Once again, I am impressed with Gavin McCormack’s email he sent me about the 4 types of learners in every classroom as follows:
1. The Isolated Learner
They love to be left alone to get on with the task at hand. They need clear instructions and expectations with all the resources and options at hand and then let them go. You won’t hear from them for hours. I certainly have had these students in my classrooms. They will often complain if we expect them to work in a group.
2. The Parallel Learner
These children need a partner, a friend. Someone to work with, to bounce ideas off, to teach and learn from them. Provide them with open ended tasks and let them work their magic. They want to work at the same pace, on the same project as their partner.
3. The Collaborative Learner
These children need a team but they like to be lead. They need to feel that they are a cog in the big engine we call ‘work’. They learn from others, they like to be guided and feel the safety of their peers when encountered with possible failure.
4. The Cooperative Learner
These children are your future leaders. They need open-ended non-descriptive tasks that enable them to think outside the box. They want to gather their thoughts, their team and experiment. This is definitely my favorite style of learning.