Teaching and Learning Strategies Essay - 825 Words

Teaching and Learning Strategies (Other (Not Listed) Sample) Content: NameCourseDateTeaching and Learning Strategies Learning style is but a part of the wide concept of an individual personality. This implies that an individual has a natural pattern of acquiring information in a learning setting (Bagby). Therefore, individual differ greatly in how they learn. The learning style inventories are consummate of tools used in experiential leaning whose measurement properties are little known. Learning style inventories are basically designed to enable the educators to determine the learning styles of their students (Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer and Bjork). It also enables respondents to understand their own learning style. Its assessment focuses on how the people prefer to learn. Among the widely used inventories include; Kolb s learning style inventory which is widely used and is based on the Kolbs learning styles. This is a computerized assessment that enables the students to find out about their learni ng styles ( Kolb). It provides adequate information on how the educators can use this information to device proper strategies for accommodating the various learning styles and serve the students best.Fleming VARK learning style model is also applicable to the tutors as this identifies learners in four different categories which include visual ,auditory , reading and writing and kinesthetic. The model has a questionnaire which is based upon the different categories to determine the learning style of students (Dunn). This model is widely used by the educators and students alike.Jacksons learning style profiler is a hybrid model which suggests that learning style is influence by a wide range of issues which include the experience , personal choice and biology (Jackson). This is best used in the organizations by the human resource educators. It helps to assess how people learn at work.The view of learning style has been applied in the education field and is usually encountered in different levels of studies from the early childhood to the graduate school. As the learning style continue to trigger more issues , educators have found a surplus of uses (Manolis, Burns, Assudan and China). The use of these learning styles has been wide spread both in the private and the public sectors. In the human resource department , trainers has found it useful in seminars , especially in field that involves communication skills , conflict resolutions , team building and intellectual communication. Learning style tools can be helpful to the educators in developing an approach that can enhance their students learning (Sprenger). According to Kolb, the concept behind the learning style is that each individual has a personalized preference for employing a different phase of learning cycle. Assessing learning style enables the teachers to broade n their awareness of different learners preferences as this makes them to be more effective in stimulating the student learning. The teachers are limited to the curriculum and method aspects when using learning style application in the classroom. Kolb learning style inventory model and learning cycle among other inventories such as that of Dunn learning style inventory can be applied when a teacher or a tutor is developing methods and curriculum for the students (Dunn). The tutors or educators could also use the learning style assessment to increase or improve the student self-awareness ( Sims and Sims). However , when using the an inventory in a class or training group , it is important for the tutor to explain how these learning groups can use the knowledge they get for themselves. Learning style assessment is therefore useful to the students to use the knowledge as they grow through learning in their life. The learners preferences can also change with the change of the environment (Hawk and Shah). For the learning style to be effective , it would be necessary to the tutor to first introduce it in the early years or the beginning of any particular course (Duff). The tools are also important because when a new teacher or tutor takes over , would be able to know how to handle the students in their personal strengths and weakness after reading a previous report on the inventory (Spoon Schell). However, according to theorists, the educators should consider the context when determining the student learning style. It implies that a tutor who recognizes the effect if the context in learning style would be able to deduce why the student prefers a certain kind of learning style. This also prevents the educator from concluding that the student has inconsistent performance (Keefe Jenkins). These tools can also help the educators to know why some learning experienced do not necessarily bring out the expected results or outcome. Therefore ,learning style is useful as it determine how the student learn (Young and Paterson). Moreover , ensuring that the students learning style match with the instructional approaches would induce an optimal learning and great outcomes (Coffield, Moseley, Hall Ecclestone). Nonetheless ,learning style inventories are not mean to bring out an individual learning style perfectly or accurately but it is aimed as a tool to help the learners and educators understand each other through dialogue. Works CitedBagby, M. Learning Style Difference vs Learning Difficulty.(2014).web.  HYPERLINK "http://therapeuticliteracyce...