One Piece of Advice by Emma

One Piece of Advice by Emma - January 2015 Scholarship Essay

If I could give a teacher a piece of advice to help me- and my peers- learn, I would advise them to remember that not all students learn the same way.

I have seen many teachers go about lecturing or introducing topics to their classes in the same way every time- maybe they have a primarily auditory lecture, or have the bulk of the lesson up on a PowerPoint for the visual learners. But teaching the same way every time only helps students who learn that way; as a visual learner, I would do better in a class where I can see the material, but my classmates who learn better by listening would not. Teachers often teach the way they best learn, which can hurt students who don’t share their learning style. Instead, teachers should incorporate audio, visual, and kinesthetic elements into their lectures or rotate between these elements to make sure that everyone is engaged and can understand and remember the material.

Another way that students learn differently is in that some students thrive when working with others, but some are the most focused when they are alone. Again, teachers should make sure that they don’t direct their students to do things the same way all the time. A good way to make sure that all students are learning is by balancing out how often students work alone or with others so that everyone experiences both.

Everyone is different when it comes to learning, and treating students otherwise will not help them. The best way to help students learn is to have some variability in the ways a lesson is taught.