Barbara Islas

There are many different learning styles. From research, I have found that no student has only one learning style. Most have several learning styles that they prefer. When creating lesson plans, I will be integrating ideas to meet the needs and preferences of each type of learning style. 

I do like the 60-second question to learn their preferred learning style.

I will begin our first class by asking the question about the apple or hobby. In this manner, it will be easier to determine the learning styles of my students. I think this method can also work when teaching an Intranet course.

Love the stories. I try to bring in personal stories so that they can visualize the situation. I also think the rap and the acronyms help, as well. I teach Maternal Health. The acronym that all students remember about how to treat preterm labor is "It's not my time". Indomethacin, Nifedipine, Magnesium Sulfate, and Terbutaline.

I think I might integrate the idea of creating your own video about a concept or disease process. I already use mind maps, but could use them more often.

In reflecting on the various learning styles, I can visualize the students in my classroom who display these learning styles. The suggestions provided are very helpful in providing various activities and mentoring tips for each student. I am thinking of my students who are loners. These students will not make appointments with me. Most often, these are the students who sit at the back of the room. They don't talk. They don't like to be called on. One student said that it takes her a while to come up with an answer because she is analyzing the various types of… >>>

It is important to establish the learner's "buy in" to help the learners engage in the learning process. Methods for increasing engagement include: making the information relevant to them, providing background information that piques their interest, and provide activities that meet their own goals. The activities should be personally relevant, culturally relevant, socially relevant, age appropriate, and appropriate for diverse backgrounds and cultural groups. 

When the instructor allows learners to express their knowledge in various methods, this becomes more engaging and relevant to the learner.  

The "action/expression" principle is the "how" of learning. This addresses the manner in which the learner expresses what they know. The learner should be allowed to use multiple modalities for communicating their understanding of the concepts. Some of my students prefer to express this using a template that helps guide them through the components of the main concept. Others may prefer to give a presentation. 

We use templates when students are needing to describe a disease or disorder. This helps them identify the problems that go along with the disorder and set goals for how to solve the problems. The… >>>

Comment on Dara Rodemack's post: I agree. I was thinking the same thing. I am an auditory and visual learner. I have to read the text out loud to help me comprehend the information. Images that highlight the main concepts will also help me to comprehend the information. I can understand by reading, however, it is not my main learning style.

UDL provides various methods for disseminating instruction and evaluating the knowledge and skills of the learner in a manner that allows all learners to be successful.

This can be a challenge for the instructor. The instructor needs to continually improve on the methods to assure the learning experiences are challenging and encourages high-order thinking. 

By utilizing the principles of UDL, the instructor can better meet the goals of the concepts and skills that need to be mastered. 

Some things to consider when designing the learning environment include: how do the students learn best, what type of learner are they (visual,… >>>

When evaluating the assessment type used, it is important to check the validity and reliability of the assessment. Validity will evaluate the results for how clear and logically sound the results are. Reliability evaluates the accuracy and dependability of the results. 

When planning the course activities, the instructor will need to begin with a list of outcomes (the end result of the course). Once outcomes have been written, decide on the assessment methods to be used. These assessment methods can be formative and summative. The formative assessments will occur more frequently and can be alternative and traditional in nature. As… >>>

When developing an authentic assessment consider the task and allow the students to be creative while developing it. Authentic assessments will allow the instructor to refine their instruction based on the outcome of the assessment. Break down the assessment into specific steps to be evaluated. Get input from the students. 

There are several types of authentic assessments. Embedded assessments can collect information about the students' learning to determine how to proceed with the next lesson. There may be times when information may need to be reinforced based on the information gained. 

Portfolios, case studies and problem-based learning are examples of… >>>