Learning Styles

What is my learning style?  In order to help answer this question I went to Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences and took the Multiple Intelligences Inventory.  The results did not surprise me.  My highest score fell under the Interpersonal category.  I relate well to others and work best in a team setting.  I enjoy having conversations and getting to know all types of people.  My friends and family often refer to me as a "people pleaser" because I am constantly concerned about how others feel.  I want to make sure everyone is happy all the time.  This is a great skill to have as an educator because a large part of the job is working with others and making sure people are pleased with your work.  In regards to my students, my interpersonal skills help me relate to them and sense how they are feeling.

My own personal learning styles are by far not the only ones I need to consider in the classroom.  Each student has their own ways of learning best as well.  It is very important that I cater to their needs so they can learn to the best of their ability.  This is not an easy task because no one teaching method will effectively reach all students.  It would be impossible for me to accommodate for each student in every lesson or even every day.  In the past I have given my students a Learning Styles Inventory to complete at the beginning of the school year so I have a better understanding of how the majority of my class learns best.  This way I can also come up with ideas on how to reteach a lesson in a more effective format to students who need extra help.

One component of my class I would like to improve on is center time.  I think that considering each students learning styles would be a great contribution to the development of my center activities and the creation of student groups.  I could have a listening center, a center where students make something (like a flip book or a poster board), a writing center, a reading center, and a center where students can talk to each other (such as a debate center, speech center, or a read aloud center).  Another way for me to consider organizing my centers would be to give students a choice within each center.  For example if it was a reading center, the student could read independently or pair read.  If it was a comprehension center, the student could write a summary or make a poster board.

Overall, these inventories have been and will be helpful to me personally and professionally.  I enjoy growing and learning as an educator and I look forward to applying my new knowledge about Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence in my classroom.