Identifying Learning Styles
For many decades psychometricians have explored approaches to and methods for identifying a child's style. Whether one supports Gardener's scheme or not is a theoretical issue for teachers in their classrooms doing their jobs.
The New Blooms Taxonomy
Much of today's curriculum rests on Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy, a ladder with rungs for knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.
Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligence Theory
Dr. Gardner looks at what it takes for students to really assimilate knowledge and explains his Multiple Intelligence theory.
Students are good at different things – logical thinking, spacial thinking, language, hands on. Treating everyone like they think and learn alike is very unfair.
- YouTube URL
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2QtSbP4FRg
Universal Design for Learning
As teachers quickly realize, there is not a single, one-size-fits-all solution to student engagement and learning.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone and allows for flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.
Differentiated Instruction Resources
This site looks at strategies for implementing Differentiated Instruction in the classroom.
BrainBashers: Puzzles and Brain Teasers
BrainBashers is a collection of brain teasers, puzzles, riddles, games and optical illusions.
Learning Activity Types
LAT, a project at William & Mary's College, is a place for educators interested in learning to "operationalize TPACK" (Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge) via curriculum-based learning activity types ('LATs') to get up-to-date information, and (more importantly) participate in the vetting and refining of the activity types in each of the curriculum areas in which activity type development is happening. Taxonomies and related resources are indexed by Activity Type.
Bloom's revised taxonomy
A parallel taxonomy, developed by Cochran, Conklin and Modin) may suit the 21st century better; remember, understand, apply (including procedural and metacognitive), evaluate, and create.
FastforWord
FastForWord builds cognitive skills of memory, attention, processing and sequencing.
This software adapts to individual learning styles.
Some complex tests can be administered by specialists -- but not an option for the average teacher. On-line puzzle and game sites can help you quickly gain a glimmer of understanding; you can see which puzzles are easy or hard for a student. Then you have accumulated a point of departure for individualizing student work.
Other Areas To Check Out...
• Assessment of Hands-On Elementary Science Projects
• Visualization Tools
• Brains & Neurons
• STEM Primer
• Audio/Video Primary Sources
• Dealing with Teenagers
Development ▲