Focus on learning
The key to success – learning how to learn Bambi Gardiner advocates a multi-sensory approach Each and every child – or every person, for that matter – has their own unique way of learning, but with a class full of minds to mould, teachers don’t always have the time or resources to cater to every single learning style. Therefore, generic ways of learning – such as taking notes from textbooks, conducting online research, or sitting mock exams and formative assessments – are relied upon to help children absorb and retain information. While this may work well for some, the chances of these techniques bringing out the best in every child, especially those whose learning styles are more visual or kinaesthetic, or who struggle to navigate great passages of text, are slim to none. Visual learners and children with dyslexia learn more effectively, for instance, when information is brought to life – lifted up from the page or the screen and made to dance in front of them, in ways which allow them to truly engage with it. They need to be able to see the concepts in action and partake in the process, especially in a classroom environment which can, at times, be overwhelming or stifling. Winter
Summer |
| 2017
Before children can start to learn anything, they first need to learn how to learn. If they’re not encouraged to explore different ways of learning and to discover which one, or which combination, works best for them at an early age, children can go from primary school right through to college or university – and into the world beyond – struggling to make information stick. If, for example, a visual learner is only ever given the option of reading information from textbooks or the internet, or from taking notes while the teacher speaks at the front of the class, their learning becomes limited; they may never know how much more the information can come to life for them when they experience it in a visual way. It may never occur to them, therefore, to use imagery, graphics and diagrams to help them study, and so they will always fall short of their full potential. This can lead to students feeling ‘stupid’ or unwilling to learn, when in fact they simply haven’t been exposed to the things which give them that lightbulb moment – the learning techniques which transform abstract and alien
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