As a teacher facilitating learning in a (face-to-face or online) classroom full of students, it is important to recognize that each learner is unique.  Each learner comes to the classroom with unique talents, strengths, experiences, beliefs and values, and expectations.  The bottom line is that each person learns in a unique way.  How do you, as the teacher, differentiate your classroom to accommodate the unique learning needs of each student?  One way to tackle this task is to recognize the various learning styles that students have.  Learning styles have been identified in an attempt to describe the different ways that individuals learn new concepts and skills.  Although there are many different models that have been developed, there are essentially four main learning styles: visual, aural, reading/writing, and kinesthetic.  Every learner has some unique combination of the learning styles. For many individuals, a dominant learning style tends to emerge.

For the visual learner, new information is best acquired through the use of visuals.  Images, maps, graphic organizers, and so on serve as great tools for conveying information.  The aural learner best understands new information through auditory means such as lectures and discussions.  Listening and speaking serve as the vehicles for processing ideas and transferring knowledge into long-term memory.  The learner who shows a strong preference for reading/writing learns best through the use of words.  Taking notes and writing essays are just a couple of examples of ways that these students process information.  A kinesthetic learner develops his or her understanding of a concept or skill through tactile representations.  Kinesthetic learners tend to be hands-on learners.

With all of these different approaches to learning, it can be overwhelming for a teacher to figure out how best to present information that will resonate with every student.  The best thing that you can do is to look for different instructional techniques and ideas to incorporate into your lesson plans and classroom routines.  Start small and look for a few ways to shake up your normal classroom routine.  Look for opportunities to rotate different strategies into instruction.  Over time, your repertoire of strategies will grow and differentiation will become second nature. 

To get you started, here are some ideas for how you, as an instructor, can incorporate techniques to differentiate instruction and to accommodate the various learning styles of your students.

For the visual learners…

1. Incorporate images, charts, graphs, and diagrams into presentations and lectures.
   
2. Provide graphic organizers to accompany readings and lectures.
   
3. Use color and color-coding when presenting information on the whiteboard or in a PowerPoint.
   
4. Find relevant videos and other visual media to include as resources to review and study.
   
5. Encourage the creation of mind maps to organize information. 
   

For the aural learners…

1. Record lectures and provide access to the recordings so they can revisit and re-listen to the presentations.
   
2. Build discussions into the classroom routine.
   
3. Encourage important information to be reread or recited out loud.
   
4. Ask questions that require oral responses.
   
5. Ask them to explain their thinking or the processes used to solve problems.
   
6. Encourage the development of mnemonic devices for remembering information.
   
7. Incorporate music, sounds, and rhythms into learning activities.
   

For the learners who prefer reading/writing…

1. Encourage note-taking during lectures and presentations.
   
2. Provide copies of notes that they can mark-up and annotate.
   
3. Ask them to keep a learning journal.
   
4. Provide relevant written resources (e.g., books, essays, primary-source texts, etc.) to review and study.
   
5. Utilize open-ended assessments that involve writing to convey understanding.
   

For the kinesthetic learners…

1. Incorporate movement into a lesson.
   
2. Use hands-on learning opportunities where they are able to physically model concepts and create artifacts.
   
3. Use manipulatives to support learning.
   
4. Plan lab activities.
   
5. Provide physical artifacts (e.g., pictures, materials, souvenirs, models, etc.) that they can hold and touch.
   
6. Use role-playing activities to learn new concepts.
   
7. Encourage them to create flashcards for use as study aides.
   

What do you think of these ideas?  Can you think of more strategies to add to the list? 

In the end, looking for ways to accommodate the various learning styles of the students will help benefit all students.  Even though an individual might gravitate toward a particular learning style, exposure to teaching strategies that accommodate other learning styles can help the student build strengths and improve weaknesses.  Differentiating instruction to ensure that all students benefit from the learning activities is an important goal to strive toward.  Recognizing the unique learning needs of students will help engage them in the learning process, will provide insights into how to vary instruction, and will help to keep learning and teaching fresh and innovative.