My Learning Style Is….

My immediate response to this week’s blog post is that my preference for learning is through video. Don’t worry Nicole because you are not alone!

I have always loved movies, music and have had my fair share of favourite TV shows. As a learner, I zoom into videos and am able to remain focused without becoming distracted. Similarly, my students seem to respond the same way. More eyes and ears are focused on videos as opposed to listening to me attempt to teach and/or explain a new concept. The music, tone of voice, and graphics are a clear cut way of engaging focus with the intention of grabbing the attention of more learners. If I am not engaging enough, my students let me know!

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I find that not only are videos more engaging, but the concept that I am intending to teach is often explained in a more entertaining and concise format. For myself, I have to be careful not to go off on a tangent or I may risk loosing the attention of more students.

Clearly I am not alone when it comes to watching and creating videos! It is hard to believe that there are so many tools available for learners and educators. Video making has literally exploded over the past few years. According to Tubular Insights,

• By 2019, 80% of global Internet consumption will be video content.

• It would take an individual over 5 million years to watch the amount of video that will cross global IP networks every single month in 2019.

 

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I kind of have the opposite experience of Kara who initially felt that her learning preference is reading text. Like Kara, after reading a few blogs and from chapter 7 of Bates, I realized that text had more of an impact than I initially thought. I have learned through text and lectures for most of my life. All throughout elementary school and high school. Watching a video was rare and group work only happened sporadically.

I even remember taking 3 Sociology classes from the same Professor who’s style was ONLY lecture, note taking and textbook reading. He assigned a midterm, essay and a final exam for all 3 courses. Clearly, I was comfortable with his style of teaching even though I was aware that he did NOT show videos, plan for group work, projects or even encourage discussions. What I did like is that I knew what to expect from his assessment and expectations. As a result, each time I took his class my mark would go up!

I realize that the majority of my learning has been through print and listening to lessons/lectures. As I continued my education in the BEAD (Bachelor of Education After Degree) program, group work, discussions, and/or projects were, for the most part, a new style of learning for me. It is actually strange to realize this!

I certainly agree with Ashley and Nicole when referencing the fact that books and reading the written word has stood the test of time. The touch and smell of a book have feelings of nostalgia for most people, it allows us to unplug for awhile (rather than read from a screen) and it is comforting to sit down and read a book.

I started reading Nicholas Sparks‘ books well before they started coming out in the movie theatre. As Ashley stated, reading a book allows for deeper connections to be made compared to watching a movie at home or at the theatre.

When considering audio, the majority of my educational experience was listening to music in my free time and listening to my teacher during school time. As a young learner, audio tapes or listening to someone on the radio weren’t interesting to me.

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Likely because I connect more to audio and visual. When listening to a teacher, I have the visual connection of the speaker’s facial expression, hand gestures, and the many possible visual aids; chalkboards/whiteboards, diagrams and posters just to name a few.

But wait a minute! I have to admit, when traveling a long distance to Ontario, I downloaded an audio book to my iPhone. I knew that during such a long drive I would need a break from listening to music. To my surprise, the audio book did the trick and I really enjoyed it. Hmmmm…….

Ultimately, I found it very interesting to read about the many different perspectives of audio, text, and video preferences. Kirsten’s viewpoint is basically the opposite of my learning preferences. It really goes to show the diversity of learning styles among us as educators and it is an important reminder that there are many different learning styles in our classroom. Hmmm! Teach to the needs of our students…..

What was your big take away?

Were you surprised that your initial learning style choice changed after the Bates’ chapters and/or reading blog posts?

Please feel free to leave a comment by clicking on the title!