Understanding a Student
I have very rarely had difficulty in understanding how someonelse learns. Yet on one particular occasion, I was completely at a loss. I had a student who could not visualize any action or movement, she physically had to see a finished product. This is sometimes easy when everyone in the class produces the exact same, but when each team has a different course or meal it can be trying. I worked with her, drew diagrams, even sketched 38 images for her to no avail. While walking through a fleamarket I found a text book from the 50's, even though the pictures were not really upto date they were applicable to the class. I bought it for a whopping $2, and in class I gave it to her with the understanding that I thought it might help her visualize what she was to accomplish. The next class session, she was exstatic and in the trenches with the other students. She was so appreciative, but I still don't know exactly what I did. I admitted that we all see things differently, and that I wasn't sue how she saw te world but that another textbook may be helpful. And in this case it was the fix to a very difficult situation.
Hi Barry,
This is a great story of how an instructor problem solved to meet the learning needs of an individual students. I would be very interested in knowing what the book was about and how it was able to appeal to the needs of your student.
I have been doing research in the area of multiple intelligences and the assessment of them. I have developed an assessment that can identify the three most dominant intelligences. This is of great benefit to both students and the instructor because this way the instructor knows how students internalize and decode information. Then the instruction can be build around these intelligences. I am guessing that you were able to target the intelligences of this student (spatial and tactile) and this unlocked the learning process for her.
The bottom line is that it worked and she was able to be successful. Keep up the good work.
Gary
We all see situations differently thus the saying “three sides to every story†trying to understand how someone is learning is challenging at times. We are trying to build learning community, different ages and background make a exciting class students have so much to offer we all benefit.
That is what makes our jobs as instructors challenging: we have so many different styles to consider when planning our delivery. I always try to use a variety of methods on a continuing basis so everyone's learning styles are included and addressed.
I do the same for my tests and quizzes.
