Learning Style Assessment: Unlocking a Student’s Online Potential

1. Learning Style Assessment: Unlockinga Student’s Online Potential Marilyn Mosley Gordanier M.Ed Paige Morabito Ed.D

2. What’s your Combination? What is my motivation, inclination? What modality do I prefer? What are my interests? What do I consider my talents? What is my preferred environment?

3. Unlocking Our Students’ Portrait

4. We begin with the belief that: • Each student is unique • Each student operates with a variety of learning styles • The learning style helps to determine the dominant learning personality and learning modality. • The Differentiated Classroom: Responding to the Needs of All Learners, Carol Ann Tomlinson, • http://www.caroltomlinson.com/

5. Learning Styles 1 “….characteristic cognitive, affective, and psychological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the learning environment” (Sewell, 1998). Richard Felder Learning Styles and Strategies, http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

6. Learning Styles 2 “Students have different levels of motivation, different attitudes about teaching and learning, and different responses to specific classroom environments and instructional practices. The more thoroughly instructors understand the differences, the better chance they have of meeting the diverse learning needs of all of their students” Felder, 2005. Richard Felder Learning Styles and Strategies, http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

7. A Student-Center Approach Success-driven rather than mistakes-driven • Based upon: • Identified skills • Interests • Content • Student-centered rather than content-centered Richard Felder ,How Students Learn, How Teacher’s Teach, http://ctl.csudh.edu/SpeakerSeries/Felder.htm

8. Our Inclusive Approach to Learning Styles • Combine five unique learning assessments • Create a dynamic portrait of each child • Empower the student’s self advocacy for a choice of: • Curriculum • Delivery • Assessment • Environment • School Family , What is Your Child’s Learning Style, • www.schoolfamily.com

9. Creating a Student’s Personal-Portrait (PP) Five prong approach to student learning • Learning Personality • Modality • Interests • Talents • Learning environment Students who understand their portrait can better self advocate. Student Video, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooqvgcY5VKU

10. Learning Personality Learning personality or Disposition • how student naturally expresses interest in learning • His or her inclination toward learning • Provide terms to support self advocacy • Overview of Learning Styles (graphical) • www.learning-styles-online.com/overview • Another inventory for you or students to complete • http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

11. Modality How student learns best • auditory, visual, and tactile/kinesthetic • integrate modality preferences within instruction • encourage self advocacy for assessment Learning Styles Description and Test, www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm

12. Interests Acknowledge student’s interests • Incorporate student interests into core academics • Increases internal motivation • Provides glimpse into student’s world • Student Interest Survey, http://printables.scholastic.com/printables/f.jsp?id=35689

13. What can we tell about him?

14. Talents Student’s area/s of expertise (Multiple Intelligences) • Words/Narratives • Music • Math/Logic • Spatial/Body Coordination • Interpersonal/ Intrapersonal • Foundational • Animals, Humor, and Daily Life Skills Multiple Intelligence Explained, www.ldpride.net/

15. Learning Environment Environment can be addressed in a home, a classroom, or multiple settings. • External stimuli • Physical comfort • Awareness of self • Best time of day (or night) • Nutritional requirements Implications for the Design of Learning Environments, www.info.uta.fi/tutkimus/fire/archive/Halttunen2003b_preprint.pdf

16. What can we tell about her?

17. Incorporating Learning Styles in Your Curriculum Assure that the model matches the child • Encourages internal motivation • Supports need to self-advocate • Promotes skills for life long learning • Mind Tool, Learning Style Index, • www.mindtools.com/mnemlsty.html

18. Benefits of a Learning Style Friendly Classroom • Encourage self advocacy • Assignment ideas and help for individual students • Learning strategies to increase comprehension, retention • Acknowledges positive contributions of each learning style • Learning environment which supports multiple learning styles

19. Additional Resources Carol Dweck, https://www.stanford.edu/dept/psychology/cgi-bin/drupalm/cdweck Art Costa, Habits of Mind, Classroom Resources www.instituteforhabitsofmind.com/resource-library/resources Mel Levine, All Kinds of Minds, www.allkindsofminds.org/newsletter.aspx Learning Success Institute, Learning Style Inventory, www.learningsuccessinstitute.com/ Comber/Carr- The Dynamics of Disposition, www.s7colleges.com/learning-innovation/_pdf/A%20Framework%20for%20Teaching%20Learning.pdf

20. Assessments provide a snapshot, we need a portrait album!

21. Let’s Stay In Touch Marilyn Mosley Gordanier – Executive Director, Laurel Springs School, marilyn@laurelsprings.com Paige Morabito – Director of Education, Laurel Springs School, Paige.Morabito@nlcinc.com Laurel Springs School – www.laurelsprings.com