Week 1 - Exercises

Week 1 -

Learning Styles
According to the test my learning is fairly even across all styles. The strongest style is in the physical which according to the memletic style of learning means that I cannot sit still and find it hard to sit in a lecture theatre and listen. This is not correct and yet I definitely do feel things are right or wrong as this style suggests. A very interesting site to visit and it would be an excellent idea to have students do the test and find out how they learn. They could then be encouraged to think about their learning which may help them to learn and retain information in a more efficient way. The idea of accelerated learning is also a good idea for students to gain information quickly. Being in a Memletic state means that you are in the best state for learning. I have found that I have not been in this state for E-Learning for the first part of this course. This is because a lot of the terms and other sites were new to me and I realised that I had to think about the different concepts and ideas for a while before I could synthesise even a bit of the information and this new way of learning.

It has been a challenge to put the learning map into this blog at the start. I have finally managed to insert this graph and what a relief.

It seems I am able to learn across the range of options; Visual, Aural, Verbal, Physical, Logical, Social and Solitary. This is correct. I was once in a group where we were all asked to describe ourselves. We were able to draw on any experiences and we were able to describe ourselves in any way. I decided at this point that the best description was fluid. This means I am capable of changing my learning and that I am open to change. Now that I have completed the memletic test the result seems to corroborate this view.

Supporting The Learning Of Students
In the classroom to support the following areas I would;
Visual - write on the board (or have pictures or some form of visual view) the instructions of information which was
Aural - Speak clearly (but not too soft or too loud) leaving appropriate pauses so as to allow the information to sink in. I know that it is important to always face the audience so as to have the voice projected throughout the room and to project the voice to all individuals around the room. I need also to be aware of background noise or other noises which would intrude upon hearing. Regularly ask students to think up a jingle or saying to help everyone remember the rule or thing that we are learning.
Verbal - there would be a time when the students would have a chance to verbalise their learning either to myself (individually or as a whole class), with each other (in pairs or small groupes) or as self talk. Students are also given time to write in their journal books.
Physical - Students would be moved from their seats into other areas of the classroom at different times of the day. e.g. Onto the carpet, around the teachers desk, into the reading corner etc. This would allow the students who need physical activity to change positions regularly.
Logical - Advise the students why we are learning a subject. Allow the students to think the path through their learning and allow them to explore reasons behind actions or content.
Social - Always set time in class for small group work or some forms of collaborative work.
Solitary - Support students with time working individually. Individual learning is required so that students can explain to themselves the links with prior knowledge, think about their thinking and allow their mind to embed the learning within.

To support these learning styles using ICT's, the students need the technology to be used comprehensively. For example; when using computers for a lesson I could make sure the lesson incorporated the following;
Sound coming from the computer, that the computer had visual images, support these learning styles, allow the students some chatter whilst using ICT's, make sure students are not required to sit in front of a computer for extended periods.
Solitary - this is one for the males. Yes they need their solitude and this is important for some students to have this time to learn.