Introduction
The interviewee (hereafter referred to as Ms. Smith, which is a fictional name) is a college teacher who has been working in the educational sphere for approximately 12 years. She teaches social sciences and has a Doctorate degree, as well as multiple awards from her place of work. Ms. Smith has been chosen as an interviewee as she has extensive experience in working with college students, and she has been involved in eLearning activities for the past five years.
Transcript
Why do you believe paying attention to different learning styles is necessary?
Well, I believe the educator is to identify and meet students’ needs, which is one of the pillars of teaching. So, students’ learning styles are actually a kind of these needs that must be taken into consideration… Depending on their learning styles, students grasp information and process it. In fact, the whole learning process … depends on the learning style… I am almost a 100-percent visual learner, which means that I need to see things I need to learn or even understand. I understood my learning needs when I was a schoolgirl, so I used my potential to the fullest. I want my students to be as successful as I was … or am because I am still learning, you know.
What is the proportion of kinesthetic learners in your classes?
I can’t say this group is that numerous, but quite a lot of my students are kinesthetic learners. I guess… a quarter of my students have had this learning style. Of course, the vast majority of people combine these styles, while some preferences may prevail. So, yes … about 25% of my students can be categorized as kinesthetic learners.
What are the most prominent features of kinesthetic learners?
Well, I won’t retell what has been written in the books… I’ll share my own observations that are rather consistent with what has been found thus far. Kinesthetic learners need movement, and they always try to employ their tactile senses. They are like preschoolers who need to grab things, you know… What else? They often learn by doing, oh, and they love fieldwork. Social sciences are quite specific fields of knowledge, enabling students to actually try things and apply their knowledge and skills.
What are the peculiarities of eLearning in regard to kinesthetic learners?
You know I must start by drawing a line between eLearning and my (and students’) experiences during the lockdowns. The period of strict restrictions was quite hard for everyone, irrespective of their learning styles, but I think my kinesthetic learners had the most difficulties. They could not engage in the fieldwork, which was quite a serious challenge for them and me. At that, conventional eLearning, so to speak, with no harsh limitations, provides various opportunities to kinesthetic learners. They can visit diverse sites and be involved in the development of numerous projects. They try things, learn by doing, and even simply move, with no huge difference between class environment and online learning. At that, I still prefer classroom discussions and projects as we all interact and where students can be easily reached when it is most needed.
What are the teaching techniques you use to facilitate kinesthetic students’ learning in the classroom environment?
In fact, we move quite a lot, and this is the most effective method to help my kinesthetic learners. When we discuss international relationships or military conflicts, my students become certain countries or armies and move around to illustrate the events of the corresponding period. All students love it because it is always fun, but they also grasp all the essential details more effectively. Apart from role-playing, we join pieces to create stories. I mean, students have some parts of texts, and they need to put all the extracts in the correct order. Well, we often have debates or some discussions where students have to stand up or move around the classroom, which is also quite interesting and instrumental in making students learn things, memorize, and analyze…
What are the teaching techniques you use to facilitate kinesthetic students’ learning in the eLearning setting?
Of course, these two types of educational environments are rather different, but I can use many techniques in both settings. For example, placing parts of texts in the correct order can be easily used in eLearning. I also try to make students move around during our online discussions. I encourage them to use the objects around them and move them around to illustrate some events. My students are really creative in such activities, and we still have a lot of fun. They use toys, but their relatives, pets, and furniture sometimes participate in our discussions. We also use some simulations that are also really effective with kinesthetic learners, as well as other students. Luckily, lots of brilliant simulations and other programs are available for modern students. My students say they like these activities and learn better, so this feedback is really precious.
What do your students think about the techniques used during classes? How do you assess their attitudes?
As I said, I often ask my students about the activities, and they express their attitudes quite freely. As a rule, such tasks are positively viewed, and students are willing to participate. They are often active and creative when completing such tasks, which is another way to understand their attitudes.
What is the proportion of tasks aimed at kinesthetic learners in your teaching practice and each particular class?
Well, it’s hard to say as I do not do these kinds of calculations each time, of course. I try to make my students move in this or that way during each class. Perhaps, this is about a quarter of the overall time. It matches the proportion of kinesthetic learners. But it’s not my deliberate choice as I try to combine different techniques and styles to achieve the highest results. I’d also stress that the activities that involve movement are not beneficial for kinesthetic learners exclusively. Irrespective of the learning style, all students have an opportunity to try new ways to process information, which leads to academic excellence. Besides, every activity contains elements activating all senses, so visual and auditory learners also benefit from our movement-based activities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to note that this activity was a valuable experience for me as I learned a lot about other educators’ techniques, views, and perspectives. Being an experienced higher education teacher, Ms. Smith provided insights into the way she meets her students’ learning needs. Obviously, an eLearning environment can be a challenge, but educators can still employ effective teaching practices to help kinesthetic learners achieve the highest academic results. Based on this interview, it is clear that some teachers try to modify the techniques they use in the classroom to accommodate the peculiarities of the eLearning setting. The use of advanced technology is also typical for the contemporary online environment.