MJ's little flock

[LozzyR]

I've worked in education most of my life one way or another so I can get irate rather quickly. Apologies beforehand in case that happens.

My mother-in-law is a retired primary school teacher and has much to say on the state of Australian education. I wish she had been my 5th grade teacher instead of the Wicked Witch of the West. We moved states when I was in Year 2 and missed out on learning my times tables. This was discovered in Year 5 and I was ridiculed and in trouble for not knowing my times tables. Decades later, the realisation hit me. “Hang on, that wasn’t actually my fault!!”

When I went through high school, grammar was out of fashion and we weren’t taught how to write an essay properly. Hence, when I found myself writing critical thinking essays (as an adult in my 30s) I was terrible at it!

 

[Ribh]

My mother-in-law is a retired primary school teacher and has much to say on the state of Australian education. I wish she had been my 5th grade teacher instead of the Wicked Witch of the West. We moved states when I was in Year 2 and missed out on learning my times tables. This was discovered in Year 5 and I was ridiculed and in trouble for not knowing my times tables. Decades later, the realisation hit me. “Hang on, that wasn’t actually my fault!!”

When I went through high school, grammar was out of fashion and we weren’t taught how to write an essay properly. Hence, when I found myself writing critical thinking essays (as an adult in my 30s) I was terrible at it!

I never learnt my times tables either. They were taught by rote & I have a non~sequential, random & highly visual learning style. I am very good @ making random connections across disciplines but not so good @ line on line, precept by precept. My YD is non~sequential & visual but not random so she is a musician who struggles to learn scales. I have 3 kinesthetic learners & I think they are by far the hardest to teach & the ones most likely to struggle in a regular classroom.

 

[LozzyR]

I never learnt my times tables either. They were taught by rote & I have a non~sequential, random & highly visual learning style. I am very good @ making random connections across disciplines but not so good @ line on line, precept by precept. My YD is non~sequential & visual but not random so she is a musician who struggles to learn scales. I have 3 kinesthetic learners & I think they are by far the hardest to teach & the ones most likely to struggle in a regular classroom.

I’d love to know what my full learning style(s) is (are). I know I learn by doing and although I have a good ear for music, I often have to see stuff (eg words in a different language) to learn it. I’m also currently learning a martial art and for me to perform a whole move, I need to know where my foot goes.

 

[Ribh]

I’d love to know what my full learning style(s) is (are). I know I learn by doing and although I have a good ear for music, I often have to see stuff (eg words in a different language) to learn it. I’m also currently learning a martial art and for me to perform a whole move, I need to know where my foot goes.

There are tests/guidlines on~line like this one:
https://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/
Just google learning styles.

But there are different criteria depending on which system you are looking @. Most people are a mix with one or 2 dominant & they can be odd. I know I'm not sequential, logical ~ unless I'm writing an essay when suddenly I am, so it seems some things can be learned. I only have a very general idea & only because for a visual learner to teach a kinesthetic how to drive a car is a nightmare for both parties!

 

[Grammy60]

Good morning

 

[Ribh]

Good morning

 

[LozzyR]

There are tests/guidlines on~line like this one:
https://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/
Just google learning styles.

But there are different criteria depending on which system you are looking @. Most people are a mix with one or 2 dominant & they can be odd. I know I'm not sequential, logical ~ unless I'm writing an essay when suddenly I am, so it seems some things can be learned. I only have a very general idea & only because for a visual learner to teach a kinesthetic how to drive a car is a nightmare for both parties!

Thanks Ribh, I’ll check it out!

 

[rjohns39]

Good morning folks

I think about learning every day. Some of the young people I try to educate are increasingly preoccupied. For them, social media has made life performative rather than deeply authentic. They're minds are on their next post instead of on the learning. I was talking to a colleague yesterday who makes similar observations. I'm afraid I think that even if logic were taught as a subject in schools, it wouldn't make much difference. Look how Australian kids are tanking on literacy and numeracy at present. These basics are both taught well and highly prized. But the learning doesn't last.

MJ the world is changing too fast and young people today have way too much internet access. That's why my company requires a keyboard / mouse test before hiring, but we are also working on tech that would eliminate that need. It's amazing how many kids are out there on the Internet that have never touched a keyboard or mouse.

 

[drumstick diva]

We moved when I was 8 . At the new school they knew cursive but, I hadn't learned it yet. The teacher said she had no time to teach me, I would have to learn on my own.
My father wrote the alphabet in cursive and I would copy his letters. Had no idea then, that his handwriting was very poor.

 

[MaryJanet]

Learning styles was a very popular topic because it appeals to lived experience and scaffolds someone's thinking about their own thinking. There are a bunch of more recent findings on learning, eg at present there's a lot emerging empirical research on active learning, generally confirming what its practitioners report in surveys. In short: students hate it, but they retain more.

Bonus: being obliged to spend time on something students dislike may also the development of character traits such as grit.