Reaching more students

As educators we have learned throughout our career to appeal to three basic types of learners, the visual, audio, and kinesthetic learners. We have created our lesson plans to make sure it has all three elements so our students can learn the best.

Most teachers now a days use tools such as Pear Deck to be able to put together lessons that are interactive and can incorporate the three basic learning styles. This is a great start; however, it may not reach all of our students. Each student's mind is wired (literally) differently. The neurological pathways one student has is completely different than the other students. Using three different types of models of learning does help students learn the basics, but we need to be able to understand each student more individually.

Teachers should create Learner Profiles for each of their students. A Learner Profile is a place where teachers an record the data on the student as a person and as a learner, thus teachers can record information about the student's social interests, close friends, culture, how the student learns, style preference, and attitudes towards learning. Being able to identify these key areas can allow the teacher to differentiate their classroom for each student to learn in their best possible setting.

I know what some teachers are thinking right now. "I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS." I fully understand that feeling. I too, said the same thing before actually trying it. Creating a learner profile for your student is an ongoing task, one that will become routine and help your classroom run better (which saves you time in the end).

I say "Hi" to each of my students and ask them a quick semi-personal question as they enter the room (or zoom call). I also catch up with them on any work they are missing and see if they need any support to accomplish the work. I make notes about what I observed and learned from each student after the period is over. This allows me to have an on going record on where the student is at with their proficiency levels and their current preferences.

I give my students the same set of work, but give them the individual freedom to show me their mastery of the concept. The students needs to demonstrate mastery of all the standards, that I share with them, throughout the unit. For example, I might assign a persuasive speech where the student must demonstrate the usage of ethos, pathos, and logos during their speech. They can pick their topic, if they want to include a slide deck, have a prop, etc. This gives students autonomy over how they will learn, while the class is still doing the same assignment.

Another example could be the usage of centers, where, students have different types of work to accomplish at each center before moving forward. The types of work to range from reading a passage and answering comprehension questions, watching a video on a topic and analyzing the content, to creating a physical representation of the concept. All students accomplish the same tasks, in their own fashion, while also working on their ability to retain the information by using tools such as summarizing, drawing, and repetition.

As a fellow educator, I challenge you to create learner profiles for your students. Find ways to teach to each individual student, while also having the class run as a group. It does not need to be a one or the other scenario, both can happen at the same time. It will save you time and effort in trying to teach students in a fashion that does not work for them. It will save your students unneeded stress and frustration trying to learn in a fashion that their minds simply can not follow.

Please share your thoughts and how you have changed your classroom to effectively reach more students.