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21st century pedagogy. Education. What Type of Learner Are You? (And Why It Doesn't Matter) As an educator, I often come across the concept of "learning styles. " Briefly, this refers to the idea that different people learn in different ways. Concerned students will often remark that they didn't do well on a given exam because they are "visual learners," while parents will often note that their child is a "motor learner," an "aural learner," or perhaps an "intuitive learner.

" The implicit message behind these labels is that educators need to match their method of instruction to the style of the student, so as to maximize the student's learning and performance. The flip side of this argument, of course, is that if the student learns or performs poorly, some of it may have to do with a between the student's style and the method of instruction. source: Wikimedia Commons (author: krgarts) The pull to understand what "type" of learner we are, much like the pull to understand what "type" of person we are, is very strong. How to think differently about midterms and other exams.

As any working parent knows, sometimes you have to think creatively to juggle work and childcare. Just recently, it was my turn: I had to teach, my spouse was busy, and our 5-year old son was out of school. So I decided to take him to my 250-person lecture. There he sat in the front row, flanked by two students. I was proud of him when he shared his candy with them; they in turn gave him paper and a pencil. As he settled into drawing, I started class, and was soon comfortably in my teaching groove. That is, until about ten minutes into the lecture, when my son suddenly raised his hand. His eyes went wide with delight, and with a huge grin, he blurted, "Blah blah blah blah blah! " The auditorium roared. The next class, with my son back at school, we all laughed again at the moment. It was a gesture that I deeply appreciated, because she was admitting a trouble spot for her at the same time that she was giving me feedback and reaching out. This assumption can be dangerous for learning.

Recycling Kolb.