This past week my eyes were opened to something I didn't expect -- and a challenge was presented.
Previously, I had been in a meeting about intervention strategies for a student. The guidance counselor suggested that we find out the girl's learning style. It brought to mind a survey I learned of in National Writing Project -- the 4Mat Learning Styles -- so decided I would give this survey to all my students.
The last few years I taught high school, I would give this survey the first day. This year I decided to skip it. The 4Mat narrows learning styles down to these four: Imaginative, Common Sense, Analytical, and Dynamic, and then suggested activities for each learning style are given. I am clearly an Imaginative learner and in the past, most of the students in my classes were Imaginative (sometimes called Innovative) learners as well. Imaginative learners work well collaboratively, are sensitive to others, seek meaning and activating knowledge. This means that when I create lessons that I would work for my style of learning, they were being reached as well. The collaborative set-up and nature of my classroom supported this well.
The second most popular was the Common Sense learner, so I would include certain organizational and practical applications for them. Since the study of literature and writing has an analytical component, those students were served, and the few Dynamics I had over the years -- well, there was always so few of them, they just fell in with the others, or did their own thing with my constant redirection.
On Monday I gave the survey to my 7th graders and, lo and behold, more than half of them were Dynamic learners. Second up was Common Sense. Hardly an Imaginative in the group.
This explained a lot. Dynamic learners are risk-takers and game-changers. They are not interested in the way that you're "supposed" to do something -- they want to do it their own way. They are adventurous, competitive, inventive, wanting to experiment and originate. This explained why, when I asked them to sit at their round tables and discuss and complete activities together, there was little of that going on. They either just worked independently or they got little done, just arguing for their own position. I had thought it might be the difference between middle and high-schoolers. Or maybe demographics. But it flew in the face of what I learned about middle-schoolers and what I had experienced in the past -- that this age group likes to be social and learn together. I had been baffled and frustrated, until I realized that the rise of the Dynamic Learner is changing the game for all of us. Good to be aware.My first period of 8th graders has been the worst cats to herd, so I put them on a task. They grouped up with others of their learning style, and had to present a lesson to the class -- just a little thing on our class motto: Effort Creates Excellence. As may be expected, the Dynamic teams got little done, could not agree on a thing, and their presentations were -- well, not exactly presentations of anything but drawings of "Taco Man" and the "Mountain of Effort." Yeah. Made no sense to us, either.
The group that performed best was a group comprised of one Analytic and three who were balanced combinations of more than one. They pulled together and did quite well. This lends credence to what we have already been taught -- when grouping students, it is imperative to mix up the learning styles. How exactly I am going to do that in three classrooms where more than half are one style -- that is a challenge. And reformulating the way I do lessons is high on the priority list as well. I have never had to reach out to Dynamic Learners before. I am already incorporating more competitive activities, but still have to figure out how to engage them in their experimenting and inventive natures.
I asked my students who had to present to this wily class to write a reflection on how it was to plan a lesson, and then deliver it. Here are responses by categories:
Imaginative Learners
It was easy working with my group. They were very easy-going.
I found it easy putting together a lesson. Delivering the lesson was nerve-wracking, because everyone wouldn't engage in the activity. So like, you can't make them...so I don't know.
Analytic Learner
I thought that the exercise was fun. I might not have been able to do it alone, but doing it in a group was fun.
Common Sense Learners
I thought planning the lesson was easy in your head, but once you get up there and try to explain something, it is actually harder than I thought it would be.
It's honestly hard to get everyone's attention! Because a lot of people don't understand how to be quiet when people are presenting. But it was kinda fun overall.
Dynamic Learner It was really difficult to plan it because we all felt like drawing. It was easy to present because it was all in good fun.
It was very hard to prepare it and pretty easy to deliver it.
I think that it is a bit easier planning the lesson. When you go to teach it, not many pay attention and you don't ever say exactly what you practiced.
I cannot help but notice that these responses have subtle differences, representing the learning styles. The Imaginative students took it personally -- how they got along, how they reached others, and how they felt. The Analytic Learner analyzed how she was able to complete the task. The Common Sense Learners wanted to be useful to the group, and felt they failed in that regard. And the Dynamic Learners thought they were all that and a field of catnip, even though their presentations were perfectly pitiful, and didn't even fulfill the requirements.
See what I'm up against! I am sure many teachers are nodding their heads in agreement.
But, honestly, I see this as my Call to Adventure. I became more energized to pursue my passion for creative approaches to teaching than I have in a long time. This week has been a turning point -- and I am well aware that I have a lot of work to do!
EPILOGUE
In putting together this blog, I was looking for images for herding cats. This metaphor has always been presented like it is the teachers trying to herd the kids. What I learned in my research today is that it is actually used for how hard it is to get TEACHERS to do what they are supposed to in this world of top-down reform. At first I was a little offended...but then, I had to admit there is some truth to that. ~~meow~~
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