Methods of Instruction Adjustment

"Adjustments based on learning styles" encourage students to understand their own learning preferences.

1. For example, some students need a longer period to reflect on ideas before beginning to apply them, while others prefer quick action.

2. Some students need to talk with others as they learn, while others need a quiet work space.

3. Some students learn best as they tell stories about ideas being explored, others as they create mind maps, and still others as they construct three-dimensional representations.

4. Some students may learn best through a practical application of ideas, others through a more analytical approach.

"Readiness-based adjustments" can be created by teachers offering students a range of learning tasks developed along one or more of the following continua:

1. "Simple to complex." Learners advanced in a subject often benefit from tasks that are more complex in resources, research, issues, problems, skills, or goals than less advanced peers.

2. "Basic to transformational." Learners advanced in a subject often benefit from tasks that require greater transformation or manipulation of information, ideas, materials, or applications than less advanced peers.

3. "Concrete to abstract." Learners advanced in a subject often benefit from tasks that involve more abstract materials, representations, ideas, or applications than less advanced peers.

4. "Fewer facets to multi-facets." Learners advanced in a subject often benefit from tasks that have more facets or parts in their directions, connections within or across subjects, or planning and execution than less advanced peers.

5. "More structured to more open." Learners advanced in a subject often benefit from tasks that are more open in regard to solutions, decisions, and approaches than less advanced peers.

6. "Smaller leaps to greater leaps." Learners advanced in a subject often benefit from tasks that require greater mental leaps in insight, application, or transfer than less advanced peers.

7. "Quicker to slower." Learners advanced in a subject will sometimes benefit from rapid movement through prescribed materials and tasks. At other times, they may require a greater amount of time with a given study than less advanced peers so that they may explore the topic in greater depth and/or breadth.

8. "Less independence to greater independence." Learners advanced in a subject often benefit from greater independence in planning, designing, and self-monitoring than less advanced peers.