Learning Styles

• Published in: A Teaching Assistant's Guide to Child Development and Psychology in the Classroom pp. 89 - 99
• Main Author: Bentham, Susan
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: United Kingdom Routledge 2011; Taylor & Francis Group
• Edition: 2
• Subjects: Educational psychology; Teaching of specific groups & persons with special educational needs; Anger Management; Shrugged; Perceptual Learning Style; Out-of Bounds Area; Ta Te; Dim; Educational Label; Learning Styles; Kinaesthetic Learner; Perceptual Style; Ac Ti; Anorexia Nervosa; Sausage Rolls; Dynamic Assessment; ARG; Maturational Readiness; Ba Si; Personalized Learning Approach; Ta Ge; Social Listening
• ISBN: 9780415569231; 0415569230; 9780415569224; 0415569222
• DOI: 10.4324/9780203829486-4

In previous chapters we have discussed potential barriers to learning and ways of overcoming them. Piaget would talk about maturational readiness, i. e. a child at a certain age will become able to understand and perform certain academic tasks. So, for example, a teacher might explain to the mother of a Year 1 pupil that the reason her child was having difficulty with reading was that perhaps the child was just not ready, but when they were ready it would just fall into place. Vygotsky, on the other hand, would talk about the importance of matching the language of communication to the child's abilities and level of understanding. For Vygotsky, teaching is the art of effective communication. If the explanation is not understandable to the pupil then learning cannot occur. Other barriers to learning that have already been mentioned are the ineffective use of questions, the association of particular classes or subjects with negative emotions such as fear and anxiety, and the reinforcement of disruptive and inappropriate behaviour. However, another important characteristic of the pupil that would affect their ability to learn revolves around what has been described as learning styles.