Interpreting Student Data - EDU 551

 

While this student survey did ask students questions that could help me understand their preferred Learning Styles, I had a hard time using only this data to understand what my students need. Next time, I will use a more extensive survey if I want more clear information about their learning preferences. 

There have been multiple studies and articles that have suggested that Learning Styles are an outdated concept and can cause more harm than good because they potentially limit the possibilities of how people learn (Soiferman, 2019). Learning happens in a variety of ways, and it can be harmful to label people as only one type. I think it is better to frame these as Learning Preferences  because they might be the most efficient way to learn information, instead of the only way to learn (Soiferman, 2019). 

Interconnectedness of Learning Styles and Development

With only this data, there is not enough information to see the connection between the learning styles and the cognitive, linguistics, social, emotions and physical development of these students. For this, I needed to look at the individual student responses and make inferences about what these tell me about the student. For example, one of the questions asks students how they best understand student directions. Of the three options, 66% of the students chose "seeing them written on the board.", which lends itself to visual learning. This tells me that when I verbalize directions, I must also put them in writing somewhere students can reference. This will cater to multiple learning styles. I think that framing these as "learning preferences" is more helpful because students might benefit from different styles of learning in different situations. 

One example of how these survey results should a student's emotional and social development would be the question of the first thing students do when they meet someone. All students selected the option of "say hello" rather than just smiling or shaking their hands. Technically, this choice was labeled as an "auditory learner", but I think it's a sign of social development. My 6th graders show that in a social situation, the polite thing to do is to say hello. 

How Learning Preferences Influence Lesson Planning

It is better to design lessons that will offer different options for all students. Universal Design for Learning provides accommodations for all students that improves equity because students can choose how they will access or share their learning (CAST, 2018). I have begun to incorporate UDL in several ways. Below are some examples: 

1. Reading a Text - Students can choose to read by themselves silently, reading the text aloud (either by themselves or with a peer, or even listen to an audio). 
2. Sharing their Learning - UDL allows for creative options. My students could write a paragraph, create a drawing or 3-D image, or even make a video. These options would support all three types of Learning (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic). 

I think the most important aspect of using learning preferences is that I know my students and that I provide options that will be most beneficial to them. When I plan lessons, I must think about how my specific students might learn best. Incorporating Universal Design for Learning will help address all three learning styles. 

How Students' Strengths, Interests, and Needs Influence Instruction

Knowing one's students is the best way to influence instruction. This will occur over time, but it is necessary to intentionally plan for this. Create opportunities to build community and talk with your students. One strategy I saw recently was to use the first 5-10 minutes of class as community circle time, instead of jumping right into content (Education World, 2012). Doing this can help you gauge how students are doing mentally and emotionally for the day. Also, it can help teachers gather information about students' strengths and interests. Teachers can use this information to design instruction. Strong positive relationships can benefit motivation and engagement (Kaufman, [n.d.]). When students are motivated to learn, they are more likely to be engaged. Planning for a variety of learning styles can help keep students motivated.