Image Credit: http://www.visual-learner.com/caption
Today in MS Block (and we’ll continue in Advisory tomorrow), you will be reflecting and assessing your learning styles. In order to prepare for this time, I first took the surveys myself and then I researched a bit more into Sternberg’s Triarchic Intelligence Theory so I could better explain it to you. (here are similar online surveys: learning styles & intelligences).
Since I’ve been a learner for 36 years, I could predict what my results would be, but this took me a long time to figure out. No one talked to me in school about how everyone learned differently. I was always a pretty good student, but I finally figured out in college what I really NEEDED to do to be successful. It was difficult, and by trial and error, I finally figured out my learning styles and what worked best for me for different situations.
Here are my results:
I am definitely a VISUAL learner. I need to see things – presentations, demonstrations, graphs, annotated pictures. I also need to write things down to remember them.
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A perfect example of how I would learn better – through an image, rather than a lecture!Image Credit: teachersuzannah.wordpress.com
But maybe what was a more important finding is that I am most definitely NOT an auditory learner. I have checks in the Kinesthetic and Oral learning sections too, but none in the auditory section.
This doesn’t mean I can’t learn anything my listening. I just struggle with it. When I listen to podcasts or books on tape, it takes me a while to get into them and find the appropriate focus to follow along. When I am learning a language, I must ALWAYS see the words I am hearing, I am not one to just learn words by hearing. It doesn’t mean I’ll give up on hearing for learning, it means that I need to work at it, but I know the best way I learn is when it is quiet and I have many things to see about what I am learning – books, notes, demonstrations, pictures, diagrams…
In the intelligence self-assessment, I was a little more PRACTICAL than I was ANALYTICAL, and not very creative at all… which is a bit embarrassing to admit as a Design teacher.
What’s different about Sternberg’s Intelligences is that it states that:
“your ability to achieve succes is to capitalize on one’s strengths and correct/compensate for one’s weaknesses.”
Success is a balance of analytical, creative and practice abilities. I do force myself to be more creative. Being a design teacher, I need to be constantly challenge myself to be more creative, and I will continue to work on that.
When you learn about your learning styles and intelligences, use this knowledge to help you study and become a better learner. This is probably the most important thing about middle school: Have fun, but also learn how to learn. The content will get harder, and you need to know what works for you, so you can be successful.
Use the information you gathered today to study or do homework this week and see if it makes a difference.
Think about the use of your laptop, how does this impact your learning?
Does it conflict with your learning style?