Learners as Individuals and Difference in Learning

We are all humans with different needs and perceptions. And as educators, this difference makes us think about the learning styles of our students. I’m sure you all know that not all students learn in the same way (the others do). There are some factors that affect the way we learn things. Here are some of them:

• Personality differences,
• Psychological differences,
• Motivation,
• Study habits,
• Purpose of learning.

I love the way Susan Sheerin explained the situation: “Instruction consisting of one diet for all aimed at a class of , say thirty, will almost certainly not constitute a completely suitable diet for any one of the individuals in that class.”

As for the NLP Learning Modalities (Neuro Linguistic Programming), we find the well known division of learners:

1-The Visual Learner- Visual Preference

2-The Tonal Learner- Auditory Preference

3-The Kino- Kinaesthetic Preference

So, as you see teaching in a classroom with full of students who have different needs and styles is very difficult to achieve. But for years we, teachers, have succeeded this by careful observation and planning.

To get through this obstacle, the secret ingredient in my classes is playing games with students. This will enable them activate all their senses by participating actively to the games.