For most people, undergoing formal education is important. Most of the world’s workforce has learned or acquired their work and personal skills through formal education. Today’s formal education has evolved into many forms. Usually, it happens in an established educational institution, like a university or school. Within a classroom inside such an institution, it is inevitable that the students come from varying and a great diversity of background. Students have different attitudes and ways of learning, which may or may not define their personalities and perspectives.
Diversity in learning institutions is a normative situation that defines the multiculturalism that exists in the society. One of the differences in students is the differences in learning styles or the methods in learning or acquiring knowledge. People that are different in culture, age, religion and nationality learn in various ways. This is called the learning-style preferences (Dunn & Griggs, 1995).
Some people learn without learning styles but theylearn more when they utilized their learning preferences. It is found out that students learn or achieve more in test scores when they learned using their own learning style preferences. These preferences of students become their “strengths” in their education (Dunn & Griggs, 1995).
The Essay on Discuss Some of the Challenges Facing International Students in Higher Education
As a growing number of international students who attempt to obtain a further education diploma or expand their horizons, has been increasing, it is often the case that they would face various challenges while studying abroad. The main barrier that they have to overcome is “academic learning that consists of strangeness, difference and integration (Teekens, 2006:17, cited in Hyland, 2008). ...
Conventional formal education usually makes use of the auditory method of learning: that learning is achieved through listening to teachers and in addition to assigned tasks and projects. The level of learning is usually measured in the form of tests, examinations and even oral examinations. The differences in learning styles explain why some children perform well in school and why others or their siblings have difficulty in their school performance. It also explains why one instructional method is not applicable to all students. A particular approach may boost the performance of a student and fairly contribute on the learning of others (Dunn & Griggs, 1995).
Learning Styles
For a group of distinct or diverse individuals, utilizing different learning styles to teach has proven to be effective in giving chances to others to learn. Since learning is a natural human ability honed by biological and sociological factors, the modes of learning has also been proven to be different for every person. In addition, since learning is a never-ending process wherein people still learn and acquire and process information until they reach old age. Learning is influenced by its biological and sociological aspects. These aspects affect the person’s learning either in a positive or negative way.
Students have different ways of taking in and processing of information. These depict their ways of learning. Teachers also employ various teaching strategies and techniques in teaching students. When the teaching methods and the students’ learning style preference meet the process of learning will be successful. When there is a discrepancy between the two aspects, students have a greater tendency to get bored and the teachers’ methods are proven ineffective (Felder, n.d.).
Every person has his or her own learning style. More often than not, people are unaware of which learning style they are best at. People just know that they learn more in that method. People learn more utilizing methods and techniques than others. The various learning style preferences determine the comfortable way people learn and how these learning preferences exert learning efficacy (Melkman & Trotman, 2005).
The Coursework on Learning Styles Students Student Ranked
... method of research. Analyses First, I selected learning styles that were ranked 50 percent or above on each student's learning styles ... with things; building, repairing, designing, operating); (l) people (working with people; interviewing, counseling, selling, helping); (m) listening ( ... Available: web /> Lumsden, L. (1994, June). Student motivation to learn. Eric Digest. [On-line]. Available: web /& ...
Usually, learning is affected by environmental influences. Examples of such influences include light and sound (Shalaway & Beech, 1998).
Some people could not concentrate on things when they are subjected in dim light or in noise loud. But there are also some people who understand more of their lessons under such circumstances. In addition, the state of mental health is another influence in learning. This determines if a person can easily understand the things taught to them.
The developmental and sociological aspect of learning and greatly affects the way of a person’s learning is motivation. Some people need to be motivated to enhance their learning capability. Being in the in-group also enhances the learning capabilities of students as they are more eager to go to school.
Noise is strictly prohibited in classrooms and teachers react negatively whenever students squirm or wriggle in their seats, when they tap their pens or whenever students show signs of restlessness. However, studies proved that some children manifest such behaviors in order to concentrate, think and learn (Shalaway & Beech, 1998).
Many sources discussed various types of learning styles. There are three main types of learning style preferences; auditory, visual and kinesthetic. The auditory learning style explain how some people learn best when they utilized their sense of hearing. They get oral instructions quickly. The visual learning style explains how some students learn more using their sense of sight. These students take down notes and copy the keywords in class visual aids. The kinesthetic learning style, on the other hand, explains why some people prefer to learn on their own. They have a greater tendency to learn more through discover and experience (University of Western Ohio, 2005).
Accommodating Differences in Learning Styles
Due to the disparity of learning styles among students, the mentor or the learning facilitator is faced in a challenge of overcoming such differences to be able to teach students effectively. The learning dilemma involves an analysis of which teaching strategy will cater best to most, if not all student with different learning styles.
The Essay on Learning Styles Students Modalities Information
Every person learns differently. From kindergartner to postgraduate levels, only students can do the earning, and they do it in their own particular, individual learning styles. Some children pick something up the first time they hear it. Others may not grasp a concept until theyve had the chance to see it in print, or to write it themselves. These people all use different learning modalities. ...
The group that is composed of culturally and intellectually diverse students will helped the educator in devising teaching methods that can be applied to students with various learning styles. The group will also render new realizations to the educator and attempt to expand the learning styles of students.
The educator can employ various methods in attempting to overcome the difficulties caused by difference in learning styles. The best approach that can be done by the instructor is to address the differences in learning styles in their teaching and lessons plan. It is helpful to encourage students in understanding their preferred learning styles (“Understanding Different Learning Styles,” n.d.).
