Apple Education Reseller In Victoria: How Can Computers Help In Education
There are hundreds of thousands of students in Victoria, Australia, and each of those students has his or her style of learning. As you prepare lessons for the week, you know that what works for one student may not work for another and that can be a challenge.
Although there are many variations on each learning style, here are the basic four:
- Visual Learner – a student who learns best by seeing pictures and images of what is being taught.
- Auditory Learner – the student who needs to hear a lesson to understand it.
- Hands-On Learner – that kid who learns by “doing,” using his sense of touch to capture an idea.
- Logical Learner – the child who needs to understand the logic and reasoning behind a concept to buy into it. These learners tend to be attracted to subjects like math and science – subjects that allow them to discover logical, definitive answers to seemingly abstract questions.
As anyone who has stood in front of a classroom of students with different learning types can attest, writing lesson plans for that many different styles can be tough. At Invotec, we’re accustomed to working with teachers and administrators, the people on the front lines of education in Australia. We are an Apple, Chromebook, and Asus supplier for schools in Victoria and as such, enjoy sharing some of the latest, most innovative ways computers can help your students get the most out of their education.
First Things First
To begin, you’ll need a good idea of each student’s learning style. Older students can help out by answering an online questionnaire like this or this. With younger students, you will need to determine their learning style based upon observation and what their parents can tell you. To keep your lesson plans clear, associate a particular colour with a method of learning. For example, hands-on learners may be green, while visual learners are assigned the color blue. Give each student a dot (cut out of paper or a sticker they can place on their desk) made of the colour associated with their style. In the event, you find that a student has more than one learning style, put that child in the group that matches his dominant style of learning. If all of this sounds complicated, it’s not (we promise). The process looks like this:
- You determine each student’s learning style based upon a self-administered test or through observation.
- You assign a color to each learning style.
- You give each student a visual reminder of their learning style color.
- When you post assignments you break it down by color.
Teaching to Style
Say it’s January and you’re teaching your students about Australia Day, they each have a laptop at their desk and are ready to go. Your assignment may be written something like this:
- GREEN GROUP: (hands-on learners): Working with a partner, read about Australia Day, then use art supplies to create a drawing of what those early days were like. Or, if you would instead, write and perform a play about the early settlers. Share with the class.
- BLUE GROUP: (visual learners): Working alone or with a partner, find a video or picture that represents what Australia Day means. Create a chart showing the important events that took place in the first 50 years of colonization. Share with the class.
- RED GROUP: (auditory learners): Working with a partner or small group, take turns reading to one another about the significance of Australia Day. Using a tape recorder, create a “podcast” regarding the holiday to share with the class. The podcast must be based upon a script written by your group.
- YELLOW GROUP: (logical learners): Working alone or with a partner, come up with a list of 10 reasons Great Britain saw the settlement as necessary. Write a short paper imagining what history might have looked like if the decision to colonize had not been made at that time. Share with the class.
Yes, writing four variations of the same lesson might feel overwhelming at first, but you are likely to discover two things:
- Students are far more engaged when they are learning in a way that suits them.
- The entire class benefits from experiencing a lesson in four different ways. It will difficult for a student to forget a lesson after he has read about it, listened to someone else discuss it, watched it played out, and explored its deeper meaning.
More Time to Focus on Teaching
You’re the expert in the classroom and we’re the experts who can help you discover the kind of technology sure to enhance your lesson plans. In addition to the perfect computers, we can help you determine which programs work best for the subjects and age groups you teach. We can give you tips for getting your technology up and running in no time. We can help bring your class firmly into the 21st century while you focus on what you do best — coming up with grand lesson plans.
Contact Your Apple Education Reseller In Victoria
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at Invotec.
