DIVERSITY: Fifth Grade
- Differentiates instruction and assessments to accommodate the needs of all learners including special needs, gifted, and ELL.
- Differentiates instruction based on learning style assessments.
- Embraces cultural, ethnic, and social differences to enrich the learning environment.
- Makes appropriate accommodations for students with IEPs and/or 504 Plans.
- Collaborates with resource personnel to increase the learning of students with special needs, including ELL.
Description & Rationale
I assessed and evaluated the various learning styles of the twenty-two (22) students in Mrs. Paul's class. I used a protocol developed by Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Solomon of North Carolina State University, which involves administering a two-option, multiple-choice questionnaire with forty-four (44) questions. This protocol delineates student learning styles into eight categories. These categories are the following:
Active versus Reflective Learners
Sensing versus Intuitive Learners
Visual versus Verbal Learners
Sequential versus Global Learners
Please refer to these websites for more comprehensive information about this learning styles assessment:
Index of Learning Styles http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html
Learning Styles and Strategies http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
While the test can be taken online, I printed the questionaire (one for each student) and administered the assessment in class. The students completed the questionnaire in about 15-20 minutes. I read some of the questions and had to define and/or clarify some of the terminology used. I then visited the Questionnaire website listed above and imported the responses for each student using an anonymous student number. After clicking the submit button, the website quickly scores the questionnaire and provides a report that can be downloaded or printed.
Active versus Reflective Learners
Sensing versus Intuitive Learners
Visual versus Verbal Learners
Sequential versus Global Learners
Please refer to these websites for more comprehensive information about this learning styles assessment:
Index of Learning Styles http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html
Learning Styles and Strategies http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
While the test can be taken online, I printed the questionaire (one for each student) and administered the assessment in class. The students completed the questionnaire in about 15-20 minutes. I read some of the questions and had to define and/or clarify some of the terminology used. I then visited the Questionnaire website listed above and imported the responses for each student using an anonymous student number. After clicking the submit button, the website quickly scores the questionnaire and provides a report that can be downloaded or printed.
Analysis
As can be discerned from the associated websites and the student samples provided, participants are scored based upon a range from 1 to 11 for each category. If a participant scores between a 1 and 3 on any of the four scales, then the participant is a balanced learner for the two categories represented by that scale. If the participant scores higher than a 3 on a particular scale, then that participant has a preference for that particular learning category. The higher the number is, so too is the preference for that learning style. For example, Student 1 scored as follows:
While Student 1 scored a Reflective Learner 1, this student is actually a balanced learner for both Active and Reflective styles. The same analysis applies to Sensing and Intuitive, as well as, Sequential and Global. However, with a score of Visual Learner 5, Student 1 is more of a Visual Learner than a Verbal Learner.
Like most people, these students preferred different methods for learning depending upon the content to be learned and the context in which learning took place. However, certain trends emerged as illustrated by the following chart. The chart reveals that the majority of students in this fifth grade class are Active, Intuitive, Visual, and Sequential Learners. Every student scored at least one 1 and/or one 3, which indicates a balance in some of the learning styles; yet, all of the students were either balanced toward Visual or overwhelmingly inclined toward being Visual Learners.
Like most people, these students preferred different methods for learning depending upon the content to be learned and the context in which learning took place. However, certain trends emerged as illustrated by the following chart. The chart reveals that the majority of students in this fifth grade class are Active, Intuitive, Visual, and Sequential Learners. Every student scored at least one 1 and/or one 3, which indicates a balance in some of the learning styles; yet, all of the students were either balanced toward Visual or overwhelmingly inclined toward being Visual Learners.
Differentiated Learning Through Leveled Readers
Consistent with the practices of Robin Paul and the other fifth grade teachers, I also hadthe students read the leveled readers associated with the corresponding chapter in the textbook, Chapter 14. The students were required to take AR tests on these leveled readers.
Reflection
Prior to my education classes at UAH, I was only vaguely aware of learning style differences. I now understand how important it is for a teacher to recognize and respond to the different ways in which students learn effectively and to use this information when planning instruction. I certainly considered the results of this assessment process when designing my science unit. I was not surprised by the fact that these students exhibit strong Visual and Active Learning styles. After all, these are 10 and 11-year-old children. I was not surprised either by the fact that most of them favor Sequential learning over Global learning. What I did not expect were the results in the Sensing versus Intuitive categories. Compared to Intuitors, Sensors prefer more concrete, real-life examples, explanations, and connections. Compared to Sensors, Intuitors prefer abstract, conceptual, and innovative examples, explanations, and connections. Based upon my Psychology/Human Development course at UAH, I was aware that this age group is just beginning to really think and analyze abstractly, but I did not anticipate this level of a tendency toward the Intuitive Learning style.
As mentioned above, when planning my science unit for this class, I attempted to address every one of these learning style categories. While I may not have addressed every style every day, I covered all of these styles at least by every other lesson. I think I was successful in my goal and I am pleased, overall, with the results. For Active Learners, I planned several laboratory lessons that required the students to do hands-on activities (e.g., shaking and measuring sand to find the connection between kinetic energy and thermal energy; the Ball Drop experiment that required the students to get outside, bounce a ball, and measure its bounce height from different starting points to find the proportional relationship between potential and kinetic energy; playing with prisms in experiments on light energy and exploring the differing vibrations of guitar strings when we covered sound energy.) For Reflective Learners, I incorporated opportunities for students to take their time in collecting, recording, analyzing, and applying data. I gave them time to comprehend information at their own pace through the use of worksheets and individual notebooks. I posed questions that required conscientious and contemplative responses. To satisfy the preferences of both Sensing and Intuitive Learners, this science unit vacillated between providing straight-forward facts with real-life examples through established methods of problem-solving to activities that encouraged the students to explore, discover, and find their own ways of reaching a solution. Every day of this unit, I presented the students with visuals through the internet or on the ELMO. I provided diagrams, charts, and graphic organizers to assist those Visual Learners. Yet, every day, implementation of this unit required the students to read, write, highlight notes, engage in class discussion, and pair/shares; all of which met the needs of Verbal Learners. I took into account the needs of Sequential and Global Learners when planning how I would present information and concepts. I found ways to be repetitive without being boring, I think. I did this by presenting big ideas and concepts first, then breaking down the big ideas into specific parts and details. One of the most successful examples of this, I believe, was my flow-chart that traced the transformation of energy through the process of a fireworks display. Tracing this flow of energy through a particular system was very detailed, systematic, and sequential. Yet, the overall purpose of this exercise was to emphasize the big concept in physics that energy is never created or destroyed. Instead, energy just changes from one form to another.
Overall, I am quite pleased with the manner in which this unit materialized from the perspective of diffferent learning styles. Thinking about my lessons from the varying viewpoints of my students helped me to be more conscientious in planning my strategies, activities, and methods. It also called upon me to be more creative and adventurous in my teaching.
As mentioned above, when planning my science unit for this class, I attempted to address every one of these learning style categories. While I may not have addressed every style every day, I covered all of these styles at least by every other lesson. I think I was successful in my goal and I am pleased, overall, with the results. For Active Learners, I planned several laboratory lessons that required the students to do hands-on activities (e.g., shaking and measuring sand to find the connection between kinetic energy and thermal energy; the Ball Drop experiment that required the students to get outside, bounce a ball, and measure its bounce height from different starting points to find the proportional relationship between potential and kinetic energy; playing with prisms in experiments on light energy and exploring the differing vibrations of guitar strings when we covered sound energy.) For Reflective Learners, I incorporated opportunities for students to take their time in collecting, recording, analyzing, and applying data. I gave them time to comprehend information at their own pace through the use of worksheets and individual notebooks. I posed questions that required conscientious and contemplative responses. To satisfy the preferences of both Sensing and Intuitive Learners, this science unit vacillated between providing straight-forward facts with real-life examples through established methods of problem-solving to activities that encouraged the students to explore, discover, and find their own ways of reaching a solution. Every day of this unit, I presented the students with visuals through the internet or on the ELMO. I provided diagrams, charts, and graphic organizers to assist those Visual Learners. Yet, every day, implementation of this unit required the students to read, write, highlight notes, engage in class discussion, and pair/shares; all of which met the needs of Verbal Learners. I took into account the needs of Sequential and Global Learners when planning how I would present information and concepts. I found ways to be repetitive without being boring, I think. I did this by presenting big ideas and concepts first, then breaking down the big ideas into specific parts and details. One of the most successful examples of this, I believe, was my flow-chart that traced the transformation of energy through the process of a fireworks display. Tracing this flow of energy through a particular system was very detailed, systematic, and sequential. Yet, the overall purpose of this exercise was to emphasize the big concept in physics that energy is never created or destroyed. Instead, energy just changes from one form to another.
Overall, I am quite pleased with the manner in which this unit materialized from the perspective of diffferent learning styles. Thinking about my lessons from the varying viewpoints of my students helped me to be more conscientious in planning my strategies, activities, and methods. It also called upon me to be more creative and adventurous in my teaching.