3.2.3 The importance
Talking about learning styles is the way for pupils to realise that nothing is wrong with the way they learn best. They are not strange for wanting extra pictures, schemes, sound when they study … They need to learn that everyone has his or her own way of learning and knowing about their learning style that will lead them to techniques to learn and study better. (Lauria, 2010, p. 28)
By talking about learning styles, the pupils will realise that certain ways that do not help them, might help others and vice versa. They will be more respectful and understanding towards the methods the teacher uses. The goal to making pupils aware of learning styles is that they will be able to implement the differentiation techniques they
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29). Pupils who have been falling behind, can finally enjoy studying again and reach their full potential.
Furthermore, differentiating according to learning styles also has advantages for teachers. When understanding pupil’s learning styles, a teacher will be provided with effective teaching strategies that they can implement in the classroom. Teachers can “encourage the pupils to realise the importance of appropriate learning styles for different disciplines or subjects and that such styles may hopefully be changed to suit changing learning situations” (Fatt, 2000, p. 37). It offers teachers an opportunity to teach effectively using a variety of techniques and methods.
Secondly, teachers often teach according to their own personality. On the other hand, when they gain an insight in pupil’s learning styles, they can become more flexible in their teaching. (Fatt, 2000; Ellington & Benders,
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They have to find or make materials of their own that match a certain group of pupils. (Tomlinson, 2005, p. 9)
Nonetheless, many teachers believe that teaching according to a learning style model is very effective. A study in 2012 demonstrated that 93% of teachers in the UK agree with the statement that “Teaching according to learning styles produces better results” (Dekker, Lee, Jolles, & Howard-Jones, 2012). A survey done in 2014 stated that 76% of UK teachers use learning styles to differentiate and that this method had a positive impact on the pupils’ learning abilities. (Simmonds, 2014)
Yet, implementing differentiated instruction for every pupil remains difficult. (Burton, 2003; Ruys, Defruyt, Rots, & Aelterman, 2013). According to this paper, the root of the issue is the teacher’s education. However, we strongly believe this difficulty arises from the fact that information regarding this subject is not widespread or easily