A long weekend, don't we all need that!  Welcome back to The Living Pen and if you are new, we are happy you are here.
I am so glad you all stopped by because this week's chat is chock full of information.  So, please grab your favorite beverage, sit back and have a good read.

Our conversation went like this:

Blu:
Brenda, I could not wait to talk to you this week.  I have questions and questions and really, I have questions!!!

Brenda:
All right lay one on me!

Blu: Here we go. I have another one of those weird questions you have most likely come to dread, (lol), but I’m going to ask it anyway.  Is education meant to be hard or impossible?

Brenda:
Ok, weird question…
A mentor of mine, Masara Dziruni from Australia, said
“the words we use influence our thoughts, such as ‘it was too hard’ verses ‘it was not easy’ “.
We can get stuck on ‘it’s hard’, so hard that it’s too hard. But ‘not easy’ feels like I can still get it done, it just won’t be easy.
We manage to do lots of things that are not easy, but sometimes, we do not have much success with the hard stuff.
So Blu, I’ll just say, let’s change our language! 
Education is meant to be attainable.

Blu:
Well, now, you are speaking to my heart Brenda.  One of the reasons I wanted to write was because I felt that words can make a difference, they help create change.  And that is a perfect example, saying it’s hard makes me feel like I can’t do it, but saying it’s not easy, makes me think about doing it anyway.  You have an awesome mentor!

Brenda:
Yeah, he’s a pretty cool dude.

Blu:
Last week you mentioned all the ways there are to learn.  I was wondering if you could take us through some of those methods and explain them a bit.

Brenda:
That's a tall order Blu, but I'll try.
I believe the basic four ways of learning are self-explanatory, but the intersection and ways to expand on them are what is most beneficial. Most people use at least two ways of learning.

Blu:
Unless you have a photographic memory right?

Brenda:
Right, because if you have a photographic memory, you would only need to see or hear information once.

Blu:
So the styles we are going to discuss are visual, auditory, reading and writing, correct?

Brenda:
and kinesthetic; don’t forget the movers! 😊

Blu:
I see

Brenda:
But before we begin this journey, I’d like to unpack a few perspectives that apply to all the ways of learning. When styles and strategies are intentionally merged it can work wonders, and this is just the beginning of the learning journey
Research has shown us that the most effective learners typically utilize three learning strategies: mnemonic, structural, and generative.

Mnemonic strategies help with memory, the retention of details, like facts and terms.
A typical example is the algebraic math sequence: PEMDAS  or “please excuse my dear aunt sally” which translates to completing the problem with Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, and Subtract, only in that order to obtain the correct answer.
This is considered ‘dual coding’ that provides a verbal image with words and increases the learner’s access to the information. You can see how this strategy is helpful to more than one type of learner (visual, auditory, and perhaps the reading/writer) as it is an easy brain dump for a math test.

Structural strategies utilize conceptual maps, flow charts, or outlines and can help learners to organize and see the most important relationships among ideas. In my teaching experience, it was most useful with generating ideas for any writing project. The best way to apply this strategy is through observation and modeling. The phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is very true for visual learners who benefit from creating pictures, charts or graphs. If done with flash cards, it can be very beneficial to the kinesthetic-tactile learner as well.

 

 

 

 

Making associations across multiple ideas is how I survived the 2 years of Western Civ. at Providence College.That course had 4 instructors (four topics, beyond my 5 major classes!) and weekly essay exams!

Blu:
Yikes!  I was never good with graphs and charts! I remember envying my friend because all her notes were graphs and charts and her notebook looked so cool.

Brenda:
Learning is very individual Blu.  Now, the last strategy is called, the generative strategy.  It is believed to address the deep learning required to master new concepts.
I see this approach as an increased involvement with the material and kinesthetic-tactile (movement-touching) in nature. Such as writing outlines-taking notes, teaching someone else-speaking the information out loud, testing oneself-asking and answering questions and utilizing a brain dump before an exam.
Educational psychologists call this active learning where the learner incorporates new information into existing knowledge, often applying it to novel situations or to address a current social concern.
For an overall example, consider an auditory learner whose first language is not English. How beneficial it is to know that having the computer read the book to them, while they read along would increase their comprehension. Learners can benefit from listening to podcasts, ted talks and audible books. They could also use flashcards/games to practice their grammar. Some have found even listening to a recording while sleeping to be a help.

Blu:
Brenda you just described my notebook and my secret study habit that my uncle taught me.  My notebook was filled with words, lists and outlines!  And, I used a recorder when I slept!!  Wow!  Isn’t that funny, how you never know what you don’t know until you know it?

Brenda:
(lol) Yes Blu, since memory, organization and association are inherent in all four basic ways of learning there are numerable ways to create the best learning environment.
And because these strategies can be taught before a learner begins college, faculty can often assume these skills were learnt or should have been learned prior to enrolling in their class.
This puts the responsibility on the learner to head off to the library and the student success center for guidance when struggling to pass their classes.

Blu:
Assumptions can be troublesome because not all of us will know this.

Brenda:
I know, think about as children we are taught with these methods but are not taught how to apply the skills inherent in the activity to ourselves. 

One particular educational style, called the Montessori Method, encourages learners to lead their own learning through exploration and mastery of skills with support in a well-prepared educational environment.

There are ample opportunities to use games and activities to see how children engage new information, which is the goal of applying Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences to our instruction and evaluation. Putting ‘theory to practice’ continues to expand the knowledge of how learners observe, listen, watch, model, practice, take small steps and demonstrate levels of mastery. The list goes on.

Blu:
Now you know why I wanted to ask the question.  Until you have this information, learning or getting back on the educational road is scary.

Brenda:
This is one reason why applying strategies employing multiple intelligences in early education makes so much sense. Allowing students to engage in art, music, drama and structured physical programs help teachers see where a learning style is developing.
Then, if the k-12 system could add a structure to use this information to inform students and make them aware of this wonderful ability they have, as they develop their learning styles, it would be of great service to their future education.

Blu:
I agree, the methods you spoke about would definitely help all the future generations of students.  I feel it would be like unlocking that secret door to our personal growth.  What happened before all this was made known to us?

Brenda:
As an adult we either accidentally find and use these strategies (as I did) or we’re aware of them and have wisely used them all the time.  So the best advice to getting back on the educational road, would be to start learning how you learn.  Again things like the VARK Assessment can help.
VARK-learn.com

Blu:
Brenda this was awesome, so informative.  Thank you.  Can I call you next week?

Brenda:
Absolutely, we’ll see what other interesting landscapes we can view on our journey back to education.

 

When I hung up after speaking with Brenda I began to think that maybe my struggle in my educational journey was because I didn't know how I learned and couldn't put the correct methods to use.  Maybe the subjects I exceled at were because they fell into the method that best worked for me.  This is really important information for students of every age because sometimes education can feel impossible and like Brenda stated "Education is not easy but it is meant to be attainable."   Hope you all join me next week and have a great long weekend.  

                                                                                                            Blu