My First Blog Post

“. . .there is a change (certainly in NZ) to focus on the development of students who are characterised by certain ‘ways of being’ because the nation understands it both needs and wants its future citizens to be creative, able to work with the unknown. . .”

— Bev Norsworthy

Introduction

It was the worst part of the day: algebra time. As a homeschooled 13-year-old I watched in frustration as my younger brother grasped the concepts better than I did, and what was more, remembered them the next day. Every morning I would try my hardest to recollect the formulae from the day before and apply them to new sets of numbers. I could recall answering similar questions – I could even ramble off the answers I got after being carefully scaffolded through the process of tackling the problems – but I could not for the life of me remember the steps I went through to achieve that number.

One day my mother looked at my face, creased in lines of worried concentration, sighed, and said, “Charlotte, you’re concrete random.” She went on to explain that people are either abstract or concrete thinkers; random or sequential processors. Trying to both comfort and encourage me she made the argument that the reason I struggled so much was that algebra is both abstract and sequential.

This conversation with my mother was my first real introduction to the theory of learning styles. I was no math genius by the end of the year as a result of the revelation, but I no longer felt that I must be either broken or an idiot. I simply do not think the right way to be an algebra whizz.

Learning Styles

I have since been informed on many occasions that “there is very little evidence to support learning styles” or personality types (Muijs & Reynolds, 2018, p. 11). Thankfully in the study of English literature hard science is not the goal. Furthermore, I fully believe in the value of learning in ways that challenge preferences – in tackling tasks that “take [students] out of their comfort zones” (Dymoke, 2008, p. 54). I hope I will always encourage my students to attempt whatever assignment is placed in front of them while helping them to develop the areas in which they are weak (Muijs & Reynolds, 2018). At the same time I know first-hand the reassurance that can attend realizing that it is not about being ‘smart’ or ‘dumb’ but about how one learns or thinks.

Just as I will never be a teacher of mathematics because it is not my strength, so too will I have students in my class whose learning style makes grasping concepts in English difficult. Or perhaps I will have students who are very good at ideas and synthesis but struggle to get their thoughts written down. Understanding these strengths and struggles early in the school year can help with the lesson planning and expectations for the remainder of the year (Dymoke, 2008). Organising a task and questionnaire around Kolb’s learning styles theory could serve as a fun get-to-know-you activity while providing both the students and me as their teacher insight into how they may process and construct information.

Exploring the idea of multiple intelligences by using selective task options would be another potentially illuminating classroom activity. While I recognise that the notion that “one intelligence is necessarily dominant” is a misconception (Muijs & Reynolds, 2018, p. 3), and that both the scientific rigour and practical effectiveness of the multiple intelligences theory have been rightly questioned, I still think it could lead to a fascinating experiment in student choice. My idea is to provide students with options for an assignment based on a text or class theme. For example, if the students were studying Markus Zusak’s I am the Messenger, the options may include:

Linguistic intelligence – Write a response poem to Syliva Plath’s “Barren Woman” that uses words, images, and overall meaning that are the opposite to the words, images, and meaning in Plath’s poem (e.g. write about fullness or completeness).  

Logical-mathematical intelligence – Create a diagram of the novel’s structure and the major places, characters, and themes present in each section.

Visual-spatial intelligence – Create a static image that expresses a major theme or idea from novel.

Bodily kinaesthetic intelligence – Put together and act out a sketch from a scene (or multiple scenes) in the novel.

Musical intelligence – Craft/piece together a musical montage that articulates themes from the novel.

Interpersonal intelligence – Group project representing Ed’s growth journey.

Intrapersonal intelligence – Journaling from the point-of-view of a character in the text (other than the protagonist, Ed).

Students then share their projects with the class and discuss which of the other projects they would be interested in doing. This could lead to an interesting discussion about what aspects of the students’ backgrounds (e.g. cultural, religious, societal) may have influenced their choice.

Learning Theories

Scaffolding is an aspect of cognitive learning developed by Bruner and adopted by the NZ educational system (Dymoke, 2008). In English it is not uncommon for essay writing to be heavily scaffolded. There are various ways in which this may be done, but the goal is usually to work with the students throughout the year so that by the time of their external assessment they can write an essay to NCEA standards without the need for a scaffolded essay template. The scaffolding process may be adapted to the various needs of the students in order to enable them to “move beyond their current level of competence towards achieving their potential” (Dymoke, 2008, p. 51). The teacher’s difficult task is to nurture the students’ developing independence and natural creativity while still providing a solid structure and clear instruction.

Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning can help with scaffolding lesson plans and devising questions designed to “offer increasing levels of challenge to all. . .students” (Dymoke, 2008, p. 65). Questioning along the lines of Bloom’s Taxonomy serves to increase student confidence by allowing for a range of knowledge and understanding to be represented. I have already used this approach when discussing propaganda in WWI in relation to the novel All Quiet on the Western Front. It would also be useful in the crafting of text study booklets.

In a subject as heavily assessed as English I believe it is crucially important to still make way for the creative in the classroom. I sincerely hope to always allow for and encourage ‘little c creativity’ (LLC) and employ it myself in my teaching. This theory “pertains to how we live our lives, how we identify and actively initiate or respond to the challenges and contexts in which we find ourselves, how we innovate, make choices or effect changes”  (Dymoke, 2008, p. 68). Literature is about life. It is about human relationships, human nature, and the human condition. It is about how we may overcome the challenges and uncertainties the world throws our way. If I cannot teach in a way that takes into account the student as a whole person, made in God’s image and filled with creative potential, then I am not really doing my job.

References

Dymoke, S. (2008). An overview of learning. In S. Dymoke & J. Harrison (Eds.), Reflective teaching and learning (pp. 45-68). London, England: Sage.

Muijs, D., & Reynolds, D. (2011). Effective teaching: Evidence and practice. London, England: SAGE.