How Students Learn

9 Pages 2280 Words

vocal and disruptive, and if a teacher doesn’t correct the noise level in the classroom, they may be hindering the learning of some of the students. Some students prefer bright lighting to dark lighting, or hard seats versus soft seats. Some teachers put sofas, along with traditional desks, in their classrooms to give students options where to sit depending on their preference. So teachers have to be conscious how the physical surrounding in the classroom affects the learning in different students.
Learning styles also depend on a student’s culture and their personal beliefs that may be rooted in their background. Different cultures raise children different ways, so a teacher needs to be knowledgeable of a variety of many cultures and their values. A teacher teaching in the inner city with predominantly African American students would possible use a curriculum that focused on more vocal, versus written learning. A teacher would also take advantage of using instructions that provided opportunities for students to learn in groups, or through cooperative projects, as well as independently. Some students take a deep-processing approach, which means that they seek the underlying concepts, or meaning, of lessons. Other students take a surface-processing approach, which means that they focus on memorization rather than analysis and understanding. A teacher that is aware of this will be able to write and effective assessment of the curriculum being taught. In secondary education teachers should encourage students toward taking a deeper approach to learning. They are getting closer to being out in the real world, and having a deep understanding of subject matter will help them relate concepts and ideas together with real life situations. Studying how to teach students with these two different levels of learning brings forth the next factor in how students learn, which is their motivation.
Motivation is an internal state that a...