Incorporating Preferred Learning Styles to Boost Literacy Achievement in Kindergarten Students

1. White Hall Elementary West Virginia University Savannah Jiles April 23, 2010 Will incorporating students’ preferred style of learninginto instruction increasestudent achievementin literacy?

2. Why Did I Study This Topic? • Maximize student learning in literacy • Identify each student’s preferred style of learning • Further develop teaching strategies to reach every learner

3. Methodology Guiding Questions Classroom Participants Teaching Strategies Data Sources

4. Guiding Questions • Will kindergarten students consistently select the same learning style when given opportunities to participate in activities pertaining to each learning style? • After being exposed to activities corresponding to the three basic learning styles (visual, auditory, tactile/kinesthetic), does a kindergartener’s learning style change from their initial preference at the beginning of the study? • Will providing kindergarten students with multiple learning style activities increase their ability to identify letter sounds, read words, and read sentences?

5. Classroom Participants • White Hall Elementary • Grades K-4 • Nearly 200 students • Kindergarten • 12 boys, 10 girls • Range of SES • Participants • Above level – one girl, one boy • On level – one girl, one boy • Below level – one girl, one boy

6. Teaching Strategy • Using learning styles to increase kindergarten students’ abilities to: • Identify letter sounds • Read words • Read sentences

7. Data Sources • Student polls • Parent surveys • Teacher journal, blog • Benchmark Assessment • Reading interest inventories • Progress Monitoring Assessments

8. Results and Conclusions Data Analysis Interpretation of Results

9. Data Analysis

10. Data Analysis

11. Data Analysis Weeks 1-5 Progress Monitoring (Female) Week 6 Unit 2 Benchmark (Female) Weeks 1-5 Progress Monitoring (Male) Week 6 Unit 2 Benchmark (Male)

12. Interpretation of Results • Inconsistent learning style selection • Learning style preferences did not change during the study for 66.67% of students • All female students’ achievement increased during the assessment period • All male students’ achievement decreased during the assessment period

13. Implications • No correlation between student achievement across the three ability levels • Direct correlation between female and male students and their performance on weekly assessments as opposed to the unit benchmark assessment

14. Possible Explanations • Female students may: • Retain information longer than males • Have better skills to output information than males • Male students may: • Perform better on assessments other than the ones used in this study • Benefit from more analytical forms of teaching that use methodical or step-by-step approaches • Age differences may also be a contributing factor

15. Recommendations • Develop an array of informal assessment strategies that will encompass the needs of: • Different age groups • Both males and females • Visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic learners • Those who retain information for long periods of time and those who do not • Those who prefer both traditional and/or non-traditional teaching techniques

16. Wonderings/Questions • What are the specific learner differences between males and females that would cause such discrepancies? • Does the use of multiple informal assessments aid in closing the achievement gap between male and female students involving literacy content?

17. Acknowledgements • My Kindergarten Students • Mrs. Pitrolo • Kindergarten, mentor teacher/coordinator, White Hall Elementary • Mrs. Domico • 1st grade, coordinator, White Hall Elementary • Mr. Williams • Principal, White Hall Elementary • Kaye McCrory • Liaison, WVU • Sarah Steel • Benedum Program Coordinator, WVU