Week 6: What is my Teaching and Learning Style Preference?

Conducting a teaching and learning inventory is a unique way that an instructor and learner can identify his or her teaching/learning style. Knowing the preferred teaching/learning style is helpful because the instructor can design course objectives to meet the needs of a diverse learning group. It is important that an instructor knows his or her learning style to be sensitive to the teaching and learning needs of the learning community.

VARK and the DVC survey are two forms of learning style inventory that instructors can use to derived meaningful baseline data on learning styles of each learner in order to design and deliver course content in an appealing manner to promote interest, student involvement, and optimal learning opportunities for every learner. A learner can be a visual/verbal, visual/non-verbal, auditory/verbal, or tactile/kinesthetic learner, and a learner can use a combination of learning styles in a learning environment. Instructors can use teaching style inventories to derive useful information about their teaching style and use the knowledge in the designing and delivery of course content to learners with various learning styles.

The VARK questionnaire helps to identify learning preference, but careful instructions to participants for filling out the questionnaire is encouraged to prevent error in the report and wrong conclusion drawing. In answering the questions, the person can choose more than one option if the question is not clear and the results is only an explanation of learning style preference. The DVC survey also provides insightful information about preferred learning style, and usually, the instructor can use the results from the survey to design courses for a diversified group of learners, capturing their unique learning style and enhancing the learning environment.

What was a striking discovery was the fact that the two forms of inventory for teachers and learners was necessary to teach effectively in an academic environment. Once I used the two surveys to discover my teaching and learning style, I was fully able to understand what the results mean and how the result shape how courses are design and delivered, as the multiple delivery methods is evident in the current online course, ONTL 650.

Based on my learning style inventory result, I am a visual/verbal learner, meaning that I value to see educational information and written information for a subject matter so that I can create my own notes and read the information to get an understanding in my learning experience. The teaching style inventory showed my favor for teaching as a facilitator, expert, and delegator, therefore, fostering independence, collaboration, and engaging learners with direct project or group project involvement is a few approaches I can use to promote learning.

According to the inventory results, the three teaching styles of preference is compatible with teaching in the online environment, however, preferred teaching style does not guarantee effectiveness in assisting learners to achieve desirable outcomes. If I am to be effective as an online instructor besides having the preferred teaching style, knowing the learning style of each learner and catering to the educational needs of each learner is important.

Now that I know the significance and relevance of doing a teaching and learning inventory prior to designing and teaching an online course, it is a guarantee that faithfully I will utilize the teaching and learning inventory to gather baseline information on the various learning styles of each learner to design course materials that is compatible with the various learning styles. I will also make certain that I used the inventory results to enhance the course room and provide stimulating learning activities that support the highest possible learning outcomes.

I am not actively practicing teaching in an academic environment, but understanding that there are tools to evaluate teaching and learning styles surely put me at ease and produce a high level of interest and comfort for me as a prospective online instructor. As a Novice online instructor, I will be sure to use the teaching and learning survey, and use the survey results to improve the online environment, increase student satisfaction, and enhance the student-learner interaction and relationship to achieve the desired course outcomes and successful learner outcomes.

In summary, conducting a teaching/learning inventory can provide useful information that could benefit both the instructor and learners. Understanding that each learner learn in a unique way and adapting a flexible teaching style is essential to meet the learning needs of a diverse learning community with different learning needs and different learning styles.