Meeting
the Needs of Diverse Learners
As a teacher, I work to meet the needs of diverse
learners by:
1. Learning
about my students’ culture 2. I also work to learn and understand their linguistic traits
3. I use this knowledge to help me differentiate my instruction
4. I also use multicultural books and materials to foster cross-cultural understanding
5. I also try to learn about my students’ home life and relationships
The
Power of Personality
As a teacher, my personality is outgoing and
compassionate. My personality affects my relationship with my students, and my
teaching, by creating a warm and nurturing environment where my students feel
comfortable and capable of learning.
Below are some important elements that I found on the
website, “Classroom Management And The Power Of Your Personality,” about how
your personality affects your relationship with your students.
1. Be
yourself
2. Loosen
up
3. Stand
tall
4. Be
present
5. Maintain
your focus
6. Join
in
7. Close
the distance
8. Let
it shine
Teaching
to Various Learning Styles
There are currently seven “Learning Styles:”
1. Visual
(spatial): You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
2. Aural
(auditory-musical): You prefer using sound and music.
3. Verbal
(linguistic): You prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
4. Physical
(kinesthetic): You prefer using your body, hands and sense of touch.
5. Logical
(mathematical): You prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
6. Social
(interpersonal): You prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
7. Solitary
(intrapersonal): You prefer to work alone and use self-study.
Different learning styles means that there are
different ways to learn. That also means that teachers need to have different
strategies and methods to teach.
Here are five effective teaching styles:
1. The
Authority, or lecture style: This teaching style is teacher
centered and typically involves long lectures. Students are only expected to
take notes to retain the information.
2. The
Demonstrator, or coach style: This teaching style is
similar to the authority, lecture style. The teacher demonstrates what the
students need to know. The lessons include multimedia presentations,
activities, and demonstrations. This teaching style is good for: Math, Science,
and Music.
3. The
Facilitator, or activity style: This teaching style encourages
self-learning. Facilitators help the students develop critical thinking skills.
This type of learning also helps student to retain knowledge that leads to metacognition.
4. The
Delegator, or group style: This teaching style is best used for
curriculum that requires lab activities and or activities that require student
involvement and feedback. This teaching style is good for: Science (chemistry
and biology); Social Science (debates); and English Language Arts (creative writing.).
5. The
Hybrid, or blended style: This teaching style is an integrated
approach that blends the teacher’s personality and interest with the students’
needs, as well as curriculum appropriate teaching strategies.
A teachers’ own learning style affects their teaching
style and their students' ability to be successful. Teachers often teach in a
manner based on their personal learning styles. In addition, teachers typically
recall effective manners in which they themselves have learned and are more
eager to explore and implement various teaching strategies and methods to meet
the diverse needs and learning styles of the students in their classroom.
Since there are so many learning styles, I decided to
find out my learning styles by taking the following quiz, “Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire.” Below are my results from
the quiz:
Questionnaire
Results for Julie Love:
Active:
3
Intuitive:
1
Visual:
9
Sequential:
3
What
do my results mean?
"According to the model on which the ILS is based,
there are four dimensions of learning style, with each dimension having two
opposite categories (such as active and reflective). The reported score for a
dimension indicates my preference for one category or the other.
It states that if your score for a dimension is 1 or 3, you are
fairly well balanced on the two categories of that dimension, with only a mild
preference for one or the other.
If your score for a dimension is 5 or 7, you have a
moderate preference for one category of that dimension. You may learn less
easily in an environment that fails to address that preference at least some of
the time than you would in a more balanced environment.
If your score for a dimension is 9 or 11, you have a
strong preference for one category of that dimension. You may have difficulty
learning in an environment that fails to address that preference at least some
of the time."
So what does this all mean? Surprise, I am a Visual Learner! (I already
suspected that, but now I have it in writing.)
If you would also like to find out what type of
learner you are, you can do so at the following address: https://www.webtools.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/submit.php
.
References:
Classroom
Management And The Power Of Your Personality. (2014, April 08). Retrieved
February 11, 2018, from https://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2012/04/21/classroom-management-and-the-power-of-your-personality/
Learning
Styles. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2018, from https://www.time4learning.com/learning-styles.shtml
Teaching
Styles: Different Teaching Methods & Strategies. (2017, December 08).
Retrieved February 11, 2018, from https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/5-types-of-classroom-teaching-styles/
6 tips for
teaching in a diverse classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2018, from http://www.imaginelearning.com/blog/2010/06/esl_struggling-readers-2/
(n.d.).
Retrieved February 11, 2018, from https://www.webtools.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/
