Monthly Archives: February 2011

What is the difference between the interpersonal learning style and the intrapersonal learning style?

interpersonal and intrapersonal learning styles

People with an intrapersonal learning styleoften enjoy working by themselves because they trust themselves due to the fact that they know themselves so well. They are often intrinsically motivated and hard workers. Where as people with an interpersonal learning style enjoy working with others in partners and groups. They are encouraged by others.

Deciding which of these learning styles you  or a student is can be confusing because they can overlap, as with any other intelligence. Just because you have an intrapersonal learning style doesn’t mean you don’t also have an interpersonal learning style to tack onto it. If you have both, you will feel comfortable in both settings but may prefer one over the other. I think of myself as having an intrapersonal learning style but I do work well with others when I need to. I prefer to work alone but do fine when working with others. I created a free multiple intelligence test, located at the link below, in order to help people find out which multiple intelligence they have and thus learning style.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico/Category/Activity-Templates-and-Rubrics offers many activities based on the interpersonal learning style and the intrapersonal learning style

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

Why should you teach students to use an outline for expository writing?

Expository Writing Outline

Outlines are extremely helpful to students to organize their thoughts and ideas for expository writing. Students with a logical learning style will appreciate the use of an outline because it is systematic, which is something that they value. Students with a spatial learning style will also appreciate the use of an expository writing outline because they will be able to see their content in the expository writing in a different way. This can also help students diagnosed with ADHD because the outline will prompt them and refocus their efforts much more quickly. Students with learning disabilities may get overwhelmed by the task of writing an expository essay or a DBQ essay. An expository writing outline can be separated into paragraph sections, making writing a much more reasonable task.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Leveled-Expository-Writing-System-867302 includes an expository writing outline in its leveled writing system

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

What are learning styles?

Learning Styles

Learning styles are based on the Multiple Intelligence Theory by Dr. Howard Gardner. Learning styles are the way a student learns based on their type of intelligence. It is their preferred way to receive information. Students respond differently to the way information is presented. When teaching a mini-lesson several learning styles should be used to help keep the attention and interest of more students in the class. The following go together:

  • Kinesthetic Intelligence – Physical learning style
  • Intrapersonal Intelligence – Solitary learning style
  • Interpersonal Intelligence – Social learning style
  • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence – Logical learning style
  • Linguistic Intelligence – Verbal learning style
  • Musical Intelligence – Aural learning style
  • Spatial Intelligence-Visual learning style

I created a multiple intelligence test that can help people find out their learning style. This is located at http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico for free. Finding out which types of learning styles students have can be useful to teachers who are planning a lesson. They are extremely helpful when differentiating instruction. I often go through and try to include as many of the learning styles in my mini-lessons and activity options for work sessions as I can. Learning styles keep my lessons interesting and meaningful to my students.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico/Category/Activity-Templates-and-Rubrics offers many activities that are based on different learning styles.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

Here is a different take on learning styles…

Dr. Richard Felder for Learning Styles

I thought this was an interesting take on learning styles. It groups the multiple intelligences together differently to create different learning styles. Here’s the link.

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico/Category/Activity-Templates-and-Rubrics offers many activities based on learning styles

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

What is an example of an intrapersonal learning activity?

Intrapersonal Learning Style

When I was teaching American History, I had a seventh grade girl who loved to help others and be involved in as many different conflicts as possible in her social group. I know what your thinking, ‘a 7th grade girl? You’re kidding!’. Ah sarcasm. Anyhow, I knew enough about people with an intrapersonal learning style to know that they are often the mediators, the conflict resolvers, the social workers and psychologists of their friends and eventually sometimes society as a whole. This is possible because those with an intrapersonal learning style know themselves so well they can usually find someway to relate to others.

This little girl was not interested in my subject whatsoever. So I thought I should try to intrigue her using her intrapersonal learning style. The content was the social structure of the South before the Civil War. I created an activity that was a set of problems that a person in each social class may have encountered. She had to come up with solutions to how each of them could solve their problems. She loved the activity and was really flattered that I had created it around her intrapersonal learning style.

I was able to present the content she needed through the use of intrapersonal teaching methods throughout the rest of the year. When teachers can differentiate instruction by using the intrapersonal learning style, in my experience, students will be more interested in the subject.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico/Category/Activity-Templates-and-Rubrics offers many intrapersonal learning activities. 

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

What kind of intrapersonal learning activities can be used for closings?

Intrapersonal Learning Activities

There are many intrapersonal learning activities to choose from when creating a closing assignment for students to complete for review of daily content. Due to the fact that intrapersonal learners are great at self reflection, a daily diary entry or journal entry about what they have learned can really help them review content and they will enjoy the process. You can have them go further and write about how they felt and what they think about the content. This intrapersonal learning activity can help intrapersonal learners connect content to themselves and background knowledge.  This is very important since intrapersonal learners know themselves so well.

If writing an intrapersonal learning activity journal entry or even a paragraph for a historical figure, you could ask them to imagine what kind of advice they would be given if they sat down and had lunch with them. You could ask them what characteristics they see in the historical figure that they also see in themselves or which ones they wish they had or didn’t wish they had.

Another closing intrapersonal learning activitythat is available is filling in a thinking map or a graphic organizer. These are easily completed quickly and will fit into the closing of a lesson time frame of 3-5 minutes. They can also be connected to the intrapersonal learner by simply adding a box to the graphic organizer, or thinking map, or a question at the bottom.

Intrapersonal learning activities can be used to differentiate instruction also. You can add an intrapersonal learning activity as an option for a work session or you can include an option like self reading to gain the content information during the mini-lesson. Intrapersonal learning activitiesare easily implemented in today’s classroom.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico/Category/Activity-Templates-and-Rubrics offers many intrapersonal learning activities.

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico

 

How do kinesthetic teaching methods help to improve classroom behavior?

Kinesthetic Teaching Method

In my almost ten years of experience as a middle school teacher, I have found that one of the most effective preventative measures for decreasing discipline problems is increasing the use of kinesthetic teaching methods. I noticed that if I delivered small bites of content and then allowed for a thirty second movement or fast hands on example, which is a kinesthetic teaching method, it allowed the students to get out energy in a constructive manner and refocus. Due to the movement being part of instruction, they don’t get in trouble for moving around in their seat, getting up on their own or interrupting content delivery nearly as often. Kinesthetic teaching methods can really help with decreasing the need to refocus students with ADHD. Using kinesthetic teaching methods can help your class run smoothly.

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico/Category/Activity-Templates-and-Rubrics offers many activities which use kinesthetic teaching methods

Written by,

Kasha Mastrodomenico

http://www.socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

kasha@socialstudiesdifferentiatedinstruction.com

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Kasha-Mastrodomenico