Running Head: DOMAIN A LITERATURE REVIEW 1

Domain A Literature Review

National University

Richard Regal

April 16, 2019

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Abstract

This literature review will cover an article titled “Learning Styles” which covers the different

styles of learning present in today’s learners. This article covers which styles are popular and why

metacognition is a concept that teachers need to be aware of. This relates to Domain A of the TPE

because of our need to make lessons comprehensible for all students, which means catering to all

learning styles in the classroom.

Keywords: Learning styles, metacognition, students, differentiation

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Today’s classroom is one that is dynamic in a variety of ways. One aspect that makes

modern classroom’s dynamic are the students in them. Students learn in many ways which

presents teachers with the challenge of making lessons and activities comprehensible for all

students. According to the California Teaching Performance Expectations document, TPE 1A sets

the standard for English Language Arts teachers by stating that “they understand how to deliver a

comprehensive program of rigorous instruction in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and

Language within standards that establish a progression of increasing complexity” (2013, p. 2). In

my experience, the only way that complexity can be attained in any one of these disciplines is

through differentiation and use of metacognition, which starts with appealing to diverse learning

types in the classroom.

According to Chick (2018), learning styles dictate how students “gather, sift through,

interpret, organize, come to conclusions, and store information for further use” (Learning Styles).

The most popular learning style inventory, according to the article is referred to as VARK, or

visual, aural, verbal (reading and writing), and kinesthetic. As teachers, it would seem daunting to

attempt to include elements of all these learning styles in each of our lessons. Personally, I make

sure to include at least two of these learning styles in any one of my lessons. By doing that I

believe that I can reach most of my students through their preferred learning style at any given

time. This helps me achieve a need for metacognition in my lessons, which is defined by Chick

(2018) as “the process of thinking about one’s thinking” (Learning Styles). While that definition

seems circular in meaning, metacognition is the process of getting students to consider what they
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are learning, why it is important, and how they can best approach a learning activity. The

expectation for high rigor in lessons can make it difficult to feel like you are reaching every

learner in the class, so by differentiating the instruction, I believe I am asking students to work in

a way that is familiar to them but that will also get them thinking in a more dynamic way about

the material.

So why does this matter? According to Chick (2018), by appealing to different learning

styles, teachers can “align teaching and learning with the contours of the subject matter, without

limiting the potential abilities of the learners” (Learning Styles). If a student will have an easier

time learning a subject or lesson visually than they will kinesthetically, we should appeal to their

strengths. This can only ensure comprehension and understanding of the lesson, which is the core

focus of TPE Domain 1A.

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References:

Chick, N. (2018, May 07). Learning Styles. Retrieved April 15, 2019, from

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/learning-styles-preferences

Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2013). California Teaching Performance Expectations.

Retrieved April 13, 2019, from https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/educator-

prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2013.pdf