Visual Learners

Although I missed this morning's class, due to a faulty alarm, after reviewing the class Wiki, I found the resources extremely insightful. Project Zero was quite fascinating. I especially liked the researching being done on Artful Learning. I personally love art, and anyway to bring that into my classroom as a learning resource is definitely on my top list. The Thesaurus was also great! I am constantly using one to make my papers better, and this one is so much more advanced, with a huge amount of information that will help me, as a teacher, to increase my vocabulary and writing abilities. There's nothing more boring than a teacher who uses the same "stuff" over and over again. Or who errs constantly in letter to take home to parents or to the administration. Variety in the classroom is so important. I have been introduced to Howard Gardner's learning styles theory through several of my classes this Spring. I find the theory to be true in my life. It seems that no matter the type of visual presented, I also take more from a lecture if I can have a concrete example to make a mental picture of. It helps my recall of information all the better. This will help me so much in my classroom, if I am aware that my students do not learn everything by simple lecture or direct instruction. This is another way to make learning more meaningful for students, and we've been saying all year that meaningful learning is the best way to make kids really "learn", and love to learn, in the classroom.