Characteristics

of the Learner
Educ 3100

Bell Assessment #1
According to the Tomlinson article, name one
of the six principles for fostering excellence
and equity in academically diverse learners.

Tomlinson Article
In small groups
Where would you like to teach in a setting
where students are achievers or in a more
diverse setting?
Do you think it is possible to teach ALL
students or I intend to teach the curriculum in
as reasonable a way as I know how, and I hope
that most of the students will respond.
How does a view of needs rather than deficits,
a view of what students can do rather than
what they cant, influence teaching?

Principles for Fostering Equity and

Excellence in Academically Diverse
Students

Good curriculum comes first.

All tasks should respect each learner.
When in doubt, teach up.
Use flexible grouping.
Become an assessment junkie.
Grade to reflect growth.
Tomlinson, 2006

What are learning styles?

Learning styles are simply different approaches
or ways of learning.

Learning styles are described in different ways

by different theorists.

Learning Styles
Visual Learners learn through seeing
Auditory Learners learn through listening
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners learn
through moving, doing, and touching

Visual Learners
These learners need to see the teacher's body
language and facial expression to fully understand
the content of a lesson. They tend to prefer sitting
at the front of the classroom to avoid visual
obstructions (e.g. people's heads). They may think
in pictures and learn best from visual displays
including: diagrams, illustrated text books,
overhead transparencies, videos, flipcharts and
hand-outs. During a lecture or classroom
discussion, visual learners often prefer to take
detailed notes to absorb the information.

Techniques for Visual Learners

Graphic organizers
Charts
Graphs
Illustrations
Maps
Draw a picture of the learning
Video

Auditory Learners
They learn best through verbal lectures,
discussions, talking things through and listening
to what others have to say. Auditory learners
interpret the underlying meanings of speech
through listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed
and other nuances. Written information may
have little meaning until it is heard. These
learners often benefit from reading text aloud
and using a tape recorder.

Techniques for Auditory Learners

Tape record important information

Songs
Read aloud
Retell
Listening centers

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners
Tactile/Kinesthetic persons learn best through a
hands-on approach, actively exploring the
physical world around them. They may find it
hard to sit still for long periods and may become
distracted by their need for activity and
exploration.

Techniques for Tactile/Kinesthetic

Learners

Move during the lesson

Act it out with body
Touch it
Feel it
Recite while moving jump rope, bounce ball

4MAT
http://www.aboutlearning.com/index.php/what-is-4mat

The Four Little Pigs

4MAT group discussion
Illustrate your 4MAT style

Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles model

at http://www.learningstyles.net/

Environmental Stimulus
Sound: This element refers to a student's preference
for background sound while learning. To what extent
do you prefer silence, or background noise or music
while concentrating or studying?
Light: Light refers to the level of illumination that is
preferred while studying and learning. This element
explores the extent to which a student prefers soft,
dim or bright light while concentrating.

Environmental Stimulus
Temperature: What level of temperature do you prefer while
involved in studying and/or other learning activities?
Preferences for this element may vary from a cool room to a
warm room while studying or engaged in various
instructional activities.

Design: Each design is associated with the room and

furniture arrangements that each student prefers while
learning. Do you prefer to study sitting at a traditional desk
and chair? Or do you like a more informal arrangement with
different types of furniture, such as a couch, a recliner, or
pillows and carpet on the floor?

Emotional Stimulus
Motivation: This element deals with the level and/or type
of motivation the student has for academic learning. That
is, the extent to which a student is interested in learning.
Are you self-motivated (intrinsic), motivated through
interest in a topic or contact with peers, or are you
primarily motivated by adult feedback and reinforcement?
Persistence: This element relates to each student's
persistence on a learning or instructional task. Persistence
relates to the student's attention span and ability to stay on
task. Do you have a preference for working on one task
until it is finished or do you prefer to work on a variety of
tasks simultaneously?

Emotional Stimulus
Responsibility: To what extent do you prefer to take
responsibility for your own academic learning? This
element involves the preference to work independently on
assignments with little supervision, guidance or feedback.
Do you prefer to work independently without an adult
telling you how to proceed? Or, do you prefer to have
frequent feedback and guidance?
Structure: This element focuses on the student's preference,
or lack of preference, for structured learning activities and
tasks. Do you prefer being told exactly what the learning
task is, how you should proceed, and what is expected of
you? Or do you prefer to be given an objective and then be
left alone to decide which procedures or options you use to
reach the objective?

Sociological Stimulus
Self: Self relates to your preference for working on a learning
task by yourself. When working on an assignment, do you prefer
to work alone or do you prefer working as member of a group?
Some students prefer working independently. Others may prefer
working with someone else. With other students, it may depend
on the type.
Pair: This element relates to working with one other student. Do
you prefer working with one other person as opposed to working
as a member of a group? Some students may prefer working with
others but not in a small group or alone.
Peers and Team: Do you like working as a member of a team or
do you prefer to complete a task by yourself? This element helps
determine a student's preference for working with a small group
with interaction, discussion and completion of the task as a team
member rather than independently.

Sociological Stimulus
Adult: How do you react to working with an authority
figure? Do you like to work together with an adult
and/or teacher or do you react negatively to teacher or
adult interaction during a task? This element relates to
preference for interaction and guidance from an adult.

Variety Versus Concentrating in Routines or

Patterns: This element refers to a preference for
involvement in a variety of tasks while learning. Do
you like routines or patterns or do you prefer a variety
of procedures or activities while concentrating on new
or difficult academic tasks.

Physiological Stimulus
Perceptual: Learning by listening, viewing, experiencing or
touching is the focus of this element. Do you prefer
instruction and retain more information when the activities
involve visual materials (viewing pictures, maps or reading),
auditory activities (listening to tapes, lectures, music), or
tactual and kinesthetic involvement, such as note taking,
and/or working on projects that involve making things (i.e.,
science projects, storybooks, diaries, model building, etc.)?
Intake: Intake is concerned with the need to eat, drink, or
chew while engaged in learning activities. Do you prefer to
drink something while studying, such as a soft drink or
coffee? Do you prefer to chew gum? Does munching on
snacks help you concentrate?

Physiological Stimulus
Time: This element is related to the concept of energy
levels at different times during the day. Do you prefer to
work on a task that needs concentration in the early
morning, late morning, early afternoon, late afternoon,
or evening?
Mobility: Can you sit still for a long period of time as
long as you are interested in what you are doing, or do
you prefer to move constantly -- standing, walking,
changing body positions? Mobility is concerned with
the extent to which you prefer to be moving, even
unconsciously, while involved in concentration.

Psychological/Cognitive Stimulus
Global-Analytic: This element determines whether a student learns best
when considering the total topic of study, or when approaching the task
sequentially -- one aspect at a time. Students who have a preference for
global learning are concerned with the whole meaning and the end
results. They need to start with an overview of the big picture before
they deal with details and facts. Students who prefer an analytic style of
learning prefer to learn one detail at a time in a meaningful sequence.
Once they know all the parts, they put them together and comprehend
the big picture.
Hemisphericity: Hemisphericity is associated with left or right
processing. Left-brain individuals tend to be more analytic or sequential
learners, whereas right-brain dominance tends to be associated with
simultaneous or global learners. This preference overlaps the
Global/Analytic.
Impulsive-Reflective: This element relates to the tempo of thinking. Do
you draw conclusions and make decisions quickly or do you think about
the various alternatives and evaluate each before making a decision?

Educational Implications of Differing

Learning Styles
Small group discussion
In teaching a lesson on Healthy Eating to your 6th
grade class, how could you adapt the lesson for
different learning styles?

For next class

Relating to your field experience, think about . . .
What school-wide factors influence learning in
your classroom?
What classroom factors influence learning in your
classroom?
What individual factors influence learning for
students in your classroom?
Read Ormrod pp. 5-6