Saturday, November 26, 2011

Week 9: Relating technology tools to learning styles

After reading about the way technology can help provide a range of learning styles in the classroom, I shared ideas on how to address them in my “Cultural Studies II” class. In groups, students have to prepare oral presentations and written reports on what I call “other English-speaking countries” which include Canada, Australia, South Africa, etc.

Students who have Verbal/Linguistic intelligence will enjoy organizing the group's text and putting the project together. As they like the researching, reading, and writing aspects of the research project, they will enjoy word processing, listing ideas, reading and interpreting web information.

Students who have Logical/Mathematical intelligence will be keen on the online data collection aspects of the research project, and logic, and critical thinking software on social issues, for example, will have a special appeal for them.

Students who have Visual/Spatial intelligence will enjoy illustrating and identifying the visuals of the research project. They will be good at timeline making, doing computer-generated charts, graphs, and tables, and using map making tools.

Since students who have Bodily/Kinesthetic and Musical/Rhythmic intelligences will learn best through physical activity and sounds respectively, they will enjoy performing typical dances as well as making sounds such as songs, rhythms, and other types of auditory expression of the countries being presented.

While students who have Intrapersonal intelligence are good at working independently toward a group goal and will like self paced Internet research, students with Interpersonal intelligence are good at teaching other members of the group and coordinating activities and wil enjoy chain writing, group editing, peer writing.

As students who have Naturalist intelligence learn best through the interactions with the natural world, they will like recording the flora and fauna of the different countries, and those with Existentialist intelligence will prefer the technology tools to help them address questions about the human existence there.

We should rethink our approach to the classroom if we want to address different learning styles. I think celebrating diversity and complementing strengths can help us broaden the chances for an effective teaching.

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