Customer Reviews

Learning Styles

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a must read for any teacher - in Christian or secular settings! Will challenge you and give you insights into the behavior of those around you.

This is a must for teachers of any age. Good for your library. It is written with a Christian Education emphasis but is applicable to any field of education. Easy read and good examples to imitate. Enjoy!

Reading the book was a real eye opener to my own learning style as well as how I should teach to have greater effect. LeFever uses a good balance of theoretical insights and practical examples in illuminating her four learning styles. The book will greatly benefit anyone involved in any kind of education, not just Sunday School teachers.

Before being introduced to Lefever's Learning Styles I did not fully understand how to structure Biblical lesson plans that would potentially reach all students and get them actively involved in learning. In time past, I had tried incorporating many different activities into the Bible lessons in hopes of getting my students more involved. In studying Lefever's book on the various learning styles, I discovered that knowing a student's learning style and my own learning style is important in order to be an effective Bible teacher. My long awaited question has been answered. Now I am better prepared for the challenge of teaching Bible lessons to students with various learning styles.

There are positive and negative features to LeFever and McCarthy's work. On the positive side, there is very good data (although not cited in this book) that people process information very differently. The process oriented 4MAT system forces an approach that includes a variety of methods that are likely to maintain student engagement, particularly those who are younger or not highly motivated to learn the offered material. In addition, available data on the effectiveness of mixed modalities in the teaching process also demonstrate the usefulness of varying the methods of information transfer using different auditory and visual means, although again none of this data is offered by the author.

LeFever is commendably practical in her almost relentless focus on giving concrete examples for teachers' use including lesson plans, class activities, artwork, games, opinion surveys, etc. These are very creative and particularly useful for youth ministry - they are the best aspect of this book.

On the negative side, the whole "scientific" basis for the 4MAT process is seriously flawed. The supporting data that are presented are a couple of decades old and not very conclusive in the first place. The reliance on left/right brain cognitive distinctions is not supported by research in neuroscience over the last decade. While the basic premise that there are multiple ways of thinking and that educators have tended to overemphasize verbal skills and linear thought in the past is correct, this is hardly a new idea. [...]

All of this is unfortunate because, as noted above, the process has obvious value without reliance on unproven theories or unjustified claims of scientific validity.

Have your ever wondering why some students just seem not to get it in class or enjoy the class? It may be that you are not teaching with their learning style. The book helps one learn the learning styles. If one can incorporate a little of all styles in the lesson, then learning can be made fun for those students. The book does give tips and examples on how to do this.

I will be using the insights and techniques in this book in my Bible college classes this fall and for the foreseeable future. If you teach, you'll learn something from this book. I would hope Lefever updates this to include social media and other 21st century techniques.

The book is awesome and came in wonderful condition--no marks or wrinkles at all!!