Learning Preferences
Walk in song of the week: Hot for Teacher
Topic
Learning Skills - Self-Awareness Strategies - reflecting on your personal strengths and weaknesses.
Review incorrect answers on tests to make sure you understand why they were wrong
Know you can improve in areas where you already do well
Know what you’re good at and not so good at in your coursework
Keep track of current grades
Keep track of your progress toward meeting goals and change plans or goals when needed
Know how you learn best (learning style)
Lesson
Self-Awareness
Improvement
Video (3:56)
"Calculate based only on graded assignments" checkbox is important to understand
"What if?"
Current Grades spreadsheet
Activity - Fingers
Learning Style
Disclaimer: There is no evidence to back the idea of learning types
Types / Preferences
Visual
Auditory / Aural
(Read / write)
Kinesthetic
Thinking about your preference
Guess
Activities
What would you do first to figure out how to assemble a computer desk you received as a gift?
How would you prefer to get somewhere new?
Finding meaning is the key to learning
Multiple Intelligences
Introduction to Theory of Multiple Intelligences
What are your intelligence strengths?
Multiple Pathways to Learning Assessment p. 55
Group discussion:
Describe a way you could use each intelligence to promote college success, such as a study technique.
Multiple Intelligences Career Chart
Group discussion:
Is your career interest in an area where you have a strength?
How do you think the intelligence applies to that career?
What intelligence is best for college success?
Group discussion:
Positive Classroom Experiences
Describe the teaching styles of your different instructors. What style do you like the best and why?
Improve a Classroom Experience GET ANALYTICAL p. 59
Considering what you know about yourself as a learner and about your instructors’ teaching styles this term, decide which classroom situation is the most challenging for you. Use this exercise to analyze the situation.
Name the course and describe the instructor’s style.
Analyze how your learning preference interacts with your instructor’s teaching style, describing what about this interaction makes the class challenging.
Based on your analysis, identify a change you can make to improve the situation. Describe the change, noting specifically what you plan to do and when.
What action steps can you take before registering when you are aware of a strong personal preference for a particular teaching style?
Why do you think instructors use different teaching styles?
Plus/Delta - Professor, Peer Mentor, Course
Additional Resources
Constructive Criticism
From Keys to College Success Compact: "Criticism can be either constructive or unconstructive. Constructive criticism promotes improvement or development. It is a practical problem-solving strategy involving goodwill suggestions for improving a situation. In contrast, unconstructive criticism focuses on what went wrong, doesn’t offer alternatives to help solve the problem, and is often delivered negatively, creating bad feelings."
“Plussing” - positive, productive criticism that includes ways of improving.
Define the specific problem. Try to focus on the facts, backing them up with specific examples and minimizing emotions.
Suggest new approaches and offer help. Talk about practical ways to handle the situation. Generate creative options.
Help the person feel supported. Use a positive approach and hopeful language. Express your belief that the person can turn the situation around.