There are many interesting models for analyzing students’ different learning styles. Here is a practical model which may change the way you teach writing… today. You will have a checklist of the four learning styles, as well as the four questions which these four different types of learners will be asking.

A teacher simply needs to address each style in their instruction, and then listen for the magic words in their students’ questions. (Often these magic words are only implied; however, they are quite easy to spot.)

This learning style model will surprise you in its simplicity. In fact, it may appear to be that “elusive obvious” which you are shocked you had not discovered before. The next time you teach writing, you will be looking at each and every student and analyzing each and every yawn, comment, question, and challenge. “Ohh… I get you! I can help you! I understand you. Let me talk to YOU.”

David Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory Based on Experiential Learning Theory: The Four Different Learning Modes and How they Create Four Types of Learners

Experiential Learning – The Four Learning Modes (How Students Learn)

These learning modes can be seen as a cycle of learning. Even though it is a cycle, individual students will learn differently at each stage of the cycle. Some students are more effective learners in one stage, while others will learn better in a different stage.

• Learning Mode 1: Concrete Experience – There is an old proverb, “Experience is the best teacher.” In other words, students learn by experiencing things.  (Note: There is also an extension to this proverb which says, “Experience is the best teacher… but the tuition is high.”)

• Learning Mode 2: Reflective Observation – One reviews the experience and reflects on it.

• Learning Mode 3: Abstract Conceptualization – One draws conclusions. Students create and format their personal understanding of what they have learned. They make their new knowledge fit in with their current model of the world.

• Learning Mode 4: Active Experimentation – Test time. Let’s try out the new knowledge in the real world and see if it works. In writing this would mean, “Let’s see how our readers like the new techniques we are applying. Do I like my new writing? Do these strategies and techniques get me a better grade?”

Through various combinations of these four learning modes, four learning styles emerge.

Four Types of Learners

Each of these four learning styles is a combination of TWO of the LEARNING MODES discussed above. This does not mean that students don’t learn through the other modes; it just means that they have strengths in, and/or prefer two of the modes over the other two modes. (I think you will find that all four modes have an important place in effective instruction.)

• Learning Style 1: The Diverger – Asks “why?” Learns through Concrete Experience and Reflective Observation.

• Learning Style 2: The Accommadator – Asks “how?” Learns through Concrete Experience and Active Experimentation.

• Learning Style 3: The Assimilator – Asks “what?” Learns through Abstract Conceptualization and Reflective Observation.

• Learning Style 4: The Converger – Asks “what about…?” Learns through Abstract Conceptualization and Active Experimentation.

The Questions Your Students Want Answered

Here is a simplified and useful version of Kolb’s model based on a few of the “Five W’s and One H.” (Who, what, where, why, when, how?) Basically, when students don’t understand something, they have a question. When it comes to teaching writing, it can be hard to figure out what the question is behind the problem. “What don’t they understand? I have done a great job of teaching this.”

Here is a cheat-sheet that narrows down what your students want to know… and how they learn. It addresses the four learning styles and the main question each style wants answered. These questions are: 1) Why? 2) How? 3) What? 4) What about?

Four Questions for the Four Learning Styles

Why? (Divergers) – These students are not asking, “Why does it work?” They are asking, “Why do I have to do it? What will happen if I don’t do it?” The answer to these questions usually go something like this: “If you apply this strategy, your readers will easily understand what you are saying. If you don’t, your readers will be lost and confused. Having your readers understand what you are saying will get you better grades and people will enjoy reading what you have written. They will think you are a gifted and talented writer. If you don’t apply the strategies and your readers are lost, your grades will suffer and people will wonder what is wrong with you.”

How? (Accommodators) – These students are saying, “Just tell me how to do it. Show me each step and I will follow your directions. I learn by doing. I don’t need any reasons or explanations. Please don’t be vague and talk about the flowery artistic nature of writing. I’m not interested in that. I see the example; what are the steps I need to do in order to achieve that? Once I experience it I will understand it and I will be able to explain it to you based on my experience.”

What? (Assimilators) – These students need to understand “the information.” We can’t just demonstrate (or model) how to write persuasively because these students need to understand it in context. These students may not even attempt to follow the strategy until they understand exactly what they will be attempting to do. Example of what would work with these students: “Okay students, we are not going to be working on narrative writing. In other words, we are not going to be telling a story. Also, we are not going to be working on descriptive writing or informative writing. Our goal is going to be to persuade someone. A synonym for persuade is “to convince.” There are many times when we need to convince another person. Here are just a few…”  Example of what would not work with these students: “We are going to work on persuasive writing using facts, statistics, and reasons to prove our case. Here is a set of evidence for you to use. Now, prove your position. You have been provided a model to follow; study it and follow it.”

What about…? (Convergers) – We think of these students as the mismatchers and contradictors in our classrooms. For every example we show to prove it, they will quickly find a counterexample to disprove it. We think they are just being difficult, but often at the heart of their troublesomeness is a learning style that simply has them wanting to know when it works and when it doesn’t work. Example: You have taught a writing strategy and now students have opened up a book and are reading. If these students don’t see what has been presented, they want to know why not. Showing these students textbook examples of when it works is not enough. In fact, showing them real-world examples of it when it works is not enough. These students need to understand a variety of situations when it does not work. In writing there are many exceptions, and every exception these students see leads them to dismiss what has been taught. The solution in teaching these students writing is to show them how what is being taught is a tool which can be used sometimes, but not at other times. It is their job as the author and artist to be the master of the tool.

Learning Style Scenarios

Let’s explore some scenarios so you will more easily see behind the curtain of your students’ struggles. What is going on in your students’ minds?

It’s not that students just come out and ask “Why? How? What? What about?” It’s more that these are the questions behind their questions (and their struggles). When a student is struggling, a teacher will be able to more easily remediate and strategize, “Let’s see… I can’t re-teach the entire lesson. So… which question is behind their problem?” When you figure it out you will be able to solve the problem on your first try.

Remember: We want to address all these types of learners and address all of these questions when we teach our lesson the first time around. Try and make sure that you include at least a sentence or two that will speak to each learning style. (i.e. Giving more examples is not the only way to better teach a concept. Instead, try addressing one of these other learning modes.)

Scenario 1 – How? (Accommodators): A student acts bored and asks if she can get started on the work. Remember: This is a special kind of learner with a special kind of question. This question represents a “how” question. This student learns by experiencing and experimenting. It seems the teacher has given enough instruction so that the student feels comfortable getting started on the work. The fact is, these students can’t be sure of what they understand until they get involved with the work. At the moment, they don’t need any more theory. (Note: We all know that students often want to get started, and then once they get started they discover that they don’t understand how to do the work. The point about this “how” type of learner is they can’t know that they don’t know until they give it a try. This means they won’t do their best job of extended listening until they have given it a try.)

Scenario 2 – What? (Assimilators): You have done a great job of teaching a personal narrative essay. You followed the textbook and added your own fantastic bits of insight. You have given clear instructions and there is an excellent example on the front board. A student says, “I don’t get it.” You ask what they don’t get. The student replies, “Are you saying that this is just a story about our life?” You reply, “Yes.” The students replies, “I don’t get it… so I can just write about something that happened to me and I have written a personal narrative essay?”

These questions are all “what” questions. These questions show a need to better understand the context of a personal narrative essay. The proper teaching extension would involve explaining a few different types of essays, as well as explaining how a personal narrative essay is different than a fiction story. This would help the student better understand the context of a personal narrative essay. In other words, this student does not need more examples on how to write a personal narrative essay; they need to understand the context of what a personal narrative essay is… and what it isn’t. They need the theory behind essays and stories so that they will understand where the personal narrative essay fits in.

Scenario 3 – Why? (Divergers): You are working on descriptive writing. A student says, “Why do we have to learn this? None of our school work ever involves describing how the spring sun makes us feel. Is there going to be a test on this?” This one is easy. It’s a “why” question… the little rascal. You explain to this student that the assignment will be extra homework if he doesn’t finish it. And yes, there will be a test on the different types of writing before he goes on vacation. Additionally, you tell him that you overheard him describing what happened in his baseball game the other day. You explain how learning how to describe things will make him a more entertaining storyteller and a better communicator. “After all, you won’t want to feel foolish in your interview when you explain how it felt winning the World Series!”

Scenario 4 – What about…? (Convergers): Your students are struggling with run-on sentences and sentence fragments. You instruct them not to start sentences with the words “and, but, because.” The next day a student arrives with numerous examples from newspapers and magazines showing how it is acceptable. You explain that the authors in question did it artistically, rarely, and correctly. You explain that the students in your class have been doing it incorrectly and that it is harming their writing.

This student is not convinced. He doesn’t know what to think. He starts to lose interest in writing because he thinks your rules are inconsistent. This is a “what about…” situation. The solution would be to teach formal writing vs. informal writing. Starting sentences with “and, but, because” is discouraged in formal writing. Additionally, this student needs to understand that language does change over time, and the rules of starting sentences with “and, but, because” have relaxed in recent years. Explain that you are still discouraging the practice and later in the year when they are advanced writers you will address it in depth. In the meantime, have this student continue to collect examples which you will share with the class at a later date.

Whether you teach elementary school or middle school, whether you teach remedial writers or gifted writers… reaching and teaching the four different types of learners will improve your writing instruction.

In Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay, all four types of learners (and teachers) are spoken to directly. At every step of the way the program not only teaches what to do… but also addresses all those problem areas surrounding what students might do… or will want to do. All the gaps are closed for all the different learning styles.

• Is your instruction geared to helping your students become the next great American novelist?
• Is your primary goal to make sure that your students never leave a dangling participle or split an infinitive?
• Do you hope to develop a passion for writing?
• Is your goal to help develop the writing skills your students will need to be successful in middle school and high school?

All of this is much more likely if your students learn how get an assignment… break it down, organize their thoughts and then quickly start and finish the assignment. There should be very little hesitation from start to finish. These skilled and confident writers have the ability to write fast… and get the assignment done.

Every year I teach much more than what I just described, but first I get students ready for success by creating fluent writers who can… write fast.

Writing Fluency

According to studies (among them the National Reading Panel’s report on “Teaching Children to Read”) fluent readers tend to good readers. Fluency is one of the five important areas that bring about reading success. That makes sense. In fact, it also makes sense in writing. Fluent writers will likely be good writers. My experience is that fluent writers also make happy students! So much of school… involves writing.

Portfolios vs. a Timed Writing System for Monitoring Student Growth

Portfolios have many great benefits… and I am not against them in any way. However, portfolios do not show objective apples to apples comparisons. They are apples to oranges comparisons… and often apples to hamburgers comparisons.

First, and foremost, different amounts of time allowed produce different results. Kids know this when looking at portfolios. Somewhere in the back of their mind they know these are not apple to apples comparisons… so they are not really sure exactly how much they have progressed.

You may have heard the old musing that a monkey left in a room with a typewriter for eternity will eventually type out “Hamlet.” Let’s face it… eternity is a long time. Students don’t have an eternity to get an assignment done. Students also know it makes more sense to do good work quickly instead of spending an eternity trying to get one writing assignment perfect.

Furthermore, kids don’t want to spend all day on their homework. They don’t want to be the last one finished… every single day. Show students ways to become efficient writers… and they are happy.

The timed writing system I use is a high-octane portfolio system where students see real and objective growth. It’s a simple system that quickly lets students compare apples to apples.

The Timed Writing System: Principal Approved!

Using this system my bulletin board always shows excellent and objective student progress. It was so successful that my principal once suggested (or requested) that I put it back up when I had taken it down and was maintaining the timed writings in a portfolio as compared to being displayed.

The way I use the timed writing system has changed a little with the creation of the “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay” system. However, this timed writing system is very effective with or without “Pattern Based Writing.”

Before “Pattern Based Writing” the progress in the students’ writing was always steady and consistent. Over the course of a year, the progress was substantial, and admirable. It was a very accurate representation of the gradual, consistent progress that can be achieved with good writing instruction, and a lot of hard work!

Now, I get the results A LOT faster. Within a month most elementary and remedial middle school writers will be saying, “I can’t even read what I was writing before.”

Of course if your students aren’t making great progress in their writing… this timed writing system will reveal that as well. If this is the case… I would suggest you get “Pattern Based Writing: Quick and Easy Essay.”

The Timed Writing System Directions

1. Students do a 5-minute prewriting and a 20-minute essay.
2. Staple each student’s first timed writing to a piece of construction paper and post them on a bulletin board using pushpins so that they can easily be removed and updated. (Most years I have students illustrate a picture that goes side by side next to the writing on the same piece of construction paper.)
3. After a certain amount time, and after a certain amount of instruction, we do another timed writing. Staple the new writing to the front of the old. Students evaluate their progress and then the writing is returned to the bulletin board.

Simple Benefits

You may be surprised how simple the system is. You’re right, it is. I created this simple system very early in my teaching career. Teachers would ask, “Why are you timing the writing?” I can’t say I was aware of the term “writing fluency” but I did know that the students I taught MUST write faster in order to have success in school.

What I discovered was that when students see OBJECTIVE progress… progress they can see with their own eyes… without anyone having to point it out in a “manipulative” way… they begin to like writing more… and they are willing to invest more.

All teachers want their students to see growth. Quite simply, students become motivated when they see growth. However, “you telling them” is not the same as “them telling you.” Do you have a system where students gleefully proclaim the growth… without being prodded? If not, give this “Timed Writing System” a try! Also be sure to check out the complete writing program.

The truth is that there is very little difference between a personal narrative essay and a fiction story. After all, who doesn’t look at a fiction story and then look at the author and say, “Oh, I didn’t know…” And the author says, “Oh, no, it’s not autobiographical. It’s just a… story.” And then we think, “Me thinks thou doth protest too much!”

A good story is a good story, whether it’s from real life or the imagination. Many, many (if not most) good stories are told from real life knowledge. The real skill is not in being able to INVENT a good story, but in being able to TELL a good story. That is a skill worth having!

Professional authors largely write about, what they know about. Our students should as well. Natalie Goldberg, author of the classic “Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within” said, “We must remember that everything is ordinary and extraordinary.”

As teachers we need to help students find the extraordinary in their own ordinary lives. Actually, that’s hard! However it is easy to teach kids to see that everything is extraordinary.

Ex. “Strange Happenings at the Dinner Table”

“Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay” does not really get involved with “fiction writing.” It does get quite involved with “story telling” and “creating interest.” Many aspects of the program directly address finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and that nothing is really ordinary… or extraordinary… (Often when you take something that is “extraordinary” and try to make it sound “extraordinary” it loses its effect and becomes… ordinary. In other words, do you like “hype”?)

However, what I’ve seen is that when students are writing regularly in a way that they take pride in, they often discover this aspect of writing all by themselves.

What happens is that there are days when they must simply write about what they see in front of them. Nothing “extraordinary” has happened recently, so they turn to the “ordinary.” Very often it turns into their most satisfying writing. They start to see the beauty in “The Messy Teacher’s Desk,” or wonder about “The Secret Life of Bobby: Why He is Late to School Every Single Day!”

In short, teach students to use real life to create captivating stories!

In teaching elementary students how to write well, there is grammar and there is writing. Many teachers teach A LOT of grammar because when it comes to teaching writing they are at a loss.

What does it mean to teach writing? A useful model that can help elementary teachers is “The Six Traits of Writing” model. “The Six Traits of Writing” was developed in the 1980’s by several groups of researchers and teachers in order to bring about a more reliable method for analyzing and evaluating student writing.

Starting With the End in Mind: The Six Traits of Writing

“The Six Traits of Writing” model describes what good writers do. Like many breakthrough methods of instruction, this model was created by working backwards. The starting point was examining samples of excellent writing and then determining what made them excellent. The outcome of this project was these six common traits.

Overview of the Six Traits of Writing

• Trait #1 Ideas – The message along with the main theme and details.
• Trait #2 Organization – The internal connecting structure.
• Trait #3 Voice – The unique expression of common words and ideas.
• Trait #4 Word Choice – Using the right words to express ideas clearly, concisely, and creatively.
• Trait #5 Sentence Fluency – Connecting strings of sentences with rhythm and flow.
• Trait #6 Conventions – Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and everything else us nitpickers love to pick over.

The Six Trait Writing Model in Elementary School Writing

Understanding the Six Traits model can be very valuable for teachers. This model can be an excellent guide and reference in planning instruction and in evaluating student writing. The truth is that most writing taught in elementary school falls under at least one of the six traits. In other words, the Six Traits model puts a name and structure to what we are already teaching.

“The Six Traits” is Not All There is To Elementary Writing

The truth is there are many aspect of elementary school writing that are not addressed in the above six traits. Let’s look at some “vocabulary words” that the elementary school writing teacher must know:

Poetry, report writing, writing a friendly letter, writing with a purpose, writing to inform, writing to persuade, writing to explain, narrative writing, first person narrative, expository writing, compare and contrast writing, creative writing, journal writing, process writing, descriptive writing, the writing process, revising, prewriting, writing a summary, research papers, editing, proofreading, fantasy writing, genres of writing, vocabulary, writing lists, writing short answers, writing a newspaper article, writing a business letter, literary response, writing a critique or review…

In other words…

The Six Trait Model is Big Picture Thinking for the Teacher

It’s true that the teacher will want to be giving lessons on the above six traits. The teacher will also want to keep these traits in mind as they conference with students and evaluate student writing. However, we should also keep in mind that there is more to teaching writing than just these six traits.

The truth is, for many elementary writers, voice is not nearly as important as simply being able to create writing which will get them good grades and allow them to complete their work in a reasonable amount of time. Too many elementary students struggle with simply getting the job done. In fact, too many middle school students struggle with simply getting the job done.

In elementary school, some traits are more important that other traits!

Here are THREE GREAT RESOURCES for learning how to see the end in mind in your elementary writing instruction:

The first resource is Stephen R. Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Habit #2 in this excellent book is “start with the end in mind.” Remember: Highly effective people make for highly effective teachers!

The second resource is Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. This book is an exciting new addition to understanding curriculum development though backwards design (also known as backwards planning). Once again, start with the end in mind!

The third resource for mapping out what you wish to accomplish in your writing instruction is the state standards for “English Language Arts.” The state standards may seem a bit dry, but they do explain where your students have been and where you need to take them.

Wishing you total writing success!

If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.
Lewis Carroll

If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.
Henry A. Kissinger

VS.

You cannot be lost on a road that is straight.
Proverb

Let’s Compare a Typical Fictionalized Version of a Writer vs. a Real Life Working Writer

Fictional Writer

Starting Out In the Evening is a movie about a once successful writer who is also a professor that teaches writing. He routinely explains his process by saying things such as, “I never know what my characters are going to do…” and “I let them go where they want to go and then see what happens.”

It seemed the process worked well in his early years, but now this writer/professor has been working on his current novel for nearly a decade. A novel that in the end goes nowhere and ends up in the trash. It took him a decade to realize that his story had nothing really important to say.

Real Life Writer

David Simon is a real life writer and creator of the television show The Wire. This is a show that many consider to be one of the greatest television shows ever. He said, “We know how it’s supposed to end and we know what happens to every character, and we know the thematic context of what we are trying to say. Then we start to break it down into how the parts are going to play out over 13 episodes.”

Our goals as teachers of writing should be clear based on this comparison!

(Note: The Wire is known for its realistic portrayal of inner-city decay. Season 4 took place inside the Baltimore, MD school system and gives a powerful and realistic portrayal of the challenges many inner-city schools face. One of the creators of the series was a former school teacher in the Baltimore school system, so he knows firsthand.)