Identifying students’ learning styles

Staring at a screen full of faces can tell a thousand tales!

This is definitely apparent for an online school for kids. Picture the scene – the classwork has been set; the worksheet has been successfully downloaded; each student has confirmed that they understand the task (thumbs up and thrust forward towards the camera); the timer has been digitally displayed on screen and shared – visible for all to see. Now, all that is left, is for the class teacher to assess learning through their Assessment for Learning (AFL) techniques. They scan the screen and lo and behold, a confused face is seen. From here, it is easy for the teacher to identify which student to focus their support on. Additionally, scanning one screen enables them to see the whole class at once and thus adjust the lesson if required – whether to hold a mini-plenary for the whole class or create a breakout room consisting of a few of the individuals who looked bemused.

This eliminates any form of shyness, embarrassment, or uneasiness that the learner may feel or possess because the class teacher has many options to communicate with them – directly messaging the student to ask how things are going allows for a private and honest response from them and a more compelling way for them to confide in their class teacher. Alternatively, creating a breakout room to then ask the student verbally about their understanding will provide further in-depth analysis of their learning style as well as to receive tailored teaching.

Delivering the curriculum through a British online school has the wonderful advantage of facilitating for different learning styles. The student has the option of screen-share, whereby live updates of their work can be seen. The teacher can intervene, provide scaffolding and probe by way of targeted questioning – resulting in precision delivery of the British curriculum.