Learning Styles and Online Teaching

After taking several learning styles assessments, I was not at all surprised to find I'm a kinesthetic learner.  Learners like me learn by doing and benefit from hands-on, tactile experiences.  At first glance, this learning style seems difficult to serve in an online environment.  In fact, in a 2002 study, Halsne and Gatta found that kinesthetic learners are less likely to pursue online learning than visual or reader-writer learners.  There are, however, extremely effective strategies which can be used to serve kinesthetic learners in an online environment.

• Simulations, such as the excellent examples from PhET and Concord Consortium, provide the opportunity for learners to manipulate variables and observe results, similar to what would happen in a lab in a brick and mortar classroom.  This can provide the kind of hands-on experience that engages and supports to kinesthetic learners.
• Many kinesthetic learners like to apply their new knowledge, so approaches such as project-based learning (PBL) can benefit these learners.  PBL emphasizes connecting learning to authentic problems to provide meaningful experiences for a wide range of learners.
• Bailey Martin suggests making sure class materials are in a mobile-friendly format.  When it comes time to listen, watch, or read something, many kinesthetic learners will absorb more if they can exercise or move around.  If the materials are accessible from a tablet or smart phone, kinesthetic learners could easily do their reading from a treadmill or listen to an audio presentation while on a run.
• Assignments that send students into the "real world" can also engage kinesthetic learners.  Students could conduct experiments using materials they have at home, collect data about something in their community, or otherwise connect their learning to the world beyond their classroom then report back to the class using a blog or a discussion forum.  The prevalence of mobile devices, complete with cameras and microphones, makes this even easier since students can easily record their work and share with whoever they would like.

Teachers tend to do fairly well with learning styles similar to our own, but it doesn't come as naturally to address other learning styles.  In the assessments I took, I was consistently below average in my preference for auditory learning, which makes it a good choice for me to look at how to engage.  Auditory learners tend to absorb information by hearing it and, in a face to face classroom, will prefer lecture and oral discussion.  There are a number of natural strategies to engage auditory learners in an online environment.  In fact, Halsne and Gatta (2002) found that auditory learners are often drawn to online learning environments.

• Screencasts and other presentations with an audio component are a great tool to reach auditory learners, filling the same space as a lecture in a face-to-face classroom.
• Audio discussion tools, such as VoiceThread provide students with the opportunity to listen to, rather than to read, discussions, allowing auditory learners to participate in a mode that feels natural to them.
• Podcasts can provide an excellent supplement to a course in a format that appeals easily to auditory learners.  In addition, it has become extremely easy for individuals to record and publish their own podcasts, providing exciting opportunities to appeal to auditory learners.
• Many auditory learners prefer to listen, rather than read, so digital formats for readings can support auditory learners.  Many devices make it possible to use a screen reader or text-to-voice software to hear a PDF, an ebook, or other digital formats read aloud.

Every student processes information in a different way.  Teachers, whether working with students online, face-to-face, or in some combination of those, must be able to adjust to the range of how students process and adapt our instruction to appeal to every student.

References

Martin, B.  (2013, June 25).  Is online education right for your learning style? eLearn Magazine.  Retrieved from http://elearnmag.acm.org/blog/?p=516. 

Halsne, A., Gatta, L. (2002). Online versus traditionally-delivered instruction: A descriptive study of learner characteristics in a community college setting.  Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, V(I). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring51/halsne51.html.

What Makes Good Online Teaching?

This week, I reviewed the iNACOL standards for quality online teaching in preparation for designing an online lesson.  These standards attempt to describe the knowledge and skills a K-12 teacher must have in order to be successful teaching in an online or blended environment.  Many of these standards reiterate that what makes a good teacher is the same, regardless of the setting.  For example, the iNACOL standards say an online teacher should know current instructional best practices, be skilled in designing assessments, and have the ability to differentiate instruction based on a wide range of student needs.

There were several standards, especially as part of standard B and standard E, which would not necessarily apply in a brick and mortar classroom.  These standards address skills such as troubleshooting technology, implementing an acceptable use policy, and others specific to the use of technology in the classroom.  Currently, brick and mortar classrooms do not necessarily include technology, so a teacher working in that environment may be able to do their job without those skills.  As time passes, however, technology is becoming more and more integrated into every classroom and even teachers who would never dream of leading an online class will find they must learn these skills.

One common theme in not only the iNACOL standards, but the other readings for this week, has been the importance of a student-centered environment when teaching online.  The rationale is that not only does the flexibility of online learning lend itself to a student-centered approach, but online students cannot be separated from distractions in the same way that students in face-to-face classrooms can.  The implication is that a teacher-centered approach is fine for the traditional classroom, but that must change when going online.  I would argue that a teacher-centered approach should be changed regardless of the setting.  Just because a brick and mortar classroom provides a captive audience does not mean that the students present are truly engaged.  Regardless of where the learning happens, students, not teachers, should be the focus of the classroom.