Stillwater Area Schools

August 2015

Teaching to the Person:

Differentiating through Variety

Agenda• INTRODUCTION/CONTEXT– Introductory Activities & Conversation– Systemic Differentiation– Exploration of Learning Styles

• Designing for Variety– Experiential Framework– Action Planning

• CLOSING

Enduring Understandings

• Intentional and systematic variety in lesson planning can support a multiplicity of learning preferences

• Systemic differentiation is about planning for variety

Guiding Questions

• How do learning and learning styles/preferences intersect?

• How can educators support the vast diversity of ways students learn?

• What is the nature of powerful learning experiences?

Protocols

• Assume good intentions• Spinach in the teeth rule

(Ouch/Oops)• Right to Pass• Make it work for you• Others?

~ Howard Gardner

Empowerment: “Me”

Learning Styles or Preferences?

1. Reading texts or other printed material2. Writing term papers3. Participating in group activities in class4. Doing major team projects5. Doing cases/case studies6. Taking multiple choice exams7. Giving presentations to the class8. Learning about different theories9. Doing practical exercises10. Solving problems11. Doing library research12. Exercising a lot of creativity

Loo, R. (2004). Kolb’s learning styles and learningpreferences: Is there a linkage? Educational Psychology, 24 (1), 99-108.

“…weak relationships between assignment preferences and learning styles.”

“… recommends that faculty use a variety of learning methods in every class and that they encourage students to be receptive to different methods rather than equatingparticular approaches with their learning style.”

“… builds on Kolb’s notion that no one learning style is better than another.

Rather, skilled learners match styles to tasks and are not locked into their preferred style.”

Loo, R. (2004). Kolb’s learning styles and learningpreferences: Is there a linkage? Educational Psychology, 24 (1), 99-108.

A Few of the 70+ Learning Styles

• Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic (VAK)

• Multiple Intelligences – Gardner

• Quadrants – LSI (Kolb), True Colors, 4Mat (McCarthy)

• Others?

Verbal/Linguistic• Like to write• Use words well when speaking• Enjoy telling stories and jokes• Have a good memory for names, places, dates, and

other information• Enjoy reading• Like poems, puns, and tongue twisters• Like word activities like Scrabble®, anagrams,

crossword, puzzles, and so on• Like to speak in front of groups• Find it easy to explain ideas to others• Often contact friends through notes and letters

Logical/Mathematical• Think things out clearly• Can do math in head• Enjoy using computers• Like chess and checkers• Like to do experiments• Like working on thinking puzzles• Keep things neat and orderly• Like step-by-step directions• Like structure• Find it easy to solve problems

Visual/Spatial• Like pictures and other visuals• See pictures in mind when thinking• Like mazes, jigsaw puzzles, and Lego® blocks• Enjoy drawing and designing things• Like maps and charts• Daydream a lot• Like creating art using different tools: chalk, paint, or

markers• Like to rearrange a room• Like watching plays, musicals, and other performances• Can remember the way a room looks and feels

Musical/Rhythmic• Enjoy music a lot• Often sing, hum, or whistle songs to themselves• Play musical instrument or sing in a choir• Hear sounds others may miss-birds, crickets, bells in the

distance• Like to have music playing all the time• Find it hard to concentrate while listening to the radio

or TV• Have good rhythm to music• Like the rhythms of poetry• Like musicals better than dramatic plays• Find it easy to remember words of songs

Bodily/Kinesthetic• Cleverly mimic other people’s movements and

behaviors• Enjoy taking part in sports• Like to dance, act, do aerobics, martial arts, or mime• Move a lot when sitting on a chair• Like physical activities such as hiking, swimming,

biking, or skating• Good with woodworking, sewing, or carving• Enjoy making things with hands• Like working with tools• Find it hard to sit still for long periods• Enjoy arts and crafts

Interpersonal• Am a leader in the neighborhood or school• Understand people very well• Have a lot of friends• Like to be with people• Try to solve disputes• Enjoy group games and/or group events• Care a lot about people and their feelings• Learn and perform best when working with

others• Dislike working alone• Like belonging to clubs and other groups

Intrapersonal• Am deeply aware of inner feelings and thoughts• Have strong personality and will• Like to work on projects alone• Seem to live in own private, inner world• Have self-confidence• Act very different in style ofdress and behavior• Put out a lot ofeffort when I believe in

something• Like to be involved in causes that help others• Am very aware ofwhat I believe• Believe that fairness is very important

Naturalist• Care deeply about animals• When outside, closely notice sky, clouds, and

plants• Enjoy growing plants• Like collecting rocks and seashells• Like going to the beach or walking in the woods• Like to watch fish in an aquarium for a long time• Care very much about the environment and

endangered species• Believe it is very important to recycle• Enjoy hiking and camping• Spend a lot of time outdoors

Existential• Enjoy looking at the stars at night and thinking about

how everything Hts together• Frequently think about the signifcance of my own life and

my impact on others• Enjoy reading certain kinds of philosophy, religious, or

spiritual literature• Like to figure out how things relate to each other• Sometimes have trouble focusing on details• Like to think about why things happen as they do• Like to read and learn about the meaning oflife• Ask lots of questions that start with “Why?" and “How?”• Wonder a lot about why people die• Like to listen to sermons, discuss deep subjects, or both

Designing for Variety

FRONT INTEGRATIVE SENSORY

BACK INTEGRATIVE

MOTOR

ZULL’S MODEL OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BRAIN FUNCTION AND HUMAN LEARNING

Gathering Information

Reflection/Observation

Creation of New Concepts

Active Testing

Leaning PairsOr

Scales

What did you have to do to maintain

balance?

Homeostasis DefinitionConcept Map of human body

Examples

Concept: Homeostasis

HOMEOSTASIS

Context: Balance

Leaning PairsOr

Scales

What did you have to do to maintain

balance?

Homeostasis DefinitionConcept Map of human body

Examples

Concept: Homeostasis

HOMEOSTASIS

Context:Balance

Research Examples• Human body: body temperature, glucose

concentration, calcium levels, fluid volume• Ecosystems: carrying capacity, predator-prey

relationships, biodiversity, case study of a species, overcrowding, habitat degradation

• Agriculture: Effects of monoculture• Sustainability: Human influence, changing

conditions on…• Mental Health: Balance, stagnation, and growth

Leaning PairsOr

Scales

What did you have to do to maintain

balance?

Homeostasis DefinitionConcept Map of human body

Examples

Research Homeostatic Relationships

Present findings

Concept: Homeostasis

HOMEOSTASIS

Context:Balance

Multiple Intelligence Inventory

Human Bar Graph

Teaching of different types of graphs: Bar, Line, Pie…Chart your own MI

1. 2. Determine something of which you would like to observe the frequency, number or amount. Create two different graphs.

Concept: Graphing

Graphing

Context:MI + Human

Bar graph