I am always hesitant to purchase any item that says, "One Size Fits All". I smirked recently when I saw a tag that read, "One Size Fits Most". Well, at least we are getting somewhere. In reality, one size will never fit all or most for that matter.
Apply the sizing scenario to your classroom instruction. You students' learning style is not one size fits all, even though subject standards are grade level and content specific. Creating learning experiences for students requires educators to understand how to sequence instruction to provide the best blueprint to implement variety in instruction, materials, and learning products.
"We begin with the hypothesis that any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development."
Learning: All Sizes Available!
Understanding how your students learn is the first step! Learning style inventories and observations will help you identify each students' learning needs. Creating a plan to address the learning needs requires a sound foundation to sequence your instruction and scaffold instruction to meet the needs of each learner (Greene, n.d.).
Evaluating the Instructional Sequence
Stage 1
Jerome Bruner presses teachers to be mindful of how students learn best. Allowing students to have ample opportunity to practice concepts in real practice, discussions, or experiences not only creates interest, but provides real world context to the learning objective (Sprouts, 2020). When a teacher is building lessons to provide opportunities in practice, considerations for learning styles must in in consideration.
Example in practice - Implementing Instruction: Anticipatory Activity
In an English Language Arts (ELA) Earth Day lesson, a Power Point presentation can be given to provoke thought through Rainforest images and asking the students, "What do you see?" Students can interpret images as they see them, accessing prior knowledge. As the Power Point progresses, students are introduced to content vocabulary used to explore the topic, Earth Day. Reading a short passage or article generates interest while previewing key vocabulary in context, provoking the use of context clues to define meaning. The informational passage can be differentiated to each learning need, understanding that students have visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learning preferences:
Passages may be projected for students to reference while the teacher is reading or the class is chorally reading (for students who are visual and to accommodate students who are auditory learners).
Hard copies are provided for students to read, take notes, highlight, and refer back to for group and class discussion (for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners).
Pre-highlighted content vocabulary can be useful for English language learners and would also be helpful for students with special needs (visual tools for reference).
Example in practice - Implementing Instruction: Representation
As students continue to acquire subject knowledge, they need to have a firm grasp on content vocabulary before they are expected to advance in skill. As students acquire vocabulary, pairing words and definitions with sentence examples furthers the students understanding of each word. Teachers need to prepare materials that will support students through the acquisition of sophisticated key vocabulary in support of all learners:
Master vocabulary cards are created with pictures, definitions, and example sentences (for students who are visual and to accommodate students who are auditory learners).
Students who are English language learners will receive additional pictures to give multiple examples of the word and the definition. Students will write the word and the definition. Students will chorally read the definition aloud (for students who are visual and to accommodate students who are auditory learners).
Students who have gifted abilities will use a dictionary to locate the definition of a word. This can be done as an independent study or small group work (for kinesthetic learners).
Students who are early finishers can advance their word study with the use of Chromebooks to research words and images for definitions (for kinesthetic learners) for the terms use in a variety of contexts.
Stage 2
Bruner's process advances through the use or creation of visual aids (Greene, n.d. & Sprouts, 2020).
Example in practice - Implementing Instruction: Engagement
In the same ELA lesson, students can begin to make connections to visual aids to further their understanding by drawing illustrations that represents key vocabulary. This learning outcome can be differentiated to support all learners...
Students that are English language learners will receive additional pictures to give multiple examples of the word and the definition. Students will chorally read the definition aloud (for students who are visual and auditory learners).
Students with special needs will use a pre-typed definition sheet. Students will illustrate an image that represents the definition. Students will chorally read the definition aloud (for students who are visual and auditory learners).
Students with gifted abilities will add one or two synonyms for each vocabulary word discussed.
Students will choose a book from the Earth Day class library to look for key words in print.
Stage 3
Students are now ready to pair learning experiences with learning modules to create products from their own thoughts, experiences, discussions, or applications (Smidt, 2011 &
Sprout, 2020). Once students have experienced and explored content through discussion, visual representation, and movement, students are ready to put their skills into practice.
Example in practice: Implementing Instruction - Expression
Offering a variety of ways for students to demonstrate knowledge is key. Assessment can be offered through games, oral answers, quizzes, illustrations, short answers, and stories (Murawski & Scott, 2019).
Students can choose to demonstrate understanding by matching a word to a definition, orally give the answer for vocabulary use in context, or draw a picture to represent the vocabulary word (to support all learning style preferences).
Students may choose to demonstrate their understanding orally by using Flipgrid to record ideas, explain illustrations, or increase their speaking skills by delivering short answers or stories.
Students with special needs can choose to demonstrate understanding by matching a word to a definition, orally give the answer for vocabulary use in context, or draw a picture to represent the vocabulary word (to support all learning style preferences while building in accommodations for demonstrating knowledge of information).
Students with gifted abilities will create a paragraph with a topic sentence and closing sentence, using the nine vocabulary words in context.
Students who are early finishers will choose a book from the Earth Day class library to identify key terms in print.
Incorporating Technology
Technology is a valuable tool, when used appropriately. In the examples given, students are given a preview to the lesson with the use of a Power Point presentation. The Power Point was evaluated as a tool to use to provide a visual aid for visual learners, the backdrop for class discussion for auditory learners, and a template to be added to for kinesthetic learners.
Students may choose to use Google Slides to create their own definitions and sentences, research the topic further, or to explore extension activities.
In an ELA lesson like this, looking to sites like Flipgrid or Nearpod will provide options for students to explore units as a class, in small groups, or independently. For this lesson, I looked for an extension activity that would provide students a variety of ways to engage throughout the lesson. Nearpod includes polls, informational text, multiple choice answers, videos, bulletin boards to add information, pictures, and creative spaces for illustrations, which meets the needs of all learners.
Whether you are using technology or adding onto your lesson, it is important to remember
Bruner's learning style puts the emphasis on scaffolding instruction as you go (Smidt, 2011). Always begin the next lesson reviewing what was previously learned to ensure you are beginning every lesson addressing the needs of every learning style and size!
References
Greene, K. (n.d.) Best practices for math teaching: What you need to know. Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/teaching-strategies/evidence-based-math-instruction-for-struggling-studentss
Murawski, W., & Scott, K. (2019). What really works with universal design for learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. ISBN: 9781544338675
Sprouts. (2020). Bruner’s 3 steps of learning in a spiral curriculum. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZfAsbhfL_Y
Smidt, S. (2011). Introducing Bruner : A guide for practitioners and students in early years education. ProQuest Ebook Central. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org
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