Examples of “how does my learner best learn?”
Example 1: Year 10 students
LMQ3 – How does my learner best learn? (Learning styles, strengths, interests, needs)
Example 2: Year 12 students
LMQ3 – How does my learner best learn? (Learning styles, strengths, interests, needs)
Example 3: Year 9 student profiles
Student Profiles:
The unit of work is designed for a year 9 cohort. The class comprises of students with varied abilities, learning needs, medical conditions and cultural backgrounds. Most of the students are keen to use ICT in the learning environment. They become disengaged when the learning activities are not fun and exciting for them. There are few At Risk learners in the class. The mentor teacher has confirmed that these students are from low socio-economic background and has alcoholic parents. The school records show that some of these students have been mentally abused by their parents. They lack positive role models, resilient skills and motivation to try for academic excellence.
The cohort comprises of students with special learning needs. One student is diagnosed with the Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and another student has mild Autism. The student with Autism looks very tired in the class. It gives an impression that he is not sleeping and eating well. Both these students are below average in studies. The three other students come from Non-English speaking background. These three ESL students have difficulty reading and interpreting mathematical word problems. They speak their first language at home. They often refer the dictionary and pocket thesaurus to understand the meanings. Few other students tease and make fun of these ESL students about their frequent use of dictionary.
Some students are rude, arrogant and exhibit rebelliousness towards authority. They become extremely defensive when the teacher corrects them by pointing out their mistakes. These students always have excuses for not completing the tasks. They demand independence but often shun the responsibilities. On a positive note, they respond well to hands-on learning where they learn by doing. When they are bored, they try to disturb other students and deliberately irritate teacher in the class. Some students seem to be utterly self-absorbed and self-centered. It looks like they are concerned about their personal identity and physical appearance. Quite a few students have difficulty controlling their feelings and emotions. Sarcastic backtalk, tremendous temper tantrum, emotional outburst of tears and mood swings is common in few learners. The class has a good mix of number of boys and girls. They seem to pursue their learning journey very differently.
Some students show the fear of failure and therefore do not even try to complete tasks on their own. They mask their fear by saying that they do not need strong mathematical knowledge as they will not go to university for the tertiary education. These students have the capability to learn but lack self-confidence and academic guidance to thrive. They struggle to apply the knowledge in new learning situations. Student-teacher believes that these students will do well if they are taught to ‘learn how to learn’ by embracing effective study skills.
Few students are keen to learn but are carried away by distractions caused by the influences of their peers. Some students are ‘attention seekers’, who constantly seek attention from the teacher or peers and wants to be in the ‘lime light’. Student-teacher believes that these students will develop strong leadership qualities if the opportunities are given. Few students always look dull and upset. They say that they are not happy with their life. This is indeed affecting their personal and academic growth and prosperity. They need guidance to develop gratitude, appreciate their life and be happy. One student always talks negative who has nothing positive to say. Most of the students respond well to humour and praise, and wants to be liked by their peers and teachers.
Few girls in the class are below average in studies. Few boys are struggling to master basic literacy skills. Some boys constantly exhibit destructive behaviour in the process of trying to be masculine. Some students claimed that they have no special interests. They look lost and do not respond to questions posed at class.
Example 1: Year 10 students
LMQ3 – How does my learner best learn? (Learning styles, strengths, interests, needs)
- Prefer to use the real-world examples -> relating mathematical theories to practical case studies (Observation, Conversation with the Teacher)
- Appreciate praise and encouragement from teachers (Observation, Conversation with students)
- Like lessons that are interactive and provide immediate feedback (Observation)
- Enjoy using technology (Observation, Conversation with the Teacher). Like humour in the classroom (Observation)
- The cohort includes students with special needs (Conversation with the Teacher, Observation)
- Two students are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) (Conversation with the Teacher)
- Four students in the class come from English as their Second Language (ESL) who have trouble comprehending the word problems (Observation)
- Some students lack academic motivation and do not have confidence on their abilities (Conversation with the Teacher, Observation)
- Few students have fear of change and failure - so they are afraid to even try.
- Few students have trouble coping with the time pressure and deadlines – they need extra time to complete tasks (Conversation with the teacher, Observation)
- Some students are not keen to learn Mathematics. They don’t know why they need to learn lot of mathematics (Conversation with students)
- Few students had trouble understanding the mathematical concepts earlier on in their life. They have developed the dislike towards mathematics and trying to escape from it (Conversation with students, Observation)
- Few students exhibit disruptive behaviour in the classroom (Conversation with the Teacher, Observation)
- Some students appreciate one-on-one help (Conversation with students)
- Few students have an attitude that they do not need to learn mathematics as they are going be hair dressers/chefs (Conversation with students)
- Few students are focussed, hardworking, keen to learn, obedient and like to help others (Observation)
Example 2: Year 12 students
LMQ3 – How does my learner best learn? (Learning styles, strengths, interests, needs)
- Love to work with real life examples – linking mathematical concepts to practical examples (Observation, Conversation with the Teacher)
- Appreciate immediate feedback and positive reinforcement (Conversation with the Teacher
- Respond well to praise (Observation, Conversation with students)
- Prefer group activities and interactive lessons (Observation)
- Enjoy quizzes to test their knowledge and stimulate enthusiasm and curiosity (Observation, Conversation with students)
- Like the lessons that are interesting and valuable to their personal life goals (Observation, Conversation with students)
- Admire teacher who engages and encourages students to participate actively (Observation)
- Appreciate humour in the classroom (Observation)
Example 3: Year 9 student profiles
Student Profiles:
The unit of work is designed for a year 9 cohort. The class comprises of students with varied abilities, learning needs, medical conditions and cultural backgrounds. Most of the students are keen to use ICT in the learning environment. They become disengaged when the learning activities are not fun and exciting for them. There are few At Risk learners in the class. The mentor teacher has confirmed that these students are from low socio-economic background and has alcoholic parents. The school records show that some of these students have been mentally abused by their parents. They lack positive role models, resilient skills and motivation to try for academic excellence.
The cohort comprises of students with special learning needs. One student is diagnosed with the Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and another student has mild Autism. The student with Autism looks very tired in the class. It gives an impression that he is not sleeping and eating well. Both these students are below average in studies. The three other students come from Non-English speaking background. These three ESL students have difficulty reading and interpreting mathematical word problems. They speak their first language at home. They often refer the dictionary and pocket thesaurus to understand the meanings. Few other students tease and make fun of these ESL students about their frequent use of dictionary.
Some students are rude, arrogant and exhibit rebelliousness towards authority. They become extremely defensive when the teacher corrects them by pointing out their mistakes. These students always have excuses for not completing the tasks. They demand independence but often shun the responsibilities. On a positive note, they respond well to hands-on learning where they learn by doing. When they are bored, they try to disturb other students and deliberately irritate teacher in the class. Some students seem to be utterly self-absorbed and self-centered. It looks like they are concerned about their personal identity and physical appearance. Quite a few students have difficulty controlling their feelings and emotions. Sarcastic backtalk, tremendous temper tantrum, emotional outburst of tears and mood swings is common in few learners. The class has a good mix of number of boys and girls. They seem to pursue their learning journey very differently.
Some students show the fear of failure and therefore do not even try to complete tasks on their own. They mask their fear by saying that they do not need strong mathematical knowledge as they will not go to university for the tertiary education. These students have the capability to learn but lack self-confidence and academic guidance to thrive. They struggle to apply the knowledge in new learning situations. Student-teacher believes that these students will do well if they are taught to ‘learn how to learn’ by embracing effective study skills.
Few students are keen to learn but are carried away by distractions caused by the influences of their peers. Some students are ‘attention seekers’, who constantly seek attention from the teacher or peers and wants to be in the ‘lime light’. Student-teacher believes that these students will develop strong leadership qualities if the opportunities are given. Few students always look dull and upset. They say that they are not happy with their life. This is indeed affecting their personal and academic growth and prosperity. They need guidance to develop gratitude, appreciate their life and be happy. One student always talks negative who has nothing positive to say. Most of the students respond well to humour and praise, and wants to be liked by their peers and teachers.
Few girls in the class are below average in studies. Few boys are struggling to master basic literacy skills. Some boys constantly exhibit destructive behaviour in the process of trying to be masculine. Some students claimed that they have no special interests. They look lost and do not respond to questions posed at class.