My reason for not commenting is that I learn best from observation. According to an article I found on WorldWideLearn, there are three main learning styles. The first is learning through listening. This means that an individual processes what he is told quietly and to himself. He pays attention to the questions and comments that others have. The second learning style is learning through sight. An individual who learns this way observes how others respond to the information given. He retains information better when it comes from a diagram or chart, and, like a listener, often processes information to himself. The final learning style is learning through experience. An experiential learner prefers a more hands-on approach, and often processes information out loud through comments and spoken ideas. Listening learners and sight learners often observe experiential learners.
Most people combine styles of learning. I tend to be mostly a sight learner, remembering information better if it is written down, organized alphabetically or chronologically, and color-coded. I learn through observing others. I am also a listening learner, so while I may not state my opinion aloud, I ask questions and absorb much of the information that others tell me.
Because of these different learning styles, grading based on participation does not make sense to me if participation is defined by how often a student raises his hand. Rather, participation should take into account the way that a student deals with information given to him. As long as a student is learning and understanding, the way the information is taken in should not matter.
Liesel- I agree and disagree. It seems as if you define participation as asking questions and commenting but in my mind I think of it as giving one's opinion in classroom discussions. I do no think that just because someone isn't asking questions means that they aren't paying attention because I myself would much rather just observe. However I do believe that in class discussions and debates participation should be graded. Yes, we all learn differently but does that mean that we can't state our opinion or refute someone else's? Personally I think that pushing students to give their opinion will build communication skills that might be useful later in life.
ReplyDeleteAlex -- I agree with you that it's important to build communication skills and that the only way that others can learn from your views is if you share them. For some students grading may be the only way to get them to speak and allow others to understand their ideas, but I think it should be emphasized less so that simple encouragement of students can be emphasized more.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Liesel on how we should try to rely less on grades as motivation. Keep in mind that a lot of the credit (or blame) for learning styles is an educational theorist named Howard Gardner. A link to his or related work would be helpful.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Gardner is that he created learning styles partly as a gimmick to get attention for his book, to make it more marketable. I think his theory only goes so far and can be very reductive if we are not careful.
I think there is also something to what you are saying related to introversion. I certainly enjoyed our one-on-one time in class and wish we could have more of those moments!