Each classroom is filled with students who learn differently. Some are visual learners, others are auditory and still others are kinesthetic.

Considering other learning styles

“We, in the profession of teaching, believe that there are multiple intelligence styles,” said Mary Beth Henning, assistant professor of teaching and learning. “That means that some students have unnatural preference through, for example, visual stimuli.”

Alan Zollman, an associate math professor, explained various teaching methods aim to center on what students are familiar with in order to make the subject seem more familiar.

“Part of learning is your own experiences,” Zollman said. “You have to be able to take new material and relate it to what you know.”

Students can look back at their childhood to find the learning method that best suits them, he said.

“If you played with Lego building blocks as a child, then three dimensional drawings are probably pretty easy for you to learn from,” Zollman said.

Faculty members, however, should not base their classes solely on the three main learning methods, he said.

“The categories are what people feel most comfortable with, and there are different maturity levels where you can develop from one level to another,” Zollman said. “You want them to have the understanding, not just the right answer.”

Taking time to relax

Some teachers on campus are giving students time to meditate before class begins to improve concentration.

A 10-minute “relaxation period” provides students with several mental and physical benefits, said Janice Woodhouse, instructor of EPFE 201, Education as an Agent of Change.

“In terms of benefits to the student, taking time to physically and mentally relax has been clinically proven to boost immune function, increase cognitive function as well as to enhance an overall feeling of well being,” Woodhouse said.

Though Woodhouse is in the minority of faculty that allows for such a period, several professors stand behind a tailored curriculum that reaches all students.