tactile learning) and
Educational Viewpoints -74- Spring 2017