First virtual session :-)

Two weeks have passed since our first virtual session! That's a long time, but I still remember some bits. We concentrated on learning styles in our presentation. The image above is from the PracTutor blog. I like to see images, pictures, videos as addition to learning and we started our presentation with this picture. There learning style tree is one way to separate different preferred learning styles. There are a lot of different theories about learning styles (eg. Neil Fleming's VARK model or David A. Kolb's Experiential Learning theory. Dig into them!

Learning styles (LS) means simply "various ways to learn something". Your preferred learning style is the result of your personality, previous experience (e.g. school, work), the outside world and all the interaction between these actors. It might help your learning to know your strong and weak learning styles. Then you might want to learn sth in your preferred way if you have the choice, or you can practice your weak learning style. Learning is most efficient when you have strengths in many different learning styles

Meshing hypothesis or matching guidelines means when you try to match a students preferred LS to your teaching. This is not actively done in schools but I found out that Havukosken koulu in Vantaa has taken part in a trial where they matched their 6-7 (now 7-8 graders) according to their preferred LS. They put 4 groups together according to their preferred LS and have adjusted the web based teaching to match the student’s preferences. The groups are flexible, including both 7-8 graders and they empathize on their learning community and "doing together". The student’s auditory, visual, tactile and kinetic senses are activated depending on their preferred LS. They also try to move teaching more outside the class room.

To match teaching according to LS is not easy to apply, but perhaps it is possible. It is certainly easier to apply in student counseling.  I’m interested to hear the final results of this trial at Havukoski school. So far, the feedback from the students has been very positive. This might be the key to motivate students.

Taking notes during your learning process is handy - but I must admit that I am too lazy to do it. During last year I have gotten hooked on mind maps. They take some time to do, but they really help me to see the big picture. The mind map below is an overview about learning styles in teaching and tutoring. This picture is my route map to knowledge about learning styles. Mind maps change all the time as you learn, so if I made a mind map now, it would look totally different. I wanted to post it here because in our breakup, the slides didn't come up as they should, so my "students" ;-) didn't have the possibility to see the mind map.    

It was exciting to listen (and watch) the other presentations. I learnt that giving examples after teaching a theory is very good. I realized that teaching in a slow pace is better than trying to include a lot in a 20 minute presentation. Thanks D! 

I also learnt that what curricula actually is. I have known it before, but not on a detailed level. Perhaps the foreign language mixed it up for me. As to teaching style, I really liked the style where the presenter read out comments during the presentation and made it alive. This way all opinions were on-air and the discussion followed a red line. I also realized that I prefer when not everything is read out loud that is in a PP presentation. I sort of like to read that myself. Thanks P!

Off to preparations of the next session.