Sunday, February 12, 2012

My learning styles and multiple intelligences

According to a Learning Style survey and a Multiple Intelligence survey I took recently, I am a sensing and intuitive learner and are kinaesthetically intelligent. As a sensing learner, I tend to like learning facts, and as an intuitive learner, I prefer discovering possibilities and relationships. I like solving problems by well-established methods and dislike complications and repetition. I am patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on work. I can grasp new concepts and am very careful. I like learning things that connect to the real world and are applicable to every day life.
As someone who is "body-smart," I like moving around and can think best when I'm active. I am able to control my body movements and handle objects skillfully.
These tests reflected mostly true results. I was already aware that I am body-smart; I value my body as something more than a means by which to transport my head from classroom to classroom. Some parts of the results of my Learning Style survey I thought were incorrect. For example, the survey said that I am comfortable with abstractions and mathematical formulation. These are two of my least favorite things in the world.
In my classroom, I plan on letting children move around a lot. This will match up with my body-smart learning style, as well as the classes I will be teaching - special ed and physical education. My dislike of complications and repetition will also be of great use in these fields. I can keep an open mind when it comes to new ideas, but I am just as comfortable with well-established methods.
Although my learning style and intelligence will benefit my teaching in many ways, there are also some things that I must keep counteract if I want to be a good teacher. For example, I might really like moving around and being active, but not all children are like that; every child has different ways to learn. I can memorize facts; but some students just can't. If I teach this way, then my teaching won't be effective for those children.
I need to be sensitive to all of my student's learning needs by incorporating all intelligences into my lesson; using both numbers and nature, group and individual work, and pictures and words. This is, of course, easier said than done. It will need to be a constant conscious effort every day as I prepare my lesson plan.

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