Blog Entry 1

How does the knowledge of the way people learn related to the experience of being a teacher?

                Everyone student learns a different way. It is the teacher’s job to teach all students, no matter their learning style, the material. Therefore, it is important for teachers to understand and apply the different ways students learn as to be a more effective teacher.

                In Mrs. Shumway’s first grade class on Thursday the students were learning simple addition up to 10. It was amazing to me how many different learning styles were incorporated into this single lesson. The students were each given a work mat split into three sections. They were labeled part, part, and whole. They were then given 10 counters. They were told to take the first number in the problem and put the coordinating amount of counters in the first “part” section. They were told to do the same with the second, then to slide both parts into the “whole” section and count them to get the final answer. Students could solve the problems in a different way if they desired, but this method worked for most of them. This was great for kinesthetic learners since it was so hands on. Before the students were set loose to try it on their own, for visual learners, the same process was followed but was completed on a mimeo on the board by the teacher. Auditory learners were also catered to as the process was talked about by the teacher. The class also had a discussion as to how to find the “whole.” They came to the conclusion that you put the parts together.

                It was really interesting to watch the light bulb turn on in the student’s brains as the same concept was explained or shown in a different ways. The students each learned in their own way, and different ways of presenting the same material made sense in different ways to each student. It is so important for teachers to understand differing learning styles so they will be able to teach to each student’s individual needs.