The past few years, teachers and educators have been forced to adapt constantly as classrooms shift between remote, hybrid, and in-person learning. In the middle of lesson planning, you can get the fateful email that your classroom is switching modes yet again, meaning your lesson plan needs drastic changes\u2013or may have to be scrapped completely. Of course, students are struggling to manage these changes as well. Throughout it all, educators and administrators have kept their focus on making learning accessible for everyone, searching for tools to help keep students engaged as classrooms shift and change.<\/p>\n
One of the simplest ways to boost engagement and make the classroom a more collaborative, accommodating space is by incorporating an interactive smartboard into your lesson plan.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s explore how you can elevate your classroom, lesson plan, and students\u2019 experiences with a FVASEE Smartboard !<\/p>\n
How Educators Use Learning Styles
\nStudents sitting in class
\nStudents sitting in class<\/p>\n
Educators often leverage learning style categorizations to understand the different ways that students learn, behave, and interact in a classroom. By acknowledging that not every student is the same, and embracing students\u2019 differences, educators can provide equitable educational experiences and opportunities for all students.<\/p>\n
One of the most popular, tried and true methods to categorize learning styles is the VARK model , designed by Neil Fleming in 1987. The VARK model emphasizes the various ways that students learn\u2013and how educators can reshape their lessons to better fit with their students\u2019 specific learning preferences.<\/p>\n
The VARK model is broken down into four learning styles : Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Reading\/Writing. It\u2019s important to consider all of these learning styles when lesson planning or when deciding class rules\u2013are kids allowed to fidget with squishy toys while they work? Can they listen to music if it\u2019s not disrupting others?<\/p>\n
The FVASEE Smartboard helps tailor lessons to all different types of learners. Let\u2019s go over some different features and uses that can help all kinds of students learn, in whatever VARK style works best for them.<\/p>\n
How a Smartboard Makes Learning Accessible for Visual Learners
\nClass taught on a FVASEE Smartboard
\nClass taught on a FVASEE Smartboard<\/p>\n
According to the VARK model , visual learners work best in a learning environment that uses images, illustrations, and graphics. Rather than reading a report or listening to a lecture, visual learners excel when studying diagrams, watching video demonstrations, and drawing charts, maps, and more.<\/p>\n
To better understand a new concept, the visual learner needs to see it.<\/p>\n
The smartboard is an easy choice for the visual learner. Students can use the board to draw free-hand diagrams\u2013 or use one of the many diagram templates available to them \u2013and better understand new ideas on the screen. With FVASEE\u2019s infinite Canvas, there\u2019s never a need to erase the board to make room for more ideas.<\/p>\n
With a smartboard, visual brainstorming is a given. Students can leverage FVASEE\u2019s pen tools to highlight, underline, and circle text\u2013or they can write in different colors to make the most important points stand out. Teachers can also easily upload photos into the Canvas to help students learn and remember maps, historical figures, famous places, and more. Better yet, students and teachers can use the FVASEE stylus to annotate over images on the board to really make it all pop.<\/p>\n
Visual learners are also greatly benefitted by video content. With the FVASEE Smartboard, educators can pull up a documentary, lesson, or demonstration on YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, or other video sources.<\/p>\n
The FVASEE Smartboard also has the potential to help educate students with other kinds of learning differences. For example, students who are deaf or hard of hearing can more easily follow along with in-class instruction due to the visual capabilities of a smartboard, so educators can ensure that every student\u2019s learning needs are taken into account.<\/p>\n
How a Smartboard Makes Learning Accessible for Auditory Learners
\nThe VARK model defines auditory learners as those who learn best by listening. Sound is everything, whether the student is the one speaking or the one listening\u2013which means music and videos can help auditory learners gain a deeper understanding of material, as can oral communication and lectures.<\/p>\n
To better understand a new concept, the auditory learner needs to hear it.<\/p>\n
Luckily, the FVASEE Smartboard makes it easy to record any and all lectures within Canvas\u2013or you can download a third-party app to record the entire screen. This way, students can listen back in on class recordings to better grasp the material.<\/p>\n
Since communication is a key pillar of auditory learning, group discussions are a great way for students to get the point of a lesson. If your classroom is hybrid or remote, real-time collaboration is easy with FVASEE. Students can join the same Canvas to brainstorm ideas together, then use that as a jumping off point for deeper discussions. With the ability to access your Canvas from any device, anywhere, students can easily pull up class notes and Canvas recordings and start a new conversation wherever they are.<\/p>\n
If an auditory learner needs some extra assistance after school, tutoring sessions can be held over Zoom and recorded\u2013another way to provide the student with an audio recording they can revisit when needed. With plenty of video-conferencing options available on the FVASEE, students can participate in as many tutoring sessions or office hours as they need.<\/p>\n
How a Smartboard Makes Learning Accessible for Kinesthetic Learners
\nIn the VARK model , the kinesthetic learner is one who appreciates a \u201chands-on\u201d approach to learning, valuing physical interactions, movement, and more active forms of participation\u2013like building or sculpting\u2013in their learning environment of choice.<\/p>\n
To better understand a new concept, the kinesthetic learner needs to feel it.<\/p>\n
The FVASEE Smartboard is the perfect fit for more tactile learning. Students can come up to the board and draw, change elements, add diagrams\u2013the possibilities are endless. Plus, the FVASEE stylus offers a smooth drawing experience, so adding to the board is just like drawing on paper.<\/p>\n
For students who can\u2019t hold a pen or stylus, using a finger to navigate the board can be a huge help\u2013and students who can\u2019t make it up to the board can still actively participate in class by accessing the Canvas on their own personal device, such as an iPad, laptop, or phone.<\/p>\n
Like visual learners, kinesthetic learners can also benefit from the various pen tools and capabilities available on the smartboard, such as the laser pointer, highlighter, and shapes options. With annotation mode, students and teachers can take notes and (literally) draw attention to the most important points in a lecture, video, or presentation, keeping lessons highly interactive and collaborative.<\/p>\n
How a Smartboard Makes Learning Accessible for Reading\/Writing Learners:
\nStudents learning on a FVASEE Smartboard
\nStudents learning on a FVASEE Smartboard<\/p>\n
Another largely visual learning style, reading\/writing learners absorb information best when reading and writing text , rather than looking at illustrations or images.<\/p>\n
To better understand a new concept, the reading\/writing learner needs to spell it out.<\/p>\n
Reading\/writer learners excel when they can take active notes, make lists, and read texts\u2013all of which can be made easier with the right Canvas templates , such as the Flowchart , Decision Tree , or Problem Statement templates. You can also download third-party note-taking apps like Evernote to enhance your board\u2019s note-taking capabilities, so students can jot down notes in a way that works for them. To help with legibility, the Handwriting to Text feature on Canvas lets you quickly convert handwritten scrawl into standard text as you or your students write on the board.<\/p>\n
With a classroom centered around FVASEE\u2019s Canvas, all class notes and lecture recordings are automatically backed up in the cloud, meaning that students can always return to lessons, diagrams, and notes to reread key lesson points.<\/p>\n
Students with learning differences like dyslexia or ADHD can also benefit from being able to access Canvases later and learn on their own time\u2013especially since the Canvas doesn\u2019t need to be erased, so students can take as much time as they need to read through class notes that don\u2019t disappear once the lesson ends. With class notes and lessons centralized, students who struggle with staying organized never have to worry about forgetting the right papers, folders, or binders again. Not only that, but students who have a difficult time communicating with other students or adults can use the collaborative Canvas from their own device as a way to develop their communication skills at a safe, self-determined pace\u2013while still participating in class with other students.<\/p>\n
What We\u2019ve Learned
\nIt\u2019s important to keep in mind that the VARK model is just one approach to understanding how students can learn. Not everyone fits into one single learning style\u2013in fact, the VARK model is largely bimodal, with the majority of students fitting into two categories.<\/p>\n
The goal here isn\u2019t to pigeonhole students into small categories, but to broaden teachers\u2019 understanding of learning styles and make sure education is something that is accessible and accommodating to all students, no matter how they learn.<\/p>\n
img\/blog\/download-cta\/future-of-leanring.png
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The Future of Learning<\/p>\n
By making a FVASEE Smartboard the new center of your classroom , educators and administrators can better align lessons with different students\u2019 learning styles\u2013and keep every student feeling happy, engaged, and appreciated.<\/p>\n
Interested in exploring more ways that a FVASEE Smartboard can improve education? Check out more articles here .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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