ORLANDO, Fla. — Instructor awareness of learning styles is important for tailoring the instruction to the needs of the audience was the subject of a breakout session at the 2015 AHA Guidelines Instructor Update.
Participants, AHA BLS, ACLS and PALS instructors from around the world, were attending the one-day 2015 Guidelines Instructor Update at the Orange County Convention Center.
The instructors, AHA staff and volunteers, who are also paramedics, started the presentation with small group discussions of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. Each group explored their preferred teaching style for learning new content, their most dreaded teaching methods, and what a teacher should know about them to teach them effectively.
Memorable quotes on learning styles
Kelly Kohler, AHA director of training operations and paramedic, set the tone for the session. “You like to teach the way your learning style is. But you will have students with all types of learning styles,” Kohler said.
Steve Day, EMT-P, AHA Volunteer Management, shared a prompt that he often uses to engage different learning styles. Before playing a video segment Day likes to say (auditory) “Watch (visual) this because you are going to be doing (kinesthetic) it soon.”
Key takeaways from presenters and attendees
Here are three key takeaways from this session that are applicable to AHA instructors, as well as EMS educators and training officers.
1. Common learning styles are not singular learning styles
Though each instructor and student has a preferred learning style they are likely to encounter, as well as use other learning styles. A visual learner may prefer to watch a skill demonstration and still has a need for hands-on practice, which is kinesthetic.
2. Self-awareness might be more important than student awareness
Understanding our own learning style and how it impacts the way we teach might be more important than knowing the student’s learning style. Thus courses are designed for instructors to utilize instruction styles that vary the teaching method.
3. Teaching tips for the different learning styles
The session concluded with a set of tips, with plentiful examples, for each of the learning styles.
Visual learner tips:
- Display information.
- Provide study tips.
- Be seen, not just heard.
Auditory learner tips:
- Provide verbal sneak peeks.
- Maintain verbal enthusiasm.
- Have students read aloud.
Kinesthetic learner tips:
- Encourage self-directed learning.
- Teach and learn.
- Keep learners busy.
The session was well received by attendees. Many expressed their appreciation for the content. The faculty, Kohler, Day and David Rodgers, taught about learning styles with varied learning styles.
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