Reflection Journal 4- Ellis

Classroom Orientations and Learning Styles

Review- What did you learn?

            Noel (2008) explains that “since students spend thousands of hours with their teachers over their lifetime, the ways that the teachers view and perceive their students will have an initial impact that will continue for years on those students’ identities” (p.125). This speaks volumes about the impact that we have on our students.  As educators, we want to positively impact our students and while we try hard, it can be very challenging. This chapter described two different orientations that teachers use with their students. The first was the deficiency orientation. In this orientation, a teacher believes that a student is lacking something that would help them to succeed. This is also the orientation where the teacher expects the child to change and meet their expectations. The next orientation is called the difference orientation. This is where the teacher looks for strengths in struggling students so that they can build upon them. The teacher doesn’t place blame but instead gets to know the student and assumes a responsibility to help them. This requires work in order to understand learning styles, strategies, and intelligences.

            There are many different ways for students to learn in a classroom setting. As educators, we need to make an effort to know our students so that “all students would have had the chance to maximize their learning opportunities and outcomes” (Noel 2008 p.129). To do this we need to teach to all the different learning styles and intelligences. Some students need movement, some need visuals, and others need music. If you teach to only one learning style, many students are missing out on valuable learning experiences.

Another important piece of information that I learned in this chapter was about how sometimes we see certain behaviors in students as deficiencies because they are not typical behaviors. This is why it is very important to know about your students and their backgrounds, families, and cultures. What might be considered different in my classroom might not be different where the student came from. Before I judge a student or their behavior, I need to understand why they have these behaviors.

Reflect- What did it mean to you?

            Noel (2008) made a good point when she said, “the question, then, is should students learn only from the style that is theirs, or should they be encouraged to develop strengths in additional settings, senses, intelligences, styles, and strategies” (p.151). I believe that we should use a mixture of different learning styles and strategies with our students. Using different approaches in the classroom helps them to become more successful as learners. Students also do not learn best with only one learning style during the day. They might have different learning styles for different subjects. That is why it is important to use a mixture of learning styles and approaches throughout the day. I feel as if this course is helping me to expand my teaching styles and skills. Every year my students are different. They have different abilities, needs, and learning styles. As they change, I need to change as well. I can’t continue to use the same lessons and ideas from previous years because they might not work the same way. I like to keep things new and interesting and am always finding ways to grow as an educator.

Refine- How will you use the information in your classroom?

            While reflecting on this chapter and what strategies I could use in my own classroom, I realized that I wanted to make sure I am using the difference orientation. With this orientation, the teacher has to identify strengths in students that struggle so that they have something to build upon. I have a student in my classroom right now that seems to be struggling in all subjects. I have noticed recently that reading and math are the subjects that are most difficult. When talking to this student, she seems able to orally give answers in a one on one setting. Since this might be her strength, I need to make sure that I am working with her more closely and giving her opportunities to share what she has learned orally. For example, instead of drawing pictures of a butterfly life cycle, I could have her describe it to me. This will help her to be more confident and show what she has learned.

            Students all learn in different ways and this fact was reiterated to me in this chapter. When reading about the different learning intelligences, I fall into two different categories, interpersonal and spatial. Upon deeper reflection of the lessons and activities that I use in my classroom, I realize that I tend to use these two intelligences more often. I need to make sure that I am using different intelligences so that I can reach more students. I can see different students reflected in the different descriptions. For example, I could incorporate music and movement into my lessons. I also want to try using different “brain break” activities in my classroom. I think that giving students a time to think and move will show me different ways to teach them.

            Another thing I would like to try in my classroom is to not see behaviors in my students as deficiencies especially if they do not conform to what would be considered the “norm.” I have a student in my class that is younger than most of his classmates. He has difficulties sitting still, is very impulsive, and needs a lot of teacher interaction. In the past, these behaviors might have bothered me because he was not doing what everyone else in the classroom was. I have realized that this student needs to move around during the day to stay focused. His learning style is one that cannot sit still for very long. I need to keep him more active to help him stay engaged in learning. Incorporating these different learning strategies and orientations in my classroom will help me to teach my students in new and different ways. Hopefully by doing this I will be able to see strengths in students that might not have appeared before.

References

Noel, J. (2008). Developing Multicultural Educators. Long Grove: Waveland

Press, Inc.