How Do I Learn?

I have always been an auditory learner. When I was in high school my mother read me Lord of the Flies because I just couldn't get through it reading it silently. When in college I always went to class and took notes that was how learned. If the teacher is talking I can be listening and playing on the computer at the same time and still remember what she said. When I need to memorize something I say it out loud over and over again. When I try to read something my mind just wanders. I often need to reread paragraphs or sentences b/c I realized that I had no idea what I read. I just can't stay focused. It doesn't matter if it is educational or reading for pleasure.

I would have to agree with Vygotsky's theory of social learning. I am definitely a social learner. I learn through my experiences of going places and talking to different people about different things. In elementary school the teachers would tell my mother that if they went out the room for a minute I would be able to report to them everything that happened in the classroom while they were gone. I am always aware of everything and every conversation that goes on around me. I don't have the ability to block things out.

When it comes to my classroom I would say that I teach to the auditory learner. We read just about everything aloud in my class, that is for 2 reasons: low readers and I want to make sure they are actually reading it. My students lack prior knowledge about many different things. I try to provide prior knowledge and connect it to something they know about. I am not well connected to the rap world so it becomes a little difficult sometimes. I try to make connections to sports to spark their interest. We have 10 minutes of silent reading everyday so I hope that I am able to meet the needs of all my students in one way or another.