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Education: Technological Advances Evolving

Learning is considered by many to be one of the things that help human beings avoid mental stagnation. With so many gadgets at our fingertips, it may be difficult to break away from the interwoven world of technology that we live in. For book nerds, teachers and e-learners this can be exciting news. Since the late 1990s, teachers all over the globe have sought to integrate the use of computer interaction within the classroom. What was once thought to be impossible for students and educators is now a widely preferred reality.

So many adult students may value an education, but lack ample time to travel back and forth to a traditional school setting. Online courses can offer some relief when it comes to obtaining a degree. If you don’t have a Webcam, don’t worry since they aren’t essential in every situation. Computers that have a sound card for audio can allow hearing-based learning. Teachers often like to utilize various chat platforms to conference students and enable class-related discussion.

If you’re thinking to yourself “what kind of learner are you” and want to stay home, some virtual study programs will soon have “whiteboards” that permit students and teachers to use a stylus pen, fingertip or a computer mouse to interact with each other. Currently, most whiteboards depend on using the mouse and basic chat functions for interaction during telestudies.

Contrary to some people’s beliefs, getting an education never has to be a boring task. If you’re eager about learning, pens and pencils will never be obsolete. Neither will the mind nor technology.

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Know Your Learning Style

Did you know there are styles of learning? While you may not have heard them referred to as ‘styles,’ you know instinctively how you learn best. Most of us have a dominant learning style, ( a way you learn best) and supplement our learning with the other styles.  What are these styles? The three basic learning styles are:  visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners.

Visual Learners

Visual learners have strong spatial skills.  They see and remember sizes, shapes, and three-dimensional depths.  They have a discerning eye for aesthetics and visual media. You might be a visual learner if you:

  • Love language that is ripe with imagery.
  • Keep journals and take notes.
  • Need to see what you are learning.

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners learn best by listening to oral explanations. Their brains are tuned to record and process information that they hear. They often have a wide vocabulary and are able to make oral presentations with ease.  You might be an auditory learner if you:

  • Read aloud to cement an idea or concept to memory.
  • Hum or talk to yourself in idle moments

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners are hands-on learners.  They learn best by doing. They are often agile and well coordinated. Their ability to learn is determined by how involved they can physically be in the process.  Many performers and athletes are kinesthetic learners.  You might be a kinesthetic learner if you:

  • Have difficulty sitting still and would rather be tinkering with something.
  • Use your hands, as well as, your words to explain something.
  • Are uncomfortable in learning environments that rely totally on lectures.

While most of us have a dominant learning style, we often flex to other styles in specific situations.  Knowing your dominant style and in what situations you flex to other styles will help you choose educational opportunities geared to your strengths and styles.

Filed Under: Education, How to Learn Tagged With: ,

Learning Styles

There are different learning styles, and different way that people prefer to learn. In fact, this is such an important aspect of education that teachers and other educators strive to accommodate the different styles in order to provide the best learning environment possible. There are three main styles that are recognized in the classroom, and with those three there can be a combination of these to create whole style for a student. The more styles that a student possesses the better their classroom experience tends to be. However, there is one that is difficult for most teachers to handle, and ironically, those learners tend to have the higher learning capabilities in a classroom.

The three styles are Audio, learning by listening. These students can remember much of what they heard, and rarely need notes. They can do well with presentations, verbal instructions, and group work. These types of students tend to succeed in Language Arts classes, Liberal Studies, and in writing. The second style is Visual. These students can do very well remembering what they read, they take written instruction like a breeze. These are the students that when everyone is working on a worksheet for an hour, they can have theirs done in 30 minutes. They are successful in Math and Science classes. The last style that is recognized in classrooms is Kinesthetic. This type of learner is the student in the class that is constantly moving, talking, chewing, bouncing, and making noise. Many of these students are assumed to have ADD/ADHD, but ironically enough do not, and they also tend to have higher IQ than many of the other students. This learner makes up approximately three percent of students in a classroom, and is grossly under represented for learning techniques. These students do well with hands on activities, and complicated projects. These styles can be combined to represent Audio-Visual, Visual-Kinesthetic, and Audio-Kinesthetic. All styles can be taught effectively, but it is up to the teacher to recognize the learning styles.

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Independent Learning

Different people learn in different ways. This includes those that tend to have a higher learning success rate because they are in a brick and mortar environment. There are those, however, that do quite well in a virtual or online learning environment. For those learners, completing their education through online schooling or a university the online environment is a comfortable way to gain the necessary education for their future goals. For those that thrive in a teacher led environment, there are still many options that are not just limited to a classroom. There have been many advancements in education, and the improvements have led to an awareness for the need for differentiated presentation.

The key to learning, in any environment, is to be an independent learner. The independence that a learner brings to their education, is the strongest tool that a student could possibly have. The reason for this is because once a student reaches a certain level in their education, teachers tend to provide less and less guidance for completing assignments. Being an independent learner will help students find the motivation to do the tasks necessary in order to succeed in their schooling tasks. The other benefit to being an independent learner is that this type of mentality carries over into the career, or future academic endeavors, once the academic goals are completed. These type of people tend to be driven, and goal orientated, with good time management skills.

Independent learning is something that can be gained or learned. If a student wants to be able to have creativity when presented with new tasks, or think outside of the box, then they find that they need to take the first steps in becoming independent. For starters, getting past the fear of failing or not being successful has to be overcome. Many teachers want to see different ideas, and those ideas are usually greeted with positive reaction even if they are not the quality of what others present. Independent learners exhibit a strong tendency to be unique, and therefore to emulate that trait is a big step in changing.

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Get Your Class Excited About Learning

So, you’re a new teacher or an experienced teacher that wants to trump up his teaching style. What options are out there for the taking? What can you do to establish learning and get the kids excited to learn?

Good news. These award winning ideas will not only establish a stronger rapport with your students, the ideas below will give them more opportunities to experience those concepts that you may have been trying to drill into their heads in the first place.

  • Remember visual learners, auditory learners and kinesthetic learners all learn differently. Create lesson plans to incorporate all three ways of learning.
  • Do some small group work. Allow you students to work together to present a project.
  • Have some fun. Sing a song in-between subjects.
  • Use flip charts and power point presentations.
  • Ask a student to help you with the lesson.
  • Move around the room when speaking. Try not to stand in one place or sit behind your desk when giving instructions.
  • Have discussion sessions. Put together a court scenario and allow class members to take turns being judge, jury, attorneys, and the accused as you discuss topics in history.
  • Read aloud to students. Act out the parts of the players in the story.
  • Allow your students to decorate the room with their artwork. Or have your students write their own book. Have it professionally bound.
  • Put together a talent show for parents.
  • Remember the students who don’t celebrate typical Christian holidays. Make a point of creating crafts and other activities that incorporate other cultures and beliefs.
  • Discover the talents of your individual students, especially those who are afraid to participate in class, and get them involved in the class experience.
  • Smile. Get excited about what you are teaching, your students will follow suit.

Teaching can be fun, why not make it fun and interesting at the same time by using some or all of the ideas above?

Filed Under: Education, Teaching Methods Tagged With: ,

What Kind of a Learner are You?

When I was in school, just watching the instructor write on the chalkboard and speak to the class about the technical math term wasn’t enough for me to retain the information. I had to take notes. I had to go over the notes and practice what I’d been taught so that the instruction would sink in. I was, and still am, a visual-kinesthetic learner.

Knowing what sort of learner you are can help you as you learn throughout adulthood. It can help you in the future classes you want to take or the degree in which you are considering. It can help you to increase your level of confidence when looking for a new job and sitting across the desk from your interviewer, or learning a new match skill, or increasing your reading or speed level.

Here are the different types:

  • Visual learners, as stated above, have to write everything down—especially those things that are technical, or not as easily remembered.
  • Auditory learners gain the most by what they hear. They would rather discuss later within a group what they heard in the lecture versus writing anything down while listening to it.
  • Kinesthetic learners learn by practicing what they’ve been told. They can’t just be told how to do an experiment, or merely how to write down the experiment in order to remember it; they must do the experiment to remember the experiment.

Most learning in public school is taught through the auditory and visual method for most classes, and this is why many students (like me) struggled in school because there were times the learning wasn’t kinesthetic in nature. It was just expected to be remembered.

The good news is that you can change learning for yourself once you’ve discovered how you learn. And in this discovery, you may even decide to help someone else out.

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Discussing different learning plans and how it may help you.

Before we get started, for those of you who may not be familiar with the term, a learning plan is simply a document used to plan learning. The plan usually spans over an extended amount of time. It can be used for anything but most people use it to manage their own learning.

There are different learning plans for different things. An individual learning plan takes into regard the student’s strengths and weaknesses. Normal, everyday classes focus on the same curriculum. This plan speculates that different students have needs that should be distinctively addressed.  Different people require different learning techniques. Not everyone has the same strengths and weaknesses.

There are also learning plans for different topics such as culture, financial, spiritual as well as many other alternatives. With Culture, you learn about your or another’s culture. Spiritual is when one expands their understanding of the spiritual importance of life.  And financial is just learning how to manage your money.

A learning plan may be created for anything one needs it for. Those are examples of what someone can do with it. As you progress with your learning plan, goals are achieved. It becomes a learning record. The difference between a learning plan and a learning record is a learning plan looks to your future goals. A learning record is an archive of what you have already accomplished. It’s up to you whether it should be private or public. Whatever is written in it is up to you.

You have to be determined and motivated so your plan doesn’t falter. Keep it active with daily activities that interest you but also accommodate your plan. Start one up. Perhaps it might motivate you to do something you’ve never done or open your eyes to other sides of the world. It may just help you more than you think.

sources: Author unknown. “Individual Learning Plan” Wikipedia 3 Nov. 2010

Author unknown. “Learning Plan” Wikipedia 10 Oct. 2010

Filed Under: How to Learn, Teaching Methods Tagged With: ,

Advancements in Education

Modern technology has revolutionized education in a myriad of ways. Things that were unthinkable only twenty years ago can be achieved, giving learners a cornucopia of resources. Today, nearly all students at institutions in the developed world are members of this massive online community. Effectively, a range of knowledge-sharing and endlessly captivating methods of learning have evolved thanks not just to computer software, which has played a large part, but also – and probably principally – to the internet that has taken education to new levels.

The biggest benefits for students of all ages and within all disciplines can be summed up as follows:

  • Independence: The student is able to carry out his or her own researches and investigative studies, pursuing avenues that hold special interest for them.
  • Boredom banished: Every style of learning can be enjoyed, from the visually stimulating use of audio-visual features such as Flash, to exchanging views via conferencing facilities, doing quizzes and games as well as accessing useful step-by-step instructions, guidelines and templates to follow when completing assignments
  • Home-based learning: When, for any variety of reasons, an individual is not in a position to physically attend a learning institution, their needs can be met through online programs such as elearners.com, where degree and diploma courses are available.
  • Time-saving bonus: Much of the legwork is taken out of the task of tracking down materials; appointments with tutors can be held online and assignments and essays can be turned in by electronic means.
  • A far friendlier carbon footprint: With the urgent need to spare the earth’s resources, the paper-free nature of online education is a boon. Additionally, a huge reduction in vehicle emissions is achieved by students not having to commute to class.

With all the advancements in education, it is imperative that teachers keep abreast of all the ever-changing technologies and the subsequent plagiarism that can occur with the availability of ready-written essays and papers on the internet.

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Advantages of Offline Learning Options

While many of us enjoy the convenience of e-learning, studying offline may prove to be more comfortable. Some offline learning options such as classroom interaction can help engage students in course material. Learning in the classroom setting may also create more opportunities to excel since self-motivation isn’t a factor, as much as it is with online studies.

Although our minds may wander away from what we’re doing, learning in the classroom may help reduce our natural inclination to daydream. This may be especially true when we have a good teacher who wants us to harvest something from the lesson. There are quality classes offered on the Internet but as long as payment is received, some instructors might not care as much as some teachers do in person. Regardless of offline learning options given by teachers to their students usually prefer to see positive results that stem from their instruction. Some feel that without actually seeing the rewards of teaching efforts, we are merely spoon-feeding information.

Although motivation is a nice quality to have, some of us lack it all together and might respond favorably to our responsibilities as students when we see others prospering well. Consequently, a good grade from the instructor can become the reward that we are seeking. We may feel satisfied because we’re looking for higher academic achievement, which simultaneously pleases the teacher.

E-learners may feel rewarded by not having to travel back and forth to school, but students in the classroom might feel better receiving more individualized attention (depending on classroom size) and actual social interaction with peers. Offline learning methods typically have the deadline with homework and students may be apt to complete assignments. Some students within the virtual setting claim to wait until the last minute for assignment completion. In fact, some may not turn in the homework at all or withdraw from the coursework when it becomes “too hard.” Remember to carefully consider what works best for you.

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