Learning styles

Aural/Auditory

Kinesthetic

Visual

Read/Write

MULTI-MODAL

Learning Styles

The Pieces of Academic Success

Time Management

Rationale Essay

Goal Setting

Learning Styles

Developing a Study Plan

ReadingEfficiency

WritingCritical Thinking

Academic Research

Stress Management

Navigating ESC Resources

Learning Coaches & Content Tutors

• One-to-one appointments in person or via phone, e-mail, Internet, etc.

• Workshops (online & onsite)

• Small group assistance (online & onsite)

• Online Content Area Tutoring – Smarthinking (www.esc.edu/smarthinking)

Online Support • For Academic Support Information & Materials Available 24/7 Online go to

http://NECacademicsupport.pbwork.com

• A self-paced or credit-bearing study & resources - http://AcademicEye.pbworks.com

• On Facebook - NEC Academic Support & Student Services

Academic Support @ NEC

Services & Resources

Helping You Connect the Pieces for Academic Success

What is a learning coach?

A learning coach is someone who provides academic support to students in one-on-one or small group settings in all areas of the writing process and related study skills strategies including time management, organization, reading efficiency, developing a study plan, goal setting, critical thinking, library research skills, note-taking, and learning styles.

Sarah Spence-Staulters is located in Latham working with Schenectady & Latham/Albany students Her hours are: Mondays – 3pm- 7:30pm

Wednesdays – 3:00pm-7:30pmFridays - 9am- 4pm

Contact Sarah to make an appointment : (518) 783-6203 ext 5992 or Sarah.Spence-Staulters@esc.edu

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Kate Stockton is located in Latham working with Johnstown & Latham/Albany students Her hours are: Mondays - 4:00pm-7:30pm

Wednesday - 4:00pm-7:30pmThursdays - 4:00pm-8:00pm

Contact Kate to make an appointment : (518) 783-6203 ext 5992 or Kate.Stockton@esc.edu

Mary Sanders-Shartle is located in Saratoga working with Saratoga & Queensbury students Her hours are: Mondays – 12pm-2pm

Wednesdays – 3pm-6pmThursdays 4pm-6pm

Contact Mary to make an appointment :(518) 587-2100 ext 2827 or Mary.Sanders-Shartle@esc.edu

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Meet the Learning Coaches

Helping You Connect the Pieces for Academic Success

A peer coach is a current undergraduate or graduate student trained to guide and encourage other students in improving their academic performance and development as a life-long learner, focusing on general study skills, specific content-areas, navigating college resources, and developing within their Areas of Study.

They work in both face-to-face and virtual environments.

Peer coaches are trained under College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA) international standards for peer tutors and are either volunteers, work-study, or practicum students.

Peers

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Academic Support @ NEC

Maximize Learning & Instructional Styles!

• Most people have developed a preference for how they learn.

• One style is not better than another, and all of approaches to learning can be improved.

• Effective learners know how their minds work and are able to adapt their studying strategies to any learning situation.

The Basics

Identifying Your Learning PreferenceVARK Learning Styles Self-Assessment Questionnaire

TAKE ASSESSMENThttp://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

What were your results?

Your VARK preferences can be used to help you develop additional, effective strategies for learning related to how you:

take in information; study information for effective learning; and

study for performing well on an examination.

Visual Study Strategies (V)Aural/Auditory Study Strategies (A)

Read/write Study Strategies (R)Kinesthetic Study Strategies (K)

Multimodal Study Strategies (MM)

Your Action Plan

Your Learning Style: ________________________ other: ____________________

Summary of your style:

Specific study tips that will help you study better:

Characteristics of Visual Learners

• Have a keen sense of aesthetics, visual media and art.

• Easily remember information presented in pictures or diagrams.

• Have strong visualization skills. They can look up and “see” the information invisibly written or drawn.

• Make “movies in their minds” of information they are reading. Their movies are often vivid and detailed.

• Have very strong visual-spatial understanding of things such as sizes, textures, angles and three-dimensional depths.

• Pay close attention to the body language of others (facial expressions, eyes, stance, etc.).

VISUALVisual learners tend to:

learn best when information is presented visually and in a picture or design format. In a classroom setting, benefit from instructors who use visual aids such as film, video, maps and charts. benefit from information obtained from the pictures and diagrams in textbooks. When trying to remember something, can often visualize a picture of it in their mind. have an artistic side that enjoys activities having to do with visual art and design.

Visual learners:

Visual

Study Tips for Visual Learners• Convert information into visual study tools

(diagrams, maps, charts)

• Copy & write new info - see it in your own writing.

• Visualize & make movies as you read and study.

• Use nonverbal clue’s by instructors to provide you with important information.

• When learning mathematical or technical information, make charts to organize the information. When a mathematical problem involves a sequence of steps, draw a series of boxes, each containing the appropriate bit of information in sequence.

• Use the computer to assist in organizing material that needs to be memorized. Using word processing, create tables and charts with graphics that help you to understand and retain course material. Use spreadsheet and database software to further organize material that needs to be learned.

• Use "color coding" of new information in your textbook or notes. Mark up the margins of your textbook with key words, symbols, and diagrams and use highlighter pens of contrasting colors to "color code" the information.

Characteristics of Aural/Auditory Learners

• Remember quite accurately details of important information heard during conversations or lectures.

• Have strong language skills, which include a well-developed vocabulary and an appreciation for words.

• Have strong oral communication skills. They can carry interesting conversations and can articulate their ideas clearly.

• Have a “fine tuned ear” auditory may lead to learning a foreign language more easily.

• Often have musical talents, can hear tones, rhythms, and individual notes.

AURAL/AUDITORY

Aural/Auditory learners tend to:

Tend to find when trying to remember something, can often "hear" the way someone told you the information, or the way you previously repeated it out loud. learn best when interacting with others in a listening/ speaking exchange.

Aural/Auditory learners:

Aural/Auditory

Study Tips for Auditory Learners• Discuss/study with friends. Join a study group to assist you in learning

course material. Or, work with a "study buddy" on an ongoing basis. If not possible, talk out loud and recite information your are learning.

• You can retain and understand information better by teaching another person, or conversing with an instructor.

• Record information and listen to it. You may benefit from using a recording device to make audio files to listen to later. Use computerized technology – Text to Speech in Word, Audacity, etc.

• When learning mathematical or technical information, "talk your way" through the new information. State the problem in your own words. Reason through solutions to problems by talking out loud to yourself or with a study partner.

• Try games or interaction activities that provide the sounds of words being spoken.

• Add rhythms or tunes to your learning.

• Work well with their hands and may be good at repairing work, sculpting, art or working with various tools.

• Often have well coordinated and have a strong sense of timing and body movement.

• Learn with movement = often do well as performers: athletes, actors, or dancers.

• Often wiggle, tap feet or move their legs when seated.

• Have been often labeled “hyperactive” as children.

Characteristics of Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners tend to: KINESTHETIC

Kinesthetic learners:

Kinesthetic

learn best when physically engaged in a "hands on" activity. In the classroom, they benefit from a lab setting where you can manipulate materials to learn new information. learn best when you can be physically active in the learning environment. benefit from instructors who encourage in-class demonstrations, "hands on" student learning experiences, and field work outside the classroom.

Study Tips for Kinesthetic Learners• Take notes as you read – text and/or graphic organizers.

• Pace as you study. When studying, walk back and forth with textbook, notes, or flashcards in hand and read the information out loud.

• Make large-sized study tools – flipcharts, chalk/white boards. When reviewing new information, copy key points onto a chalkboard, easel board, or other large writing surface.

• Learn by doing. Think of ways to make your learning tangible, i.e. something you can put your hands on. For example, make a model that illustrates a key concept. Spend extra time in a lab setting to learn an important procedure. Spend time in the field (e.g. a museum, historical site, or job site) to gain first-hand experience of your subject matter.

• Use your hands and your fine motor skills. Study with pen/pencil in hand.

• Use exaggerated movement for emphasis and expression.

• Use case studies, examples and applications.

• Like lists and words to keep ideas and “To Do” items straight.

• Remember information displayed as words.

• Emphasize text-based input and output - reading and writing in all its forms.

• Prefer PowerPoint, the Internet, lists, filofaxes, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations and words, words, words...

Characteristics of Read/Write Learners

Read/Write learners tend to: READ/WRITE

learn best when information is presented visually and in a written language format. In a classroom setting, they benefit from instructors who use the blackboard (or PowerPoint, overhead projector, etc.) to list the essential points of a lecture, or provide an outline to follow along with during lecture. benefit from information obtained from textbooks and class notes. often see the text "in your mind's eye" when trying to remember something

Read/Write learners:

Read/Write

Study Tips for Read/Write Learners• Use a word processor – take notes as you read. Rewrite

the ideas and principles into other words.

• Use dictionaries and/or make flashcards to remember key vocabulary.

• Write out the words again and again. Read your notes (silently) again and again.

• When learning information presented in diagrams or illustrations, write out explanations for the information. Organize any diagrams, graphs ... into statements, e.g. "The trend is..."

• When learning mathematical or technical information, write out in sentences and key phrases your understanding of the material. When a problem involves a sequence of steps, write out in detail how to do each step.

Life is multimodal. There are seldom instances where one mode is used, or is sufficient. Those who prefer many modes almost equally are of two types. There are those who are context specific who choose a single mode to suit the occasion or situation.

There are others who are not satisfied until they have had input (or output) in all of their preferred modes. They take longer to gather information from each mode and, as a result, they often have a deeper and broader understanding.

REFERENCES USED IN THIS PRESENTATIONVARK Learning Styles Questionnairehttp://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

ADDITIONAL ONLINE MATERIALS (including other self-assessments) Online Learning Styles Inventories with Immediate Feedback

Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

A set of 44 two choice questions, covering the following learning styles: Active and Reflective, Sensing and Intuitive, Visual and Verbal, & Sequential and Global

Brain Works’ Downloadablehttp://www.jcu.edu.au/tldinfo/learningskills/learningst/An interesting exercise (PC users only - 1.1MB) called brain.exe can be downloaded from this site. It will give you some more information about your dominant brain hemisphere. To get out of the program before completing the assessment, use ctrl alt del keys to access Task Manager and stop the program. The esc key does not always work.

C.I.T.E.  Learning Styles Instrument http://www.wvabe.org/cite.htm

References & Resources

CONTINUED…

ADDITIONAL ONLINE MATERIALS (including other self-assessments) continued…Online Learning Styles Inventories with Immediate Feedback continued

A Learning Style Survey for College http://www.metamath.com/multiple/multiple_choice_questions.html

A 32 question survey with immediate feedback assessing the following learning styles:

Visual/ Verbal, Visual/ Nonverbal, Tactile/ Kinesthetic, & Auditory/ Verbal

Information about Learning StylesLearning Styles & Strategies http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

References & Resources

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Thank you for attending tonight's workshop If you would like to view this worship again to refresh your memory or just for fun please visit:

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Fall 2010 Workshop ScheduleSept. 20 Start the Term Right27 Time Management29 Start the Term RightOct. 30 Navigating the ESC Websites6 Critical Thinking 8 Introduction Library Skills ( 10am-11am )13 Navigating the ESC Websites14 Time Management18 Critical Thinking20 Reading More Efficiently25 Leveraging Your learning Style28 Unblock the Writing Experience

Nov.1 Reading more Efficiently 33 Introduction to Library Skills8 Unblocking the Writing Experience17 Stress Management19 Time Management (10am-11am)22 Resume and Cover Letter Writing

Dec. 20 Stress Management6 Ending the Term Right8 Ending the Term Right9 Writing a Rational Essay13 Stress Management20 Resume and Cover Letter Writing