The days of planning a lesson and teaching to a class as a whole are over. Teachers are now pushed to focus on each student as an individual. In the beginning, this concept can be overwhelming for teachers. However, after some practice it begins to come natural to teachers during a lesson or lesson planning.
Teachers should strive to meet the needs of all of the learners in their classroom. When planning a lesson, teachers are to plan activities that will reach each and every learning type.
Not everyone learns the same way. People have different ways of understanding and processing new information that is given to them. teachers should always try to plan for three main types of learners: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.
Some people learn best by listening to directions or following orally given directions. They are good at comprehending words. This people are though to be auditory learners.
Other people learn best by watching. They need to see demonstrations instead of listening to directions. These people are thought to be visual learners.
Other people are best with hands on activities. They do best when they get to experiment and try something rather than watch it being done. They are also better at getting to carry out an activity rather than listen to how it should be done. These are kinesthetic learners.
Some people are much stronger in one area of learning. Other people are equal in two areas. Some people can learn easily using any of the three types of instruction.
When planning their lessons, teachers should try to include all three methods. They should use visual props, lecture or oral directions, and hands on activities.
If a teacher makes allowances for all three types of learning more students will be reached during one lesson and there will be less of a need for reteaching.
In my future articles, I will describe some ideas for teachers to use in their lessons in order to reach the various learning styles.