This article explains three principles of language learning that teachers must consider as they plan lessons. The first is that students will benefit from understanding their own learning styles; the second is that students learn better when lessons align with their own learning styles; and the third is that students will benefit more from learning opportunities that differ from their preferred modalities when they are guided through these experiences.
Computers facilitate learning activities that are appropriate for many learning preferences. They also can help the instructor to evaluate students’ work and design activities that will expand upon their preferred learning styles. In this article, Ngeow describes a number of activities that may help students better understand their own learning and that will appeal to many different learning preferences. The instructor can facilitate cooperation and understanding of others by assigning students different roles. For example, when students write a newsletter together, some will be responsible for writing, others for graphics, others for editing, etc.
I appreciate this article for the specific ideas that it provides. I think that assigning students roles is a concept that can apply to any classroom activity, and as more projects are made possible by technology, organization will become increasingly important because tasks will become more complex. I also like the suggestions for educating students about learning styles and for helping them to expand upon their own preferences. These tools empower students and also make them better mentors inside and outside the classroom.
# posted by Janine @ 11:40 PM
