Like Fingerprints and Snowflakes...No Two Students Are Alike!

Multiple Intelligences
The Centers for Quality Teaching and Learning

Spend any time in a classroom with students and you will quickly see that each young man and young woman before you is an individual. They have their own unique personalities and learning styles. Each student learns in their own way. Some students learn best by hearing and seeing the information, some learn best with hands-on activities, some need guidance and structure, while others flourish when they seek and explore knowledge on their own. It is imperative as a teacher that you identify each of your students learning styles as quickly as possible so you know how each best learns. In identifying these learning styles, you will begin to see where each of your students falls within the Multiple Intelligences. As your understanding of your students quickly grows, you will be able to shape your lessons so that each student has the opportunity to learn in a manner that best suits them. It is not possible, nor is it practical, to design each days lesson to teach each individual in a manner that is best for them. However, designing lessons that are based on ideologies such as differentiated instruction and Universal Design where one lesson builds upon another and each lesson presents the material in a unique and different manner benefits all students. By allowing all students to learn in various ways, the knowledge they gain is reinforced and retained more and more. Therefore, it is the duty of teachers to understand how students learn and how to design lessons based on that understanding. Once this is achieved, then students are successful in the classroom.

I was fortunate throughout my public school education and into college. I have success learning in a variety of ways. I love to read. Therefore, I have always had success in opening a text book, reading the material, and retaining the knowledge I have gained. If I can see the information and hear it explained, as in a lecture with visual keys, I retain the information well. I enjoy being able to work on projects and collaborate with fellow students. I thrive on discussions and debates and I am extremely comfortable in front of large groups leading discussions and giving presentations. While I am someone who likes order and structure, I am also an individual that works best when I can take charge of my own learning process. I realize how fortunate I am, learning has typically come easy to me. However, it has also come with a cost. In school, I was able to succeed with little effort. I quickly became bored with school and lazy in my studies. I was not excited about learning and I was not challenged. As a result, I did not put forth the effort that I should have. It was not until I was an adult that I once again found a passion for knowledge and education, a passion I grew within myself. I take this understanding of myself with me into each of my lessons. I remember what is was to be bored with school. I try and build each lesson with interest and enthusiam. I try to teach with excitement and passion. I put myself in the desk and review my lessons to ensure that I remember what it is to be the student. I hope by taking these steps I ensure that each lesson is created in a manner that is benficial to all students and differentiated so that I meet the needs of each individual.