The training has been organised within the framework of a systemic project „Mobility of educational staff within the framework of institutional projects” implemented by the Foundation for the Development of the Education System in Warsaw co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund, Human Capital Operational Programme.

Learning Styles by Bonnie Tsai

Anna Nacewicz and Bartosz Czerwiński, Poland

Magdalena Jodłowska, the participant of a project “How to be a teacher trainer”, August 2014 at Pilgrims English Language Courses, Canterbury, Great Britain, cooperating with English Unlimited Teacher Training Centre in Gdańsk,

Being professionally trained teachers, we are well aware of different learning styles. However, as this session led me to believe, there is a tendency to take that fact for granted. Teachers do realize that students are different and learn in various ways but at the same time most educators are inclined to forget about the individual ‘learning’ process when they ‘teach’ a class.

The aim of Bonnie Tsai’s session entitled ‘Different learning styles and how to create lesson plans around learning styles’ was to raise the awareness of the prospective teacher trainers of the importance of discovering and taking into account the learning style of each and every student. Another objective was to point out the significance of becoming more aware of the benefits and drawbacks of a teacher’s own teaching style. Learning styles and teaching styles are inseparable. That is why planning a lesson one needs to be certain that a learning-teaching process will actually take place.

Learning styles

The session started with a reminder that, although the majority of people use three senses to learn, there are in fact five learning styles: visual, kinesthetic, auditory, gustatory (referring to the sense of taste) and olfactory (pertaining to smell). Learning styles are interconnected and depend on the age of the students. Every learning style should be catered for during a lesson. Every learning process can be assessed by means of informal and formal methods – tests, group projects, portfolios, or class participation.

Teaching styles

Teaching styles are based on several factors, namely: personality, educational philosophy, classroom demographic and dynamics, subject area, and the school’s mission statement. On the whole, there are two main teaching approaches: student-centered or teacher-centered. However, there are a number of categories and subcategories, ranging from learning-process centered manners to teaching-process centered styles. Different approaches require teachers to perform a great variety of tasks in class. Same of the roles teachers may play include: a formal controlling teacher, a role model, a facilitator, a delegator, an expert , a manager, and a partner.

A number of methodologists highlight the need to appeal to students with different learning styles, nevertheless it seems equally important to develop a wide scope of teaching roles to present students with a number of social contexts and vary the learning-teaching environment and relationships.

Creating lesson plans

As mentioned above, one of the significant issues while preparing a lesson plan is taking into consideration our students learning styles. However, the aspect which is routinely forgotten about is the teaching manner or technique. During the workshop it was emphasized that lesson planning requires a two-sided approach.

Bonnie’s practical advice was to lengthen or stretch the process of lesson planning. The stages that should not be ignored, besides the lesson plan preparation, are not only the conscious execution of the plan but also the analysis of the assumptions and the assessment of the results.

As future teacher trainers, all the participants of the session were encouraged to reflect on the role of the teacher, which is culturally related and personality based. Preparing for tests and frequent assessment is a part of both students’ and teachers’ life but a teachers’ role should not be limited to passing on the knowledge. The idea is that the teacher will advise and guide the students down their own learning paths.

Many thanks to Bonnie Tsai for expanding our teaching horizons and helping us develop.

PROJEKT: „Zagraniczna mobilność szkolnej kadry edukacyjnej w ramach projektów instytucjonalnych” współfinansowany przez Unię Europejską w ramach środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego

Please check the How the Motivate your Students course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Building Positive Group Dynamics course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the How to be a Teacher Trainer course at Pilgrims website.