Written by Mr. DeGrasse
As an educator it is important for me to get to know my
students. What this means is going deeper than just finding out their favourite
sport or who their best friend is. This means I need to get to know how to
teach each student and get to know how each student learns.
Each student that walks into my classroom is different. They
are not cookie cutters of each other, but instead are complex individuals. Each
brings personal experiences, interests, strengths and areas of need. So why, as
a teacher, would I present the material in my classroom to each student the
same? Instead, I should strive to teach the material covered in class in a way
that suits each student’s learning style. Forcing every student to learn one
way will only cause anxiety, confusion, and frustration within the class. Some
may say that in a class of 20 to 30 students it is next to impossible to
individualize for each student. I say, however, that it is almost impossible
for a student to succeed in school if you don’t individualize. I would compare
it to making someone run the 100m with a leg cramp or play soccer using only
their left foot. It could be done, but why limit their potential? At Bridgeway,
because the class sizes are smaller and we have access to information about a
student’s learning disability (LD), the job of individualization is made much
easier.
The work in the classroom should be designed to enhance the
student’s strengths while building up their skills in the areas of need. In
each class I have a mosaic of students who may share learning styles or have
their own unique learning style. My job as a math teacher is to present the
material in a way that is interesting and in a manner that best suits each
student’s LD. What
may work for one student with a particular LD may not work for another. The key is
finding a way to make the material “click” and allow them to understand what is
being taught and know how to apply it.
There is not one approach to teach a particular topic to a
student. I could teach them five different ways to accomplish the same task. What
I’m looking for is that one way that allows them to truly understand what is
being asked of them. Occasionally one of my methods may not work and a student may come up with their own system of doing something. Sometimes their technique
may be a rephrasing of what I taught them, just in their own words. Other times
they may come up with a method that makes sense to them but stumps me. At times explanations aren’t enough and a student who learns better using visuals may need to see what I’m saying. I’ve used desks to make
graphs and matrices, I’ve had students use technology to illustrate and record
their findings, I’ve had to explain math by making references to television
shows, and I’ve even had students act out algebraic questions. Whatever allows
the students to understand the material is how they will learn and retain that
information.
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