Posts

The Learning Style Myth

Image
          I remember learning about learning styles in middle school when my mom taught me about them. We determined that I was an “auditory learner” and that I learned best through hearing things. My mom claimed to be a “visual learner” and said that she has to see things in order to understand them. Learning styles are something that is taught in many teacher education programs and many teachers are encouraged to teach utilizing their student's specific learning styles in order to help their students more effectively. I always understood that if I taught my students using strategies that focused on their set learning styles they would be able to learn faster and better. The research on this topic says otherwise. What are learning styles?           Learning styles refer to the way that a student is learning material. There are many different learning styles, but the most common ones are known as visual, auditory, and kinesth...
Post a Comment
Read more

Critical Thinking

  Critical thinking is a topic that frequently comes up in the world of education. As teachers, we are often asked to make sure our students are thinking critically and to ensure we are providing them with opportunities to practice their critical thinking skills. But what actually is critical thinking beyond just thinking deeper? Robert Ennis (2011, pg. 5) gives a detailed description of his idea for critical thinking, but he mainly defines it as “reasonable reflective thinking focused on deciding what to believe or do.” Paul and Elder (1993, pg. 4) describe critical thinking as “the art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.”  We can teach our students critical thinking skills in many different ways to turn them into independent critical thinkers. Ennis (2011) gives many great strategies, one simple one being Reflection, Reasons, and Alternatives, or RRA. You can encourage your students to be reflective by asking them to stop and think about som...
Post a Comment
Read more

Typing vs. Handwriting

          Technology is an amazing thing that we use constantly throughout our day. As an educator, I am frequently relying on technology to help me teach throughout the day. My students get so excited whenever we use technology in the classroom, especially when they get to use their Chromebooks. Although there are so many benefits to technology in the classroom, I can’t help but wonder if we are using it too much.           I have come to rely on the technology in my classroom for so many things. My computer is able to wirelessly connect to the screen at the front of the room which allows me to move around and write on my laptop which then shows up on the board. Many of the curriculums my school uses have online components where students can complete the same work they would normally do on paper on their Chromebooks. I have come to rely on this when teaching many things, but whenever the internet goes out or there are technol...
Post a Comment
Read more