Lauren Bradway, PhD., "Children's Learning Styles: From Crib to Classroom." 2000. Web. January 31, 2011. http://www.atozkidsstuff.com/article13.html
Dr. Bradway separates infants into three categories of learners: Listeners, Lookers and Movers. From the moment they are born children "enter a world filled with sights sounds and sensations." In the first few months of life every child has determined their preferred way of interpreting and interacting with these stimulation inputs. Lookers focus on colors, shapes, and motion. Listeners are attuned to sounds and words. Movers are kinetically accelerated and seek out physical contact. She contends that these learning styles can be observed early on because it is inborn or inherited from one or both of the parents. She also states that children, absent the influence from an adult, will settle into his or her own "comfort zone" of learning style, often times screening out undesired input. Parents can adjust their habits and approaches to their child's education by choosing toys, games and activities that reinforce and emphasize their child's learning style.
This article couldn't be more in line with the Discovery Centers mission. Designing exhibits which will interest children is no easy task. However, by utilizing the various approaches different learning styles embody, useful and effective interactive exhibits can be created. This leads to more interest in the sciences and encourages interest and a desire to learn about the world in children. An accurate interpretation of the learning styles is imperative as can be attested to by anyone who has visited a science center, the most fun exhibits where the most popular. Those exhibits were fun because they were well designed and made the learning experience enjoyable. This came from an understanding of how learning styles work.
There have been volumes written on human development and, in particular, children and their acquisition of information through learning styles. What hasn't been nailed down are the categories of learning styles as there are various ones depending on your research. Anyone who has done any research into social sciences has come across this phenomenon, I call it "indecision overload". Where the sheer mass of information available on a subject has made any sort of conclusion a fools errand. However, a new suggestion from this article addresses heredity as a factor. I find this idea intriguing as it would seem to draw support from the nature or nurture argument in favor of nurture. What evidence supports this idea? Can it be proven?
Another idea came to me as I was writing this response. Would a panel of parents, who are interested and active in their children's education, be able to recognize the variety of learning styles and help design exhibits based on personal experience? Can these exhibits be tailored to a specific learning style and if so could they then be surveyed to provide statistical evidence that the learning styles gravitate towards the intended exhibit? How can these be designed to facilitate learning from all styles? Should parents even be involved in the process and if so, how would they be incorporated with the inevitable conflicts over religious, political and ideological views?
"There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million."
-Walt Streightiff
Something to think about.
Group Response #1
ReplyDelete1. MLA in work-cited entry at top of page:
a. While you did provide the general information about the source you used, it was not properly cited in MLA format. Here are a couple points of interest…
i. You need to indent the last two lines of your works-cited entry
ii. The name of the author must be “Last Name, First Name”…however not in quotes
iii. The date should be stated as 31 January 2011 not January 31, 2011
iv. Check out a citation generator on Google…it’s pretty helpful, just punch in the info and it correctly sites the information for you.
v. Also the beginnings of your paragraphs should be indented too
2. Responses to prompts
a. Prompt 2
i. Good opening, solid reference to Dr. Broadway
ii. Need to site page number in parentheses, referencing where quote is from
iii. Gave great overview of source, as a reader, I got a good grasp of what the information you researched is about
iv. The middle section could be improved; there are two sentences in a row where you start by saying “she…” Try choosing a different way in introducing an author’s thoughts such as “the author writes…” etc
b. Prompt 3
i. Try rewording the first sentence or possible create a new sentence more factual; by starting a new paragraph with an opinion you take away from the credibility of what you are going to say
ii. Clearly state why author is making argument, the readers understand that science exhibits should be fun for kids
iii. Check error 3rd line up from the bottom, I think “where” should be “were”
iv. Overall, your response to prompt three is stated well, just some structural errors that can be fixed by rearranging your thoughts.
v. The response was concise and to the point, no beating around the bush here
c. Prompt 4
i. The extension of the authors thoughts to your thoughts is well stated and communicates your knowledge of the subject
ii. Presented good issue of nature vs. nurture
iii. Good metaphor of a “fool’s errand” to the phenomenon of indecision overload
iv. The best response to a prompt yet! Good work
d. Prompt 5
i. Not much to say here, good job raising new questions from the reading that will make people think about what they are reading
ii. Maybe the author will see these questions and provide you with answers, good luck!
3. Bibliography Compared to Writing Analytically
a. Area 1-Response to Prompt 2
i. Made source speak, by summarizing the writers ideas and goals, as well as providing the quote, “enter a world filled with sights sounds and sensations” which showcased your source very well
ii. By making your source speak, you firstly gave credit to the author while capturing the audience due to a credible source
b. Area 2-Response to Prompt 3
i. By using logical responses to the authors thoughts, you raised good questions by feeding off the sources detail, or lack thereof in some points
ii. By stating, “Another idea came to me as I was writing this response. Would a panel of parents, who are interested and active in their children's education, be able to recognize the variety of learning styles and help design exhibits based on personal experience,” you demonstrate reading comprehension by not only taking in the words you read but thinking about them and raising your own questions
iii. Well done
c. Help Area 1-Response to Prompt 3
i. You completely agreed with the author while also stating it
ii. This bibliography should reach as many people as possible so if you are taking one side after minimal research, skeptics will not follow your work
iii. If you still completely agree that’s fine, just try not to make the topic so lopsided
d. Help Area 2
i. As I am supposed to find another area in your work which could be improved by a strategy in writing analytically, I am unable to find anything to improve on; you followed the guidelines on the unit one course sheet as instructed
^^^ That comment did not keep my bullet formatting style so I will print out that sheet and give it to you in class
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