Johnny, nervous with excitement, stands at the door and scans his new classroom. There are colorful pictures from around the world on the walls, shelves with weathered text books, and brand new journals on each of the desks. Some students have already found a seat and are reading handouts, while other students huddle around the smart board waiting for a turn to try it out. Johnny sits down beside another student who is listening to their iPod and picks up an old book to flip through the pages. As this example illustrates, different students are interested in different things, and have different preferences for gaining information. As such, all students learn differently.

As students, young and old alike, settle into their new school routines, it is important to recognize and accept the diversity that is in our classrooms today. Yes, there are obvious forms of diversity in classrooms like language and cultural differences. However, my focus is not about the important subjects of overcoming ethnic discrimination or working towards inclusion and understanding. Rather, I want to direct your focus towards recognizing and appreciating the diversity of students as individual learners.

Although diversity among learners is not always visually evident, understanding learning preferences and taking steps towards making school successful for you or your children is important. The way Johnny learns best will be different from the way that Sally learns. And Jenny will learn differently from Robbie and Billy.

Specifically, Johnny may learn best by reading books and reviewing lecture notes, while Sally may prefer utilizing audio-visual tools like educational movies, radio recordings or podcasts. Conversely, Jenny may be very tactile and learn best by ‘getting her hands dirty’ and only resort to reading the instructions after getting stumped. Essentially, every student has different learning preferences and in order for that student to experience their full level of achievement in the classroom, they must first understand their personal learning preferences. After these learning styles are identified, students need to take advantage of the tools and strategies that will benefit their learning the most. To summarize this point, Susan Sza (2009) states:

Every student’s brain functions differently and processes information differently. Due to this, students have different types of learning style… When students know how to change things into the format that they learn best, students can fully take charge of their education (p. 361).

Furthermore, learning styles for students with learning disabilities or attention regulation difficulties need to be understood, as these students also have their own individualized and specific learning style. It is not valuable for students with learning or attention challenges to be prescribed a generalized learning plan, when, in fact, they require and deserve learning strategies that best suit them. As Brand, Dunn and Greb (2002) describe in their learning inquiry, “ADHD students did not fit into pre-established categories. The diversity among them and the attributes generally ascribed to them were not the cause of their inability to learn conventionally; they simply evidenced very different learning styles.” Employing the concept that every student’s brain functions differently from the next, and, therefore, every student has a different learning style, we cannot assume that every student with AD/HD or any other learning challenge would benefit from being subjected to predetermined and generic learning resolutions.

As parents, advocacy and inquiry into your child’s learning styles must be given priority. It becomes the job of the adults in each student’s life to find ways to engage students in their learning and prepare them for success. Further, a student who learns differently than another student is not doomed to be less intelligent; rather, the mentors and adults in the student’s educational picture need to learn with the student how to access their personal learning styles.

Lastly, students and their mentors must constantly re-evaluate their learning to maintain the best possible learning strategies available. Complacency in learners is dangerous and can be avoided through reflection. Understanding that learning preferences can shift over time is important as well, in that students may find themselves trying to learn in a particular way that is no longer very effective for them.

Eckert Psychology & Education Centre can assist families and students in creating personal learning plans that will support students in achieving their full potential in the classroom. Parents who are looking for ways to support their children, and students who want a better picture of their learning preferences, can access numerous services provided at Eckert Centre. These include access to a registered psychologist for a psychoeducational assessment and learning recommendations, or assistance from a cognitive coaching specialist for a customized life skills or academic coaching plan to help you and your family achieve your goals.


References
Brand, S., Dunn, R., Greb, F. (2002). Learning styles of students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Who are they and how do we help them [Electronic version]. Clearing House, 75 (5), 268-273.

Sze, S. (2009). Learning style and the special needs child [Electronic version]. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 36(4), 360-363.