Walden Course 9, week 2

Student Surveys

Interest survey
I teach at a middle school, grades 6-8. The students coming up into grade 6 have yearly tour of our classes to help ease their tension of moving to middle school. The students were given an opportunity to write questions for the current grade 6 students. The questions were posted in a voice thread located at http://voicethread.com/#u629007.b1133421.i6081619
The current grade 6’s homework assignment was to answer 5 of the posted questions each. By using the interactive Voicethread.com, the grade 5’s have been able to have their questions answered as well as see who the grade 6’s are and have started to develop a bond with them through this process.

Learning styles survey
According to Tomlinson (2009) “Learning style refers to preferences in regard to environmental elements, interactions and personal needs” (p.2). For example, if you enjoy filling out questionnaires like the following. you may be more of a kinesthetic type learner.
A free site of learning styles survey can be found at http://www.learning-styles-online.com/
They have a pdf document or an online version of their 70 questions, seen here.
http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/questions.asp?cookieset=y
You would have to be a fairly good reader to work through all 70 questions on your own. I would suggest grade 4 and up would be appropriate to use this tool.

Multiple intelligences survey
I fully believe in the work of Howard Gardner who has developed various categories to describe intelligence. According to Tomlinson (2009) “intelligence preferences are quite powerful, likely much more so than a learning style” (p.2). A very simple multiple intelligences test can be found at
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm
It is very short and colorful. My grade 6 students found it very interesting, especially when I posted my results which showed, my lowest score was in logical-mathematical, yet I am a math teacher. “How can this be the wondered?” I think it showed them just because you score lower in one are, you can still find success in a multitude of disciplines with the intelligences you do have.

Learning profile inventory
I created a learning profile inventory for the international school I work at in Korea. The questions are somewhat different from what I would ask my North American students. The survey was created using monkeysurvey.com
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2HGFZB6

I was able to take all the information from the different learning profiles and surveys and compile them into one master survey.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2PX5GRX
I will use the survey for the start of the year with my students entering into grade 6 at an international school in Korea. I think the information I gain on the students learning styles, multiple intelligences, and personal interests will help me in the year to come as I strive to make each child reach their greatest potential. I will also have the students save their surveys onto an electronic portfolio for meta-cognition and reflection of their own learning traits and habits.

References

Tomlinson, C. A. (2009). Learning profiles and achievement. School Administrator, 66(2), 28-33. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.