Matching Teaching Strategies To Modality Strengths of Students By Ruby Bostick, Michael McCready and G. Edward Nipper

Students, regardless of their ages, have preferred ways to study. One student may choose to write and rewrite notes. Another student may choose to record the information on an audio tape and listen to the tape several times. Still another student may choose to work with a computer program to reinforce the skills being learned. The three mo- dalities of learning are visual, auditory, and kines- thetic, and most students prefer to learn through one of these modalities. The modality preferred is usually the one which the student finds most effi- cient for perceiving and retaining information.

Modality based instruction involves presenting lessons with consideration for the students' mo- dality strengths, and designing instruction to capi- talize on student strengths. Matching teaching methods to learners' strengths is not difficult, but the process requires 1) time to plan for individual differences, 2) the use of various instructional strategies, and 3) teacher flexibility.

Applying modality based instruction in the classroom allows students to learn through their strengths rather than their weaknesses. When stu- dents are taught through their weaknesses instead of their modality strengths, remediation is often needed. If the concept being studied is repeatedly presented without using students' modality strengths, more remediation may be needed, the students often become frustrated, and they may get further and further behind. Teaching through student strengths can maximize each student's chances for success.

Are teachers applying modality based instruc- tion in the classroom? What type of instructional procedures and related classroom activities are be- ing used? One purpose of a 1986 study attempted

Dr. Ruby Bostick is an assistant professor of Edu- cation and director of the Instructional Resource Center at the University of Arkansas in Monticel- lo, Arkansas.

Dr. Michael McCready is professor of Education at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisi- ana.

Dr. Edward Nipper is Registrar at the University of Southern Arkansas, Magnolia, Arkansas.

to determine the frequency of use of identified in- structional procedures/classroom activities, as per- ceived by a group of teachers and students at the junior high level. The other purpose of the study was to identify those instructional procedures and classroom activities that junior high teachers and students find most useful in the implementation of the teaching/learning process (Hearn, McCready, and Nipper, 1987).

The population of the study consisted of 860 junior high school students and 60 junior high school teachers. Respondents were asked to rank fifteen instructional procedures and related class- room activities from most effective for classroom use to least effective. They were also asked to in- dicate the frequency of use of each of the items in the classroom using the following choices: very frequently, frequently, seldom, and never.

Teachers ranked listening to teacher lecturing as the most effective classroom instructional proce- dure and 88 percent of the teacher and student re- spondents indicated that this method was used fre- quently. However, this method was ranked as the fourth most effective method by the students. The reason for the difference in the ranking of the ef- fectiveness of this method may be attributed to modality strengths.

Approximately 30 percent of students in grades K through 12 are visual learners, 25 percent are auditory learners, 15 percent are kinesthetic learn- ers, and 30 percent have mixed modalities (Barbe and Milone, 1980). The traditional lecture method is very effective for teaching auditory learners, but may be less effective with visual and kinesthetic learners.

Consider, for example, the instructional method ranked most effective by students. Working with computers was selected as the most effective classroom instructional procedure by the student respondents, but this method was ranked in sixth position by teachers. Furthermore, 82 percent of the teachers surveyed indicated that computers were seldom or never used in the classroom and 29 percent of the students indicated frequent use. Computer Assisted Instruction can be an effective method of instruction for use with visual and kin- esthetic learners or learners with mixed modal- ities. In fact, this method may be very effective with 85 percent of the students in grades K

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through 12. This may explain the high ranking stu- dents gave to the effectiveness of computer use.

Both teachers and students ranked silent read- ing as the second most effective classroom in- structional procedure. Seventy percent of the teachers and 86 percent of the students indicated frequent use of this instructional procedure. Silent reading accommodates students with visual, audi- tory, and mixed modality strengths. The visual learners see the words and form mental images to remember the material. The auditory learners read the material to themselves and may be seen mov- ing their lips or may be heard talking to them- selves as they read. However, the kinesthetic learners are not accommodated by this frequently used methodology.

Use of the overhead projector was ranked as number three by teacher respondents and was ranked as eleventh by the students. Respondents indicated that this method was used frequently by 60 percent of the teachers, but 52 percent of the students indicated that the overhead projector was seldom or never used. This medium is highly ap- propriate for use with visual students, but is less effective when used with auditory or kinesthetic learners.

Copying material from textbooks or the chalk- board was the fourth most effective method identi- fied by teachers and was ranked fifth by the stu- dents. Eighty-four percent of the students and 64 percent of the teachers indicated frequent use of this method. This instructional activity can be effective with visual learners, who often write and rewrite material to study, and with kinesthetic stu- dents, who gain tactile involvement through writ- ing. The auditory students, however, are not ac- commodated through this instructional strategy.

Viewing educational television was ranked as the third most effective item by students, but was ranked fifth by the teachers. Fifty-six percent of the teachers indicated that this medium was sel- dom or never used. However, 43 percent of the students indicated frequent use of the medium. Educational television presents information through two sensory channels, visual and audi- tory, and, therefore, is appropriate for use with vi- sual and auditory learners and students with mixed modalities. However, the kinesthetic learn- ers are not accommodated through this instruc- tional activity.

The five most effective instructional procedures as identified by the teacher respondents include listening to teacher lecturing, silent reading in textbooks, using the overhead projector, copying material from textbooks or the chalkboard, and

viewing educational television. These do not in- clude computer use, which was the item identified as the most effective by the student respondents. Furthermore, use of the overhead projector was not among the top five methods identified by the students. The differences in the rankings illustrate the fact that the methods teachers perceive as be- ing most effective are not necessarily the most effective methods to use with all students. As a re- sult, teachers often teach using a method which is most comfortable for them or with which they are most familiar, not the way the students in their classrooms learn best.

With the exception of copying material from a textbook or the chalkboard, none of the top five instructional procedures identified as most effec- tive by the teachers accommodate students with a kinesthetic modality strength. Since 15 percent of students in grades K through 12 are kinesthetic learners, teachers should consider the strengths of these learners and use methodologies that meet the needs of these students. Student-produced me- dia packages, use of manipulatives, active bulletin boards, experiments, realia, models, and Comput- er Assisted Instruction are activities that can easi- ly be incorporated into instruction to accommo- date the kinesthetic learners.

To increase the chances of student success, teachers should consider the modality strengths of all students and plan instructional activities that teach through student strengths. Visual learners need to see the information to be able to under- stand the concepts presented. Auditory learners need to hear the information, and kinesthetic learners need to be physically involved in the learning situation. When teachers match their teaching strategies to the modality strengths of the students, perhaps there will be less discrepancy between the instructional procedures viewed as "most effective" by teachers and students. �9

References

Barbe, W. B. and Milone, M. N. (1980). Modality. Instructor, 89(6), 44-46.

Carson, J. and Bostick, R. N. (1988). Math in- struction using media and modality strengths: H o w . . . #figures. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.

Hearn, R. E., McCready, M., and Nipper, G. E. (1987). Effective instructional procedures and related classroom activities as perceived by teachers and students at the junior high level. Instructional Resources Journal, 13(1), 5-6.

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