GRAD 6100 Blog #5

According to Felder & Soloman’s Learning Styles Inventory, my learning styles are not well balanced. I have strong (9 on a scale of 1 through 11) preferences for both the intuitive and the global dimensions, with moderate (5) preferences for both the active and the visual dimensions.
After studying the indicative descriptors of these preferences, I realize my scores do illustrate a great deal about me.

Since this inventory unconcealed so much about my predispositions, I am looking forward to using it in my classroom. Given that I am still an aspiring teacher, I feel fortunate to be adding these tools to my toolbox now -- to becoming that much better prepared for the day I have my own classroom.

Our text examines, compares, and contrasts the work of Kolb, Fleming and Mills, and Krause. As a result, Chapter 12 proposes teaching with a mix of multiple sensory elements as well as varied teaching methodology. I found their assertion interesting that teachers who take the time and go through the trouble to put these components into their practice can enhance their own experience of teaching while also offering the most for their students’ education.

I can see how having a sense of my students’ learning styles can allow me the opportunity to better prepare class work that can be engaging for the entire class, not for just a few of them...those few that may have learning styles that are similar to mine. Being aware of, and present to, my students’ strengths allows me the opening to do right by all of them. After all, that’s a huge part of why I want to be a teacher, to make a difference.