Various Teaching Styles for Effective Learning

Perception of Teachers Towards Gifted and Talented Students

Commonly, every university has different types of students who possess different abilities and potentials. The learning quality or period in which any student grasps the matter is also totally different. The unique and different pattern of learning facilitates the teachers to adopt different types of learning styles, which enable them to cope with gifted and talented people in a well-organized manner (D'Agustino, 2012). Gifted persons are those who have good command of drama or theoretical knowledge, and talented people can be considered those people who are good in practical aspects like artistic talent or any sports talent. Learning styles refer to the ability of people to understand the concepts or polish their talent. Teachers must identify the best suitable learning technique as per the learning capability of any individual (Hymer and Michel, 2013). The learning style must be able to produce better results for the students. Teachers have various perceptions regarding the selection of appropriate learning styles or strategies for the overall development of students. Various types of learning styles are:

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Kolb: It is very much essential for individuals to gain different sorts of learning and knowledge to boost their competency and also to attain more fruitful rewards and benefits. David Kolb developed a learning model that essentially supports gaining a more effective learning style for both gifted and talented pupils. They developed experimental learning theory, which essentially supports talented and gifted students who possess competency in different sports, artistic performance, leadership, English literature, technology, drama, and other related activities (Gross, 2004). Learning styles inventory supports in gaining effective learning practices by the individuals. Under experimental learning theory, there are four learning styles, and it is perceived by teachers, according to Ron Casey (2000), that by entailing this practice, more effective learning for these sorts of students can be gained as it involves both practical as well as mental concern from learners (Casey and Koshy, 2000).

Bloom's Taxonomy: This is a model that describes the objective of learning that teachers utilize to offer sound learning to their students. This model is certainly bifurcated into three basic domains, namely cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. According to Montgomery (2013), learning by gifted and talented students can be attained by considering different learning objectives. Teacher perception acts as a basis on which different learning practices are entailed by them that act as a medium for their learning (Montgomery, 2013). Montgomery stated that there are 6 sets of competencies in this regard that are demonstrated below:

Knowledge: This is the practice in which recalling facts, concepts, and answers is taken into account by teachers to offer learning to different sets of students of gifted and talented nature. Under this, observation of information, knowledge of different major thoughts, subject matter, information regarding dates and events, etc. are taken into account from which better learning can be entailed by the teacher to their students of gifted nature, especially in case of literature, drama, technology, etc.

Comprehension: Under this, teachers incorporated the practice of learning such as understanding and amending by restating in their words so that better interpretation can be gained by students (Montgomery, 2006). Teacher possesses a view that with this practice, better learning, of course, can be attained (Peter, Bacon and Dastbaz, 2010). However, it is appropriate for students who are learning more in theoretical form but it is not wholly applicable in case of practical learning such as singing, drama, etc.

Application: Montgomery stated that by using or applying a certain set of knowledge and putting it into the real world by students, a better and more practical form of learning can be gained. It is very appropriate, and it offers effective learning to gifted and talented students (Montgomery, 2002). This essentially boosts their learning and also allows them to gain new insight regarding the field of their interest.

Analysis: Teachers often interpret with the help of different elements and also entail more conceptualization so that better understanding can be offered to students. This essentially supports attaining knowledge in the case of an experiment, measuring, testing, quantifying, etc. to the students by the teachers (Milgram, Dunn, and Price, 2009). However, it is not appropriate in every case, such as when an analysis form of learning cannot be applied in the field of dancing, leadership, artistic performance, etc.

Synthesis: Under this, teachers possess a perception that by developing new and unique models or structures for extraordinary students, better learning can be obtained, and it essentially helps in attaining more creativity by dents in their field (Mueller and Sanman 1999). This can be stated in this regard: synthesis essentially helps in gaining more innovation by talented pupils and also supports in integrating different activities of their interests.

Evaluation: At this stage, judgment is developed by pupils regarding ideas and thoughts. This helps in reviewing and justifying the ideas and essentially aids a high amount of learning among students (Silverman, 2002). 

VARK model: One of the major and most popular learning styles is the VARK model. It has been propounded by Neil Flemings to understand the behavior of people in different learning environments. Here VARK stands for visual, aural, reading, and kinesthetic. Visual learners are those kinds of people who understand the concept when they see anything and try to recapitulate all the learning. Charts, diagrams, illustrations, handouts, and most importantly, videos are the most effective techniques for such learners. Teachers have to provide this kind of learning to those students who are comfortable gaining knowledge through visuals. Aural learning is related to the hearing learning of the students (Montgomery, 2000). Most of the students can learn things only through learning, and there is no need for extra effort. Teachers provide lectures and seminars to increase their intellect and make them more capable of completing the task. Further reading is another aspect that helps in gaining conceptual knowledge. Most teachers have the perception that they must teach the students through reading materials or textbooks so that they can learn the concepts more deeply and comprehensibly (Koshy and Murray, 2011).

Finally, kinesthetic learners are those who need practical knowledge, and they require some sort of regular practice. Sportspeople or music learners are the best examples of this kind of learning style. It is more suitable in the condition of providing the learning for hands-on experience. The broad explanation of teacher perception is that sometimes it is also possible that a student is capable of learning things in two patterns; he may mix the learning styles as per his convenience. According to Richard Bailey (2002), physical education can be learned through kinesthetic learning, where sportspeople or athletes practice various tactics and try to learn new things (Bailey and Macfadyen, 2002). Here the expediency of visual learning can also be proved as it can help the sports to learn things. They come to know about body balance, hand-eye coordination, and various nitty-gritty concepts. Educators or instructors have given importance to these principles and have adopted such a learning style in their teaching methods.

Honey and Mumford model: This model or learning style also gave firmness to the teacher's perception while selecting the accurate learning method for the students. This model has been given by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford and could be considered the most advanced model for adopting a suitable teaching method.  They have identified four different stages of learning, i.e., activist, theorist, pragmatic, and reflector. According to this theory, activists are those who learn things by doing and practicing them regularly.  They play puzzles and brainstorm to sharpen their mind. Further theorists are those kinds of people who believe in theories and models (Coulson-Thomas, 2000). They need some sort of evidence or proof that will help them understand the given situations or concepts.  Logic and systematic facts and figures are the most helpful tools for such learners. Teachers have the perception that if they apply some sort of theory, then only they can teach students well. Further, they define the pragmatist persons as those people who apply the theories, and then only they can learn the things (Gilman, 2008). Experimental learning is the best example of such learning. Teachers always try to identify such personality traits among talented and gifted people to execute an appropriate learning style.

The last type of learner is a reflector, who learns things by his learning. They generally believed in self-assessment and preferred to observe their strengths and weaknesses. At this stage of learning, teachers can't interfere much as it is completely dependent on the mindset of individuals. They choose their learning style by comparing them with the other person. Gifted and talented people have to be treated cautiously. It is essential for teachers to make maximum use of their capabilities and to nourish their skills and talents. Thus, these are some very popular and common learning styles that have a great impact on the mindset of teachers and influence their perception level on a very large scale (Hurn, 2011). The contribution of these learning styles is very immense to improve the teaching style and methods. According to David Mousley (2005), the thought process of an individual also helps him in adopting a reliable and feasible learning process. Further, he has stated that every individual must adopt a reflective learning attitude; it will help him attain more knowledge (Moseley, 2005).

SWOT Analysis

To gain better insight into the learning strategies that are being offered to gifted and talented students, identification of their strengths and weaknesses is very much required. Further opportunities and threats essentially aid in gaining more desirable learning. Rita Dunn (2000), in this regard, offered the following discussions:

Strength: Strengths that are highly utilized by gifted and talented students are as follows:

• These sorts of students possess a high level of passion for the subjects and fields of their interest and implement their thinking and experiences in them; which certainly boosts their learning without entailing more effort from the teachers (Dunn and Griggs, 2000). Moreover, teachers also perceive that students are able to gain learning with different other means, which supports high intellectuality.
• They are also able to analyze and evaluate their own behavior, which essentially supports gaining more learning strategies that boost their knowledge in a much more effective manner. This attribute is not present in normal students, and hence gifted and talented students are able to perform their jobs in a much different and innovative manner (Bailey and Macfadyen, 2002).
• These pupils are able to make effective connections between past learning and present activities. This essentially aids in developing new ways of doing certain sorts of activities, such as drama, technology, leadership, signing, artistic performance, etc. This strength assists them in making their own identity in the bunch of students and makes them feel proud and famous (Freeman, 2013).
• They possess an intellectual curiosity that supports them in gaining new sets of knowledge and information without getting more help from teachers or seniors. This strength helps them perform better and also aids in developing their mental stability.
• Their tendency to ask questions and queries boosts their knowledge as well as enhances their intellectual capacity to think about certain topics or subject matter. This supports them in engaging deeply with the subject material (Fatt, 2000).
• They also possess the characteristics of enthusiasm that act as a strength for them, as they can put extra effort into the area of their interest, which certainly helps them in gaining new insight into the subjects.

References

Books and Journals

• Bailey, R. and Macfadyen, T., 2002. Teaching Physical Education 11-18: Perspectives and Challenges. Continuum.
• Burkill, B. and Eaton, R., 2010. Developing Teaching and Learning: The Textbook for the Cambridge International Certificate for Teachers and Trainers. Cambridge University Press.
• Casey, R. and Koshy, V., 2000. Special Abilities Scales: Observational Assessment for Identifying Able and High-potential Pupils: Teacher's Handbook. Hodder & Stoughton.
• Coulson-Thomas, C., 2000. Developing a corporate learning strategy. Industrial and Commercial Training. 32(3). pp. 84-88.
• D'Agustino, S., 2012. Toward a course conversion model for distance learning: a review of best practices. Journal of International Education in Business. 5(2). pp. 145-162.
• Dunn, R. and Griggs, S., 2000. Practical Approaches to Using Learning Styles in Higher Education. Greenwood Publishing Group

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