Mass Customized Learning

Easily the most profound aspect of mass customized learning is the emphasis on actual learning and growth, and the ability to group students based on ability and readiness rather than age allows instructors to create a deep and authentic curriculum. The most common criticism I often hear of MCL is that critics often fear the trend of grouping students by ability rather than age will result in students staying in school longer than they would have otherwise. The best response is often the reverse of this, while some students may spend more time in school others will have earned their diploma much sooner, at the same time those who spend more time in school will certainly be much more prepared earn a better job or go to college than they otherwise would. Personally one of my favorite aspects of MCL is the emphasis on using evidence to prove proficiency, typically these artifacts are collected throughout the unit or semester and give a much more in depth picture of how the student is developing and what they have learned rather than a single test that could be skewed by multiple variables.

Voices

I found that while most of the philosophies seemed reasonable I never could commit myself to a single one. Though even the philosophies that stood out as poorly conceived had at least one or two valid points that could be used to develop a solid teaching philosophy. Which is what I mostly found myself doing, disagreeing with quite a few things and cherry picking from them a brief piece or two that I agreed with. While Confucius and a passage about Native American philosophy were included in the Voices article I was a little surprised by just how Eurocentric the entire piece was. The Native American piece stuck me as more than a little strange where they reduced numerous cultural groups and peoples who lived vastly different lives into a single blanket teaching philosophy seemed more than a little but sloppy.

Teach

Teach constantly had me simultaneously reflecting on myself as a high school student and as an educator. I consistently saw myself in the students and the teachers and the entire film gave way to a considerably introspective process. Most profound were the experiences with the math class that tested the pilot program of 360 degree math and the AP world history course, both of which seemed to be manifestations of my own high school experience.

Math was always something I struggled with in high school, there always seemed to be some disconnect. Usually as we began a new topic things went pretty well, the material seemed fairly straight-forward and I was able to put all the pieces together, though as soon as we moved beyond the opening stages I would always fall behind again. I feel as though the 360 degree math would have been the perfect environment for me to learn effectively. I was always uncomfortable with asking for help, most things came easily to me so I was unfamiliar with reaching out and as a result I fell behind. If my instructors could have seen my process and observed where the material was failing to fall together I am certain I would have been so much more successful at math than I was. I sincerely hope that kind of project is one I can bring to any schools I work at later that may have a struggling math class, as I am certain it will be an indispensable resource.

Joel’s AP World History course was also highly evocative of my own high school experience in an AP world history course, though this class was somewhat different. It was absolutely the most student centered class I had ever taken, and while the AP test was certainly discussed and passing it a goal of the course I never felt as though the class became commandeered by the test. We largely looked at primary sources and analytical texts that would complement whatever reading was assigned. During class our instructor usually did not do much else than ask probing questions and keep us on track. Mostly we all talked with each other about the reading all class, or something that happened in the news. There were only about seven or eight students in the class, and when the day of the AP test arrived only about four of us showed up to the testing room. The same day the senior class all went to Funtown in Saco, so only a few intrepid historians stayed behind to take the test, it was also my birthday. While I was only a little bit bitter about not getting to ride roller-coasters all day on my birthday (I certainly don’t bring it up often, after all what fresh eighteen-year old wouldn't want to take a test for four hours?), I managed to tough it out and only complained about it a little (read as: a lot) to everyone I saw that day. Though in the end I am glad that I made the choice I did since it saved me a few hundred dollars in the end since it was one less class I needed to take.

Bright Futures

Bright futures certainly has all the makings of a forward thinking twenty first century teaching philosophy. The plan seeks to eliminate the traditional teacher centered mode of instruction through a processes the plan calls “Phasing out”, and replaces the old philosophy with a pragmatic model that fosters a positive learning community where student’s direct their own learning. Bright Futures also aims to integrate technology as fully as possible into every aspect of the curriculum, and eliminate the possibility of anything less than a one-to-one computer program at the school.

A large aspect that compounds upon the creation of a positive learning community is the reimagining of co-curricular offerings that schools possess today. Bright Futures hopes to make these activities far more inclusive, and supporting of students by ensuring that coaches and activity leaders are fully versed in adolescent development.

Bright Futures vision is that teachers and parents become more active and reflective of the teaching process, calling teachers to reflect on their own development to help themselves as educators, but to also reflect on the unique and diverse educational needs of their students, and to learn to appreciate these differences in a way that enhances the classroom.

Bright futures is certainly an ambitious program, and has the potential to make some lasting improvements in the public education environment, however the difficulty of implementing such sweeping reforms cannot be understated. Thankfully Bright Futures offers two distinct goals to be implemented immediately to smooth integration. They suggest that organizations supporting the middle level of education form into consortiums which can in turn spearhead these reforms, and to secondly find funds to implement these changes.

Educational Philosophies

Perennialism puts a strong emphasis on the classics and blends them with educational curriculum, and uses these sources to develop a learner who is a skilled reasoned. Perennialism uses the classics to teach a base of core knowledge that it considers vital for a student to succeed in the classroom and beyond.

Existentialism shares quite a few parallels with perennialism, most namely with the emphasis on a core of knowledge that needs to be taught to students. Existentialism is teacher centered and emphasizes mental discipline.

Behaviorism reads quite a bit like a psychology textbook, likely because of its roots in human psychology with Skinner. Behaviorism holds that people are a product of their environments, and to produce people that possess virtues that our cultures consider ideal we as teacher have to model that desired behavior.

Positivism is highly student centered and places a considerable emphasis on inquiry based learning where students experiment and uncover what is true through empirical or factual based evidence.

Progressivists prefer experience, or empirically based evidence to support learning and is very student centered. Progressivism supports programs that support the processes of thinking and reasoning to enhance learning. Flexibility and experimentation a valued virtues of and progressive curriculum.

Humanism asserts the innate goodness of people, but states that institutions corrupt this goodness. Humanist teachers believe in supporting a curriculum that supports individualism in students and a strong empathetic learning community.

Constructivism is closely linked with existentialism in its belief in a core of valuable truths, but differs on the means to reach these truths. In constructivism hands on, project based learning is favored by the instructor who takes a more passive role and helps students to build their own ideas and motivations.

Reconstructivism takes a focused perspective on education and channels into a system that strives for social improvement and reform. They believe that through a dynamic system the human condition can escape oppression and improve itself.

Personally as a philosophical humanist myself I immediately gravitated towards humanism as a teaching philosophy because of my fierce belief that we as humans are good and capable of wonderful things, and that if we work as an empathetic community that we can achieve so much more together and possess a much more rich education than we could otherwise.

Educational Issue: Authentic Curriculum

For me my largest take-away from the authentic curriculum presentation was the concept of making authentic curriculum and the standards align.  Previously my concern with authentic curriculum was that it would be so difficult to make something authentic, unique, and individual fit into the actual standards that it was an exercise of futility, though of course I would have never said authentic curriculum was futile, far from it really. The presentation conveyed the idea that as an instructor you can first make your content and curriculum as authentic and individualized as you need to make you students engaged and have the content sink in. From this point you make the standards fit your curriculum rather than let the standards dictate your instruction. A quality instructor should never let the standards create a contortion act out of their instruction, instead they should strive to make an act out of the standards to make their classroom as authentic as possible.

It seems like such a small change in teaching philosophy, but I tend to think it will result into a profoundly powerful paradigm shift in my teaching philosophy, but even beyond this change there was so much more going on with the presentation that was worth mentioning. Authentic curriculum appears to me as a considerably attractive form of instruction largely because of its emphasis on the pragmatic side of instruction where I as the teacher work mostly to build an excellent learning community and take a role as a facilitator of instruction allowing the class to become much more student centered and led.

Teaching Hope: Empowerment

With part 142 I really enjoyed the travel aspect where the students, confident in their ability in soccer in Miami move on to South Korea where they are met with the whole world for the first time. The students first see the greater context of the world through Soccer, they realize that they are a smaller part of a much larger organism, and this realization shakes their confidence at first. Eventually the student’s take ownership of their abilities and perform considerably well in their tournament, though they come just short of winning. The students all come back from the experience with a profound impact on their lives, and I really connected with the personal growth that came with having their own confidences shaken, but then reaffirmed.

Part 147 sounds essentially like every Hollywood-esque cheese dripping movie detailing the struggle and success of a disadvantaged student in school. First Pablo does poorly in school, he does not connect with his teachers or the material, but eventually he finds his teacher who believes in him and he transforms his life, not to discredit his own transformation which is considerably inspiring. Pablo takes an active role in the school and in class and distances himself from his old gang affiliated friends to the point where he eventually graduates. What made this section so powerful was the story of Frankie, which is sprinkled throughout the section, who provides a completely divergent story than Pablo’s, which serves to illustrate what a profound impact having  an exceptional teacher can have a students.

Four Teaching Philosophies

The idealist perspective of teaching stresses that reality exists within the mind and that reflection on these externalized ideas results in understanding. Idealist instructors consider students to be responsible and capable of directing their own educational trajectories, however teachers with this philosophy prefer the use of lecture, reflection, and discussion to develop understanding.

            Realism inhabits a much more physical plane of philosophy where the physical is considered reality, that which is quantifiable has intrinsic value. Realist instructors prefer the uncover causation, and instruction in practical skills, and their classrooms typically appear to be very teacher centered.

            Pragmatists exist on a very fluid spectrum of teaching philosophy, the central and often reoccurring theme states that ideas, and all other things are dynamic, they are always growing or changing. Pragmatic instructors are highly student centered and thrive in democratic situations where their students can take the reins of the classroom. Pragmatic teachers above all teach students to improve themselves, and how to live and thrive within a democratic society, and support inquiry based education as a means to uncover these truths,

            Existential instructors apply added emphasis on student responsibility, stating that self-discovery is the best means to achieving personal responsibility. Existentialism is highly tailored and individualized to students, so no two student’s curriculum may look the same, but this ties in directly with the strong sense that self-discovery results in true understanding.

            I am entirely certain of my own pragmatic personality, it essential manifests itself in every imaginable aspect of my life. I highly value inquiry as a tool for learning and I strongly believe that most problems have a contextually relevant solution that can be ascertained through inquiry. I am very open to change and new ideas and am willing to change my opinion based on new information. My purest belief in education is that it is a tool to be used to improve our students an prepare them for life in a democratic society where they can be active and flourish.  

Educational Issue: Discipline with Dignity

Concerning disciple I have always felt that taking a more pragmatic approach is almost always the best choice. Behavior is the result of so many different contributing factors, and to ignore these factors is to ignore the source of the behavior. If we as teacher’s take a blanket, one size fits all approach to discipline the behavior will never be corrected, at best covered up through detentions and suspensions, until the student accrues enough of these behavioral marks that they are eventual forced to leave school entirely. Now this student who needed the most help ultimately results in receiving the least. Rather than sweeping students away that teachers come in conflict with, we as teachers should strive to work through these conflicts, it is our job as teachers to teach our students, and this responsibility should not end at our chosen content. If it is that we help to teach our students to work collaboratively or with a community of peers than that too is our fundamental responsibility.

            It is important that before issuing any kind of punitive measures that we fully understand the implications of the behavior that we are trying to correct and how the student is affected. If teachers do not fully understand why a negative behavior has transpired then are they really in a position to fairly deliver judgment onto the student?

Teaching Hope: Rejuvenation

First, I selected section 118 because of my own experience that it reminded me of. Close to my house, in the adjacent town of Otisfield is the camp called Seeds of Peace. This camp has a significant amount of worldwide recognition for its goal, which is to cultivate relationships between young people who live in countries that have been embroiled in conflict with each other for a number of years. The camp runs for about a month for each part, where Palestinian and Israeli kids and teens will get to know each other and understand each other’s perspectives surrounding their conflicts with each other. This is then followed up by similar activities with young people from Iran and Iraq, Pakistan and India, and other countries that have historically been at odds with each other for some time. I have spent some time at the camp volunteering and helping out, generally making sure everything runs smoothly, but the kids themselves have had a pretty profound impact on me and my own perceptions of the regions they come from, which has been I feel an equally constructive experience for me as it is for them.

Secondly, I picked part 120 because this one represented a significant shift in the tone of the book. In this section the student described mostly takes it upon themselves to make a positive change in their own life, albeit at a small amount of prodding from their teacher. The section was, like the chapter is titled, was rejuvenation, because I felt at time while reading teaching hope that all my students will be extraordinarily difficult to teach, uninterested, or suffering from some tremendous levels of distress. I purely chose this part because it simply reminded me that there are so many joys in teaching.

Story of School Part 4

As The Story of School: Part Four opens it begins by revealing that at this time 85% percent of students have graduated from high school since 1980. Though as the documentary continues it reveals the open letter of A Nation at Risk, which would fundamentally alter the landscape of public education for the years to come. Despite raising achievement scores the letter asserts that public schooling is failing miserably, and calls for higher standards, more credits, and more homework as a requirement for graduation. With Nation’s claims Reagan’s assertion that public education represents a dangerous uncompetitive monopoly begins to gain a great deal of momentum, causing schools to suddenly need a standard of achievement to compare schools to, which in itself is the advent of standardized teaching.

            With Standardized teaching on the scene public schools now need to become profitable and competitive, otherwise they risk losing their funding or being fundamentally reorganized. Amidst increasing pressure to perform well on standardized tests public schools begin to take new approaches to education. The lowest performing schools with the least to lose are the first to develop alternative classrooms within the traditional school, which see marked results.

            As alternative education begins to show promise numerous other magnet and charter schools appear across the country to capitalize on the new education craze. Several public schools are even reorganized by the private firm Education Advocates Inc. EAI asserts that it can improve educational outcomes and remain profitable, to do this EAI replaces special education instructors with hourly interns, slashes their SED programs, and completely cuts art and music from the curriculum. Despite all of their claims however students in these schools do not perform and better and EAI steps in somewhat ungracefully under accusations of sending profits back to its headquarters at the expense of quality education.

Nation at Risk

The first time I read over the Nation at Risk peace I found it unnecessarily hostile. I was considerably relieved when after I read the follow-up that reaffirmed my feelings. The indicators for risk to me, represented several risks themselves. From the start of this section success in school was immediately equated to an outdated one size fits all standard for achievement. Several of the bulleted points cited sinking standardized test scores as an impetus for the report’s ostensible crusade against educators.

The entirety of the report’s vitriol was pointedly directed at teachers. Nowhere are funds, budget cuts, parental involvement, anything resembling the subjective included. The Report even cites the post Sputnik educational climate as standardized testing ideal, but does not recognize the staggering amount of dollars redirected to public education as a result. Now that those dollars have trickled away suddenly the educators are to blame.

The follow up report practically dismisses the earlier report for being too pointed and hostile, and jaded by a Cold War perspective, claiming that the law every educator loves to hate, No Child Left Behind was the ultimate result. Likely the only good that came from the report was that it put a stop to talks about privatizing schools in America, the only foreseeable outcome of that of course being even greater emphasis placed on high-stakes standardized testing.

Story of School Part 1

While developing a public education seemed like an earnest and well-meaning step forward many of the intentions were built with inequity in mind. Even today Jefferson, who is remembered as a strong proponent to free public education had a much more aristocratic vision for public education. Jefferson firmly believed in a “teach the best shoot the rest” approach to public education stating that public education was in his mind designed to “rake the geniuses from the refuse”. In Jefferson’s vision of public education students could only benefit from a basic education over three years. In his mind this would be enough time to identify students who were suited to schooling, who would later attend university through tax dollars. Jefferson believed that these geniuses, pick specially from the refuse were to be the next aristocracy to govern the United States, and pushed this proposal through congress several times. However even these designs were considered too progressive and were struck down each time.

            The debate concerning religion in public schools was came at a considerable surprise, I knew that the bible was a common teaching tool in early American schools, so I never expected there would have been any kind of drive to make public education secular. However the treatment that The Story of School describes that was inflicted on Catholic and Irish students the push for secular or publically funded Catholic schools suddenly makes much more sense.

TH: Disillusionment

It may seem a little bit suspicious that I picked the first two entries, but I swear I read the whole thing!

Anyway, now that that is out of the way, I picked the very first entry because the way the teacher closed the section really resonated with me, as the whole point of school. To build a more civil society. This teacher was not content just to let KC drift through class just because his goals did not mean that he wanted to go to college himself, and that this did not mean that he could not be a productive, civil, and successful member of the country. However the teacher’s willingness to help KC improve himself and challenge himself in school despite the fact that he did not “need” to and that other teachers felt that they did not either, this teacher performed a profound service to KC when others though he would not have been worth the effort, or not up the challenge.

The second entry I actually chose for a single phrase at the center of the passage, where one of the student’s asks when they need to learn these new word and that they think they will never need them or that they will not be relevant to them, with the teacher responding “Then we need to change that.” The confidence was very intriguing and encouraging. Though as the section continues her students become frustrated with the confusing nature of the tests they have to take. Honestly I was considerably surprised by the number of high stakes tests the teacher had described that their students had to take, from her account it seemed as if these types of tests were a regular fixture of the class and occurred every few short weeks. 

Teaching Hope: Engagement

First for the section on engagement in Teaching Hope I chose the very first entry because it seemed like the editors of the book chose it to specifically hook the reader in a section dedicated to hooking and engaging students. In this section the teacher relating their experiences in the classroom nearly begins by referring to one of their students with a string of profanities. That alone immediately hooked me into the remainder of the chapter and engaged me with the rest of the stories that were told through the rest of the section. The story in itself is also a very motivational piece concerning likely the single most important part of being a teacher, genuinely caring about your students. This teacher happened to care so much that one of their students actually called them out on the unforgivable offense.

The second passage I chose, number 56 was because as I history student I often need to support every statement I make with a source that corroborates my statement. As a social studies teacher I am going to need to make it a priority to make sure my students know how to wright a well-researched and supported paper for my classes. It is also my own personal belief that to even have an opinion on any kind of topic it must be supported by some kind of evidence, scholarly, empirically, or even anecdotally, without any kind of supporting evidence we cannot be expected to have our opinions and statements taken seriously. The teacher did an excellent job fostering understanding of that idea in an especially delicate situation however, which is highly commendable and motivating to see.

Story of School: Part 3

Part three of The Story of School begins to address the issue of inequality and segregation in schools, not because these issues are new to this era, but because this part takes place amidst the civil rights movement of the 1950s up to the 1980s. With the Civil rights movement getting to its feet the issue of separate but equal and segregation in schools quickly become a subject of debate our nation became embroiled in.

The climate of schooling at this time was highly disparate between white and black schools. Black schools offered no science labs, gyms, or foreign languages for their students. Women also suffered from discrimination within their own schools as well, they were barred from playing sports and many prestigious colleges. While schools for black students typically did have more qualified teachers they were limited by poor or outdated resources and materials.

While integrating schools was a positive step forward, many of the issues associated with segregation were still common within these schools. In integrated schools white and black students attended separate proms, played on different sports teams, or participated in separate after school clubs or activities. Even after integration many school boards resisted integrated student bodies by zoning schools away from black communities to avoid admitting black students. The city of Detroit did unveil a busing plan to transport a number of students from suburban white communities to schools within the urban center of Detroit, while busing students from urban black communities into white schools. Though, many students, faculty, and parents resisted the plan, citing an unwelcoming environment as a common factor.

Several steps were also made preventing gender discrimination in schools, with laws like title IX, which eliminated federal funding to schools which discriminated based on gender. However many schools never upheld title and subsequent litigations were required to enforce the law. 

Story of School: Part 2

The Story of School describes the evolution of schooling in the United States from its advent to recent history. Part two covers the first fifty years for the twentieth century and covers a significant amount concerning immigrant children of diverse cultures and heritages. Though, instead of welcoming the diversity as an experience for learning or a trait to be celebrated public school became a place to Americanize young immigrant children and scrub away any traces of culture that could have flavored the classroom. Children who spoke any language during class time were reprimanded, often violently. Most students would much rather have been working in a factory than in a schoolroom. In fact, of 500 school aged children survey during the early twentieth century, eighty percent answered that would have rather be working in a factory that in a classroom.

            This reluctance to become educated should come as little surprise considering the atmosphere of schools at this time. Most public schools had to resort to part time education due to severe overcrowding, causing those students who even made it into school to be uncomfortably cramped in class. Not to mention schools were drafty and cold, and a veritable breeding ground for illness and infection.

            However, academia was not all bad during this period. Schools serving poor urban populations served not only their students, but also the community, with food and lodging. Many schools stayed open late into the night and throughout the year to support the community beyond just school aged children.

Immigrants had even more reason to feel alienated in school with the introduction of IQ testing into public school, which were said to reflect ethnicity and race. Students were routinely labeled and stupid or even mentally retarded for no other reason than they because they came from some other country other than the United States or Great Britain.

TH: Challenges

First, I connected with section 22, in Teaching Hope, the entire challenges chapter presented quite a few very emotional stories between teachers and their students who both struggle with traumatic or difficult circumstances. The complexity of the situation makes me wonder what I would do in a similar situation. I’m really not sure if I would try to share some kind of similar experience with my student and try to create some kind of deeper connection so I could convince them to find help or if I would immediately shepherd them to the counselor. I am certain though that I would not be able to turn my back on them or try to push their problem to another teacher or guardian.

Similarly, I also connected with part 26 for the same reason. Instead in this section the teacher chooses to keep their student’s problem confidential, resulting in their absence on the final day leaving the teacher to question what happened to their student, and if they had done the right thing. I certainly do not think the teacher made the “wrong” choice, they made a judgment call in a situation where alerting the police could have been more damaging and disruptive to the student’s life and education, but at the same time they are mandated to report the incident, and  their student’s absence on the last day leaves them questioning their decision.

Generations

Hammill begins by trying to illustrate some of the differences between the four generations, Hammill explains that while certain reactions and interactions between individuals of differing generations could be misunderstood as dismissive, condescending, or plain rude. Instead, Hammill writes that these exchanges actually are representative of a different set of core values that have been adopted by the individual as a result of the zeitgeist they grew up within.

Hammill chooses to tackle the issue of generational diversity and creating a functional working climate in the midst of generational diversity. Hammill describes an example of how office relations can break down between members of different generations because of disparate methods of communication and productivity. Hammill suggests that when working with a generationally varied group of individuals, which extends to any group of people, that first the group must come to a consensus concerning means of communication and how the group should function by assigning roles and discussing how they would prefer to work.

Hammill writes that when assigning positions to individuals to consider who they will be working under and with. Hammill suggests that supervisors should be assigned to members of a preceding generation, for example a member of generation X should probably be working under a a veteran or boomer, as Hammil asserts that the reverse can result in animosity between the two. While this may not always be possible or practical Hammil suggest doing so whenever the option appears.

While Hammill’s words are not specifically meant for the field of education many or his suggestions can still be applied to it. In most cases the teacher will represent an earlier generation than their students, and their students will likely all be from the same generation, the lesson to communicate fully and understand each other’s goals and methods is still highly applicable. 

Teaching Hope: Anticipation

Teaching Hope: Anticipation


The first story I picked came from part sixteen and resonated with me in a different way than with what most other people probably considered when choosing their sections from the first part of Teaching Hope. I selected part sixteen because the story of Shane’s first encounter with a black person reminded me of a story my parents, especially my mother liked to share with me or remind me of when I was growing up. It begins with my family off on vacation somewhere and staying in a hotel, across the hall or somewhere adjacent to us was another young boy who was around the same age as us at that time, maybe around two or three years old. My brother and I both would play with him when we weren't busy with some other itinerary that my parents had plans for us or getting our rat tails braided and beaded (uggh). After about four day of playing together I took my mother aside after our most recent play date and sheepishly asked her if she had noticed this whole time that his skin was black. I think I might have been concerned if he was alright or that there may have been something wrong with him. After I was assured that there was nothing wrong with him or his skin I very triumphantly replied that, “I think it’s beautiful!” Similarly to Shane I was met with a new experience, but like him we both embraced the novelty and new-ness of the situation rather than shut down or try to escape from it.

The second part I chose, part eight, described a teacher’s presentation at a teaching seminar, or other speaking engagement. The teacher conducting the presentation on autistic students was herself autistic, but the part that really stuck out to me was the change that many of the teachers had undergone from the beginning of the presentation to the end. When the teacher on stage first asked the audience about what they thought of when they heard the word “autistic” what they thought. Instantly she was bombarded with a series of negative adjectives like, “lost”, “broken”, and “incapable”. Soon as she went on though she was able to change those word to much more positive ones like “unique” and “artistic”, that shift alone was very encouraging  to see.

Diversity Article

Pat Burke Guild goes to great lengths to describe the exhaustive research that has gone into understanding student learning styles, and commits a large portion of the article to discussing the varied and disparate categories a student can fall into. Guild warns the reader about a trap teachers and researchers can easily find themselves in the more research is conducted into learning styles, being classification of students into broad categories of learning styles based on specific background factors, like gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.

            To Guild finding a preferred learning style for a particular student needs to be genuine and organic. The instructor needs to get to know the student, know what they like and dislike, along with their own individual areas of strength and areas that still need improvement. Trying map out this student as a single point on a data sheet distracts and undermines their personal needs as a student and as a person.

            Guild asserts that all learning styles can lead a student to a successful outcome, and reminds teachers that the most easily planned methods of delivering content can leave many students unengaged, suggesting that teachers use a variety of styles to deliver content. Alternatively Guild also warns teachers not to focus too heavily on less commonly used styles as well as they can cause a teacher and their class to stumble if applied too frequently.

            Guild closes claiming that there is still little substitute for an exceptional teacher, a passionate and knowledgeable instruction can most often engage any kind of learner with their enthusiasm, but informed accommodations for every kind of student will foster even greater success for students.