Joaquin Lorenzo & Keri Rodgers
Joaquin Lorenzo
mrlorenzogw@yahoo.com
Keri
Rodgers
msrodgersgw@yahoo.com
The Gateway School of
Environmental Research and Technology
1980 Lafayette Ave.
Bronx, NY
10473
Grade/Subject: 6 –12: ALL
About the Grant: |
Materials :
· Internet
· Computers for each student
· LCD
projector
· Poster board
· Markers
· MS
PowerPoint
Description:
The goal of this project is to help students identify their own
preferred learning and social interaction styles at the beginning of
a semester. Using the Paragon Learning Style Inventory (PLSI),
students can begin to understand how they learn best, appreciate how
others learn differently, and develop tools and strategies that will
help them proactively problem-solve obstacles to their
education.
How it Works:
Students take two interactive questionnaires assessing their own
learning and social styles, and then score them. They form groups
based on 16 social interaction styles and analyze the results. The
students then share and compare the results of all 16 social styles
and discuss how they will work together to maximize their classroom
experience. Following this activity, they take a learning styles
inventory and organize themselves into four groups based on their
primary learning style: auditory, visual, tactile, or
multi-modality.
Final Project/Product:
Students create an individualized learning action plan for the
subject area and share it with their peers. The action plan made by
the students can be geared toward the skills and objectives of the
level and the class, and should utilize available resources such as
poster, MS PowerPoint, MS Word, and MS Publisher. Each student
creates two presentations using the available resources. Students
also use Wordle to create a visual representation of their action
plan.
Overall Value:
This project prepares students for success by creating an
awareness of different learning needs and empowering them to use
this information to create a plan for success in the classroom.
Teachers also determine how their students learn so they are able to
tailor their instruction to the students’ different needs.
Tips for the Teacher:
The materials are flexible in their use and can be varied to meet
your goals in the classroom. Because the materials are simple to
use, they are accessible to those with technological limitations. If
you are unable to print, your students can make posters. Because the
materials are multimedia, it is easy to showcase their work through
bulletin boards and video presentations. If your students are
low-functioning, they can attempt to restate summary sheets in their
own words. The nature of the project means that its intensity and
duration can be modified to fit the needs of the students and the
teacher. Some groups complete the unit in four days, while others
need five or six. If you only have a little time, you can shorten
the project to three or four days and focus on learning styles (as
detailed below). Or if you also want students to understand how they
interact, focus on days one and two.
Try to familiarize yourself with the PLSI site beforehand. The
effective teaching section is especially helpful to understand how
to work with students. Try to take both inventories prior to
teaching this unit. It is important that you, too, understand how
you learn and interact with others so that you understand your
natural preferences in relating to your students.
Throughout the semester, ask students about learning strategies
for their learning and social interaction styles. When teaching a
new concept, ask students to tell you how you are teaching to
different styles. Once they understand why they are being asked to
do something, they are much more likely to do it.
· Why am I asking you to write out the words we are
studying?
· Why are we reading this passage aloud in
class today?
· Why are we using numbered points to explain this
process instead of writing a paragraph in our notes? |
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Objectives |
Objectives:
1. Students will identify
their primary learning style: visual, auditory, or
tactile.
2. Students will
identify and implement strategies to help them learn the content
subject area.
3. Students will
evaluate their learning strategies.
4. Students will
share learning strategies with their class and make suggestions to
each other to improve learning.
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Websites Used |
Websites
Used:
http://educationplanner.org/education_planner/discovering_article.asp?sponsor=2859&articleName=Learning_Styles_Quiz
This link provides a quiz
in which there is an interactive learning style inventory that takes
about ten minutes to complete. This quiz gives students immediate
feedback as to whether they are a visual, auditory, or tactile
learner and provides a brief description of each and subsequent
learning strategies.
http://oswego.edu/plsi/
This link provides an
interactive site that contains the PSLI inventory for students to
learn about and understand their preferred learning and social
interaction style. It also contains helpful strategies for teachers
to work with students in the classroom based on their preferred PSLI
type.
http://wordle.net
This link provides an
interactive site that allows students to paste text to create a
visual representation of written work.
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Standards Addressed: |
Standard
1:
Students read, write,
listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Grade: 6 - 12
Subject: English Language
Arts
Standard
2:
Students read, write,
listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Grade: 6 - 12
Subject: English Language
Arts
Standard
3:
Students read, write,
listen, and speak for social interaction.
Grade: 6 - 12
Subject: English Language
Arts
Standard
4:
Students demonstrate
mastery of the foundation skills and competencies essential for
success in the workplace.
Grade: 6 - 12
Subject: Career Development
and Occupational Studies
Standard
5:
Information technology is
used to retrieve, process, and communicate information and as a tool
to enhance learning.
Grade: 6 -
12
Subject: Technology
Standard
5:
Information technology can
have positive and negative impacts on society, depending upon how it
is used.
Grade: 6 -
12
Subject: Technology
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Lesson 1: |
Title: Learning Who We
Are: Taking the PSLI
Project
Objective:
1: Students will take
the PSLI and learn their social interaction preference.
2: Students will
discuss their social interaction preference in groups.
Materials:
· Laptop with Internet
access
· LCD projector
· Printed preference sheets
(1 per preference = 16 sheets)
Procedures:
1. Have
students make the PSLI answer sheet in their notebooks following the
model provided below and on the site.
2. Go to PSLI site http://oswego.edu/plsi/ and click on Take
PSLI.
3. Take the learning
inventory as a class reading each question aloud for
students.
4: Score the
PSLI.
5: Divide students into
their interaction style. For example, all ESFJs will be in the same
group. Each group’s task is to read their preferred interaction
style and answer three questions:
1. Does this description
“fit” you? Why or why not?
2. What are some
characteristics about your type?
3. How can you contribute to
our class based on your type?
6: Wrap up, and ask
students to answer inquiry-based questions such as: Do you think an
extrovert prefers being around lots of people or having some alone
time? What about an introvert? Why?
Homework:
Students write a brief
summary of their type (i.e., INSJ) and explain how it fits or does
not fit them. Each student will also find one famous person with
their type and cite the source.
Assessment:
While students are working
in their group, ask them guided questions about how they think they
can learn within their type. For example, if a group is Judging (J,
i.e., ISTJ), ask: How do you approach a project? Do you prefer to
plan everything out ahead of time or do things as you
go?”
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Lesson 2: |
Title: Sharing Who We
Are
Project
Objective:
1. Groups
design a poster or PowerPoint slide highlighting important ideas
about their type.
2. Students share their
preferred learning and interaction type with each other.
3. Students appreciate
each other’s strengths and how each student can contribute to the
class.
Materials:
· Laptop with Internet
access (or have a memory stick on hand)
· LCD projector
· Printed preference sheets
(1 per preference = 16 sheets)
· Poster boards and markers,
or computers with MS PowerPoint and a memory stick/Internet
connection
Procedures:
1. Quickly recap what
happened yesterday.
2. In the groups they
formed yesterday, students design a poster or MS PowerPoint slide
highlighting what they learned yesterday.
1. What are some
characteristics about your type?
2. How can you contribute to
our class based on your type?
3. Who is a famous person
with your type?
3. Groups share
their PowerPoint slide(s) or poster with the class. During the
share-out section, ask students to compare the sixteen types. For
example, how does this type differ from the last one we just
discussed?
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Lesson 3: |
Title: How Do You Learn
Best?
Objectives:
1. Students learn
their preferred learning style: auditory, tactile, or
multimodal.
2. Students identify learning
strategies that suit their learning style for succeeding in your
class.
Materials:
· Computers with Internet
access for each student
· Printed learning style
sheet for each group
· Markers and poster boards,
or MS PowerPoint and laptop hooked up to LCD projector
Procedures:
1. Ask students how
they prefer to study for a test.
Do they prefer to study
alone or in groups (extroverted / introverted)?
Do they like to rewrite
their notes?
Do they have habits that
help them study, such as chewing gum while they review for a
test?
Do they like to read their
notes out loud?
2. Have the students take
an interactive learning style assessment. They should write down
their results (i.e., Visual 70%; Auditory 20%; Tactile 10%). http://educationplanner.org/education_planner/discovering_article.asp?sponsor=2859&articleName=Learning_Styles_Quiz
3. Arrange students
into groups based on their learning style (visual, auditory,
tactile). Any large groups may be broken into smaller
groups.
4. Give students a
copy of their learning style profile sheet. Ask them to answer the
following questions and then create a poster or MS PowerPoint
slide(s) that explains how their group learns and to come up with
learning strategies based on their learning style for your class.
5. While students
are working in groups, ask them how they can learn your subject area
best in accordance with their learning style. Try using specific
scenarios that your students will encounter in this subject area but
which with they are already familiar.
· How can you learn and
remember an algebraic formula such as y=mx+b?
· How can you learn the
three states of matter(solid, liquid, gas)?
· How can you learn and use
ten vocabulary words?
· How can you learn the
causes of World War II?
6. Wrap up by asking
students how each group learns. Students should be able to
say:
· Visual learners learn best
by seeing.
· Auditory learners learn
best by listening.
· Tactile learners learn
best by doing.
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Lesson 4 |
Title: Sharing How We
Learn Best
Objectives:
1. Students will work
together to create a poster, flier, or slide presentation of their
learning style (auditory, visual, tactile).
2. Students will identify
learning strategies for their learning style.
3. Students will share
learning strategies with each other.
Materials:
· Computers with Internet
access for each student
· Printed learning style
sheet for each group
· Markers and poster boards
OR MS PowerPoint and laptop hooked up to LCD projector
Procedures:
1. Allow groups time to
finish their PowerPoint presentations or posters or Publisher
fliers.
2. Groups present their
learning styles and strategies to the class using their
presentations as a visual aid.
Homework:
What is your learning plan
for success in our class this year? (The following questions are
examples. Adapt the questions or topic to your students learning
levels and needs.)
· What is your preferred
interaction style?
· Do you prefer to work
alone or with others?
· Do you prefer learning
facts or thinking about new concepts or ideas?
· What is your preferred
learning style? (visual, auditory, or tactile)
· What are some strategies
you can use to help you learn better in this class based on your
learning style?
· How will you study for
tests based on your learning style?
Sample Possible
Response
“I am an INTP. I like to
work alone, to think things out, and to process ideas. I like quiet
when I work and I like to see systems. I think in terms of the
overall picture; I don't often think in terms of the small details.
But details are important in subjects like math, so I need to find a
way to memorize things like formulas.
I'm a tactile learner,
which means I learn by doing things. I can learn formulas by
rewriting them a few times until I know them. When I study I can
walk around the room or chew gum to help me focus. I can help out in
my class by helping to keep the room quiet for others who need quiet
to learn. I can also help by pointing out the "big
picture."
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Lesson 5: |
Title: My Plan for Success
in Subject Class
Objectives:
1. Students will
articulate their plan for success and share it with the
class.
2. Students will share
their PSLI and learning style information with the class using
Wordle to create a visual and verbal representation of their
interaction and learning style.
3. Students will use MS
Word to type and format their responses according to the teacher’s
specifications.
4. Students will use two
programs simultaneously to import and copy text and
images.
Materials:
· Computers with Internet
access and MS Office for each student
· Computers with Internet
access that are hooked up to LCD projectors
Procedures:
1. Students type their
responses into MS Word and format them according to teacher
directions (proper class heading, MLA, etc.).
2. Students copy and paste
their response text into Wordle to create a visual representation of
their learning style.
3. Students use “screen
capture” to import their Wordle image into MS Word or MS PowerPoint.
E-mail this image to the laptop hooked up to the LCD projector or
save it to a
USB
key.
4. Students present their
Wordle to the class with the LCD projector and give a succinct
presentation on how they learn best.
Sample Student
Presentation Based on Above Student Response and
Wordles
“I’m a tactile learner so I
learn best by doing things like hands-on activities. I also need a
quiet space to work and think things through. I can contribute to
our class by helping us to see the how things work overall when we
are learning new concepts or formulas.”
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Joaquin Lorenzo and Keri Rodgers
began working together in 2006 with the goal of breaking down the barriers
that normally separate and isolate students from each other, while
simultaneously preparing them for the rigors and challenges that they will
face in the 21st century. Realizing that traditional methods of teaching
and counseling were not accomplishing this mission, they decided to find
another way to reach their students.
They combined Joaquin’s
experience as a social worker and guidance counselor for special education
and at-risk students with Keri’s pedagogical background in Spanish and
science and her work with college advising. Their mutual curriculum and
program development experience has allowed them to find creative ways to
serve students in classroom, advisory, and counseling settings. Their goal
is to create a classroom culture that enables all students to understand
how they learn best so that they will succeed in school and
beyond.
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