Staymon Johnson

Mrs. Lawson

EDUC 114

22 April 2017

Methods Used to Meet The Various Learning Needs of Students

During my Spring semester, I had the privilege of observing with Mr. Andrew Smith at

Patrick Henry High School. From 1:00 to 3:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I sat in and

observed an Honors Algebra 2 class, as well as a Geometry class, until my 20 hours was

completed. The Honors Algebra 2 class consisted of mostly sophomores, while the Geometry

class consisted of mostly freshman. Throughout both classes, Mr. Smith had a way to connect

with the students, and keep them involved in the material being learned. The students loved Mr.

Smith due to his humor that he used throughout the class periods. The students would always

joke around with Mr. Smith, and vice versa. However, the classes consisted of a diverse group of

students, each who learned a different way. The Honors Algebra 2 class consisted of a higher

level of students who learned the material quickly, although some learned in different ways than

others. The Geometry class consisted of students who needed a little extra help to understand the

material completely. Not all of these students understood the material with ease, and Mr. Smith

would have to slow down his teaching, until the students were able to grasp what was being

taught. For that reason, Mr. Smith used differentiation to meet the various learning needs of the

students in both of his classes.

One of the main types of methods that he used was lectures and demonstrations in front

of the classes on the board. Mr. Smith would instruct the lessons on the board, and follow by

doing problems in a step-by-step manner. Mr. Smith would also explain what he was doing each
step, while he performed the example problem on the board. If one student did not understand,

he or she would ask a question. Mr. Smith would then concentrate solely on what the student was

needing to understand better. For both of his classes, this was an effective method especially for

the audio and visual types of learners. For the audio learners, they were able to hear Mr. Smith

explain the lessons and what to do, as well as remember the sayings that he used. Mr. Smith

often used acronyms, and other sayings for the students to remember certain material. One of

these sayings included SOH CAH TOA. Mr. Smith used this with the introduction to

trigonometry in his Geometry class. This was a big asset for those students who learned best by

hearing the material. As for the visual learners, those students were able to see the step-by-step

examples that Mr. Smith was demonstrating on the board. The visual learners benefited from

watching Mr. Smith do multiple example problems. When it came their turn to do an assignment,

the visual learners were able to remember what they saw Mr. Smith do, and complete the

problems. Many students in the Honors Algebra 2 class fell under these types of learners.

When it comes to the kinesthetic learners, Mr. Smith had to use a different style of

teaching. Many times, throughout class, Mr. Smith had the students participate in class, come up

to one of the boards on the wall (there was a white board on two sides of his room), and

complete a practice problem. This is one way that the students could work the problem out by

themselves, see where they went wrong, and then have fellow classmates help them correct the

original mistake. If needed, Mr. Smith would walk over to a student struggling, and help them

back on the right track. These kinesthetic learners contributed most by working problems out by

themselves, noticing where they went wrong, and getting help in that certain area. Many students

were determined to work out a problem, even if they were struggling with it, until they got the

problem right. Also, while students were working on problems individually at their seats, Mr.
Smith would walk around and answer questions to those students who were struggling. This

benefited many students because they could ask questions they may not have wanted to ask in

front of the entire class.

Overall, Mr. Smith used a wide variety of teaching methods to meet the various learning

needs of the students in both classes. Mr. Smith did not single out any specific students, but

instead, he used each teaching method a little in each lesson that he taught. That way, every

student had to opportunity to learn the material in a numerous amount of ways. Due to the fact

that Mr. Smith used differentiation in his teaching methods, I believe that he gave his diverse

group of students the best possibility to learn the material at hand.