December 2009 Archives

What is the genius of the Performing person? This student is a mover, a risk-taker, an adventurer. This student craves hands-on, experiential activities. This student is often passionate about (and talented in) sports, acting, comedy, dance, building, outdoor activities, or a combination of these. In general, this student learns best when involved in activities that allow him/her to be active: do, experience, and keep things moving so as not to get bored.

This is one of the Dispositions that often gets labeled ADD (or if combined with Performing the label is ADHD). This is also the Disposition that is sometimes referred to as the "absentminded professor."

What is the genius of the Inventing person? This student is an explorer, a collector, an experimenter. This student asks a lot of questions, often to the annoyance of parent or instructor, and often seems to be asking questions that are unrelated to the topic at hand. It is then assumed that the student can't focus, doesn't pay attention, etc. What is actually happening is that this student hears or reads something...which triggers other thoughts...which triggers questions. All the while the student is making connections: this is how this student learns best.

These students also tend to lose track of time because they can get so focused on the project at hand that they forget about everything else.

This student is often passionate about (and talented in) electronics, technology, archeology, any of the sciences, cooking, engineering, building, problem solving, or a combination of these. In general, this student learns best when involved in activities that allow him/her to be inquisitive and inventive: take apart, put together, tinker, try out, make something out of nothing.

When planning a school program for the Inventing student, you can integrate the learning style needs with the various subjects. The student can make models, build replicas, work on a collection, design a system, develop a project...  If the student is in a traditional school setting, you can help at homework time by making sure that the student is allowed to ask questions, and by encouraging the student to use his natural problem solving strategies. You can also ask the teachers if the student can do more hands-on assignments rather than always being required to do written reports.

Copyright 2009 Reflective Educational Perspectives, LLC

Would you force a child to wear shoes that don't fit? Then why force an education that doesn't fit!

Well, that's what is happening to hundreds of thousands of school children every day. Those in private schools or homeschooling programs are not automatically better off. As long as children are forced to use a traditional textbook/workbook curriculum without any concern for their learning styles, they might as well be wearing shoes that are too tight, or so loose that they trip over them.

An education that doesn't fit is as painful, or perhaps even more painful, than ill-fitting shoes--after all, an ill-fitting education can scar a child for life.

As long as we force all kids to start reading at 4 or 5 years old, force everyone to use textbooks and workbooks, and force all students to learn and be tested in the same way, No Child Left Behind will never come to be. Many, many children will continue to be left behind, along with countless adults who are not able to reverse the damage done to them as students.

The key to learning success is simple: find out how each student learns best! A person's learning styles are made up of their Dispositions, Modalities, Interests, Talents, and best Environment. The very best learning occurs when we coach students to discover their own unique styles of learning and encourage them to apply this information.

copyright 2009 Reflective Educational Perspectives, LLC