Is it ADHD or a kinesthetic learning style?

Continuing our summer mini-series on learning styles, I’m pleased to share this guest post and video from Madison McWilliams, who runs The Joule School. This unique program is now enrolling for Fall 2014.

At The Joule School, we serve students who are considered bodily-kinesthetic learners. These are children who learn best when they are allowed to engage their hands and feet as well as their minds. To some, there may appear to be an overlap between these children and those who have been diagnosed with ADHD, a neurological condition characterized in part by hyperactivity (the need to move often and difficulty in sitting still).  

Introductory material on learning styles is available here, here, and here. In short, a learning style is the method by which a student takes new information and converts it into knowledge. Learning styles influence the entire educational process, including which strategies children use when studying for tests and the types of subjects that they prefer. Many education experts recognize three primary learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.

A kinesthetic learning style is characterized by an ability to retain (memorize) information best when it is related to movement.  When presented with new material at school, kinesthetic learners zero in on action that can be performed with the human body. They have an innate ability to copy movement and tend to excel in gross and fine motor activities such as dance, sports, art, or playing instruments. While telling a story, they will likely act out the scene or role-play while they speak.  Kinesthetic learners function best in a classroom where they can role-play, build, measure, jump, sing, and experiment because all of these actions help them process information into long-term memory.  

Kinesthetic kids have a long history of being unsuccessful and/or unhappy in traditional schools because their natural tendency toward movement is at odds with desk-and-lecture classroom structure. These children

• tend to “zone out” when listening to a teacher for a long period of time and may daydream or doodle;
• have difficulty concentrating on paper-and-pencil assignments;
• get “the wiggles,” which may lead some students to fidget, kick, or get out of their seats;
• may interrupt a student or teacher (likely with requests to show or demonstrate something);
• may drop things on purpose, in order to have an excuse to get out of the seat to pick it up; and
• walk to the pencil sharpener or bathroom an unnecessary number of times.

Misinformation has led many adults to automatically assume that behaviors like these (especially from boys) are the result of ADHD. Teachers of these students may respond with discipline or by contacting parents with a referral for ADHD testing. In fact, while the rate of ADHD in youth is approximately 8 percent of the total population, one recent study noted that when given a diagnostic checklist, schoolteachers rated 20–23 percent of the entire male population at their schools as having ADHD.*  This is not surprising, as the symptoms of ADHD in the classroom are almost identical to those of a kinesthetic learning style.  ADHD students often

• blurt out answers to questions;
• fidget in their seats, kicking the seat in front;
• daydream;
• have difficulty listening to a teacher for long periods of time;
• may get out of their desks and wander around the classroom at an inappropriate time; and
• interrupt the teacher or classmates.

Since the manifestations of ADHD and a kinesthetic learning style are so similar, it is prudent to address an ADHD referral by first screening a child for a kinesthetic learning style. This helps ensure that the child's behaviors are not simply evidence of a mismatch between his or her needs as a student and the learning environment. Two simple questions can help establish whether or not the student is challenged by ADHD or is simply a bodily-kinesthetic learner:

1. When provided with a bodily-kinesthetic lesson, do the “ADHD symptoms” disappear or appear to be dramatically reduced?

True kinesthetic learners will be able to stay engaged in a lesson that allows them to use their bodies. For example, a kinesthetic learner who is offered the opportunity to classify roots by movement and touch will probably be quite successful during the lesson and subsequent evaluation, because such an activity stimulates his or her mind. Students with ADHD, which is characterized by impulse control issues, may still find themselves distracted, fight the urge to disrupt or abandon the lesson, or have difficulty explaining what they are doing when prompted by a teacher to describe their learning.  

If a child is suspected of having ADHD because he or she struggles to sit still in class, stakeholders should try a kinesthetic lesson in a subject that the student ordinarily does not enjoy. (This is recommended because we all tend to concentrate better if we like the subject being taught.) If the student can remain focused during the lesson and retain the material taught, then it is likely that he or she simply has a mobile learning style. If the child completes the hands-on activities but shows little or no retention of the concepts covered, or seems far too stimulated by the hands-on environment to focus on the lesson, then an appropriate expert in ADHD should be consulted.

 2. Do appropriate ADHD accommodations help the child focus or achieve in school?

ADHD accomodations are designed for visual and auditory learners who need additional help to overcome their struggles with distractibility and hyperactivity. These children often retain material best if it is taught in a traditional format with traditional assignments, but they simply cannot focus on the lesson long enough for the material to sink in. There are dozens of research-based accommodations for these children. For visual learners, an appropriate ADHD accommodation might be a written checklist of tasks to help them organize and complete an assignment, which they can cross off as they progress through each task. Using audiobooks as a supplement to text-based materials can help hold the attention of an auditory student with ADHD. If appropriate accommodations are implemented and they facilitate gains in student learning, then the child may be a visual or auditory learner who simply needs assistance in focusing, and a specialist in ADHD can make recommendations for that student.

A Sample Lesson for Kinesthetic Learners

I will leave you with a brief video I made to demonstrate one example of a simple and effective math lesson geared to kinesthetic learners. Please feel free to leave questions or comments below; I’d love to continue the discussion.

Madison McWilliams

* Nolan et al. (2001), Teacher reports of DSM-IV ADHD, ODD, and CD symptoms in schoolchildren, Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 40, 241—249.

The joy of learning styles

A parent in one of my recent consultation sessions asked, “How do I figure out my kid’s learning style when she’s just a toddler?” My answer: You don’t. At this age, you wait, you watch, you experiment. Above all, you pay attention to her emotions in learning situations.

What do emotions have to do with it? Well, while the research is inconclusive regarding the outcomes of applying learning styles theory to classroom practices, and there is disagreement among education experts about how best to determine and label these styles, you can be sure of one thing: learning style preferences matter—because happy, relaxed learning is the best learning. You know this intuitively.

Let’s say you need to learn a new language for your job. Put yourself in a stressful, uncomfortable situation, and your mind goes blank. But get in your groove, whatever that groove may be—listening to language lessons with your favorite music in the background, shooting hoops while practicing with a native speaker, or making a gorgeous set of flashcards with your best art supplies—and you soak up the lessons like a sponge.

Austin’s alternative educators understand this powerful phenomenon. Whether or not they subscribe to Neil Fleming’s well-known auditory/visual/kinesthetic model or Howard Gardner’s broader and more elegant formulation in Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, or any other particular theory, they’ve built their successful schools on a profound understanding of the simple concept that one size does not—and never will—fit all. That’s why they create systems that honor each student’s individual mix of needs and learning style preferences, allow room for flexibility, and cultivate joy.

I’m likely to post more about learning preferences here in the future. For now, I’ll leave you with this lighthearted infographic that the good people at OnlineEducation.net offered to share with Alt Ed Austin’s readers. Take this fun little quiz, and then leave us a comment: What’s your most joyful learning style?

Teri

The magic of making

In the most interesting presentation I attended yesterday at SXSWedu, Dale Dougherty made an impassioned and convincing case for informal learning, particularly in the form of “maker education.” The conference so far has been heavy on presentations promoting digital technologies and their many uses in education, and while I am all for using the latest tools when they can help meet the needs of learners, I will admit that it felt like a breath of fresh air to hear about kids in schools and other settings making real, physical things with their own hands.

Dougherty is the founding editor and publisher of MAKE Magazine and co-creator of Maker Faire, the “Greatest Show and Tell on Earth,” which began in the California Bay Area in 2006. Last spring he helped launch the Maker Education Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing “a new generation of ‘makers’ who are creative, innovative, and curious.” He is also one of the leaders of Makerspace, which helps and encourages people to establish dedicated spaces for making in their schools, libraries, and neighborhoods.

In his keynote address, “The Magic of Making: Engaging Students as Makers,” Dougherty described the future of education as “IFFY”: Informal, involving Friends and Family, and centered on You and your goals. Making is by nature IFFY, he said, and when schools devote space, time, and resources to open-ended, project-oriented making of all kinds, they transform themselves into the centers of authentic learning that our communities desperately need. Projects like these provide the most natural and effective kind of learning assessment: students have tangible products they can show and stories they can tell about the problem-solving, design, and building process. One of Dougherty’s current goals is to “scale up” the creation of Makerspaces and maker programs to give all kids, at every socioeconomic level and in every community large or small, the chance to discover that they, too, are makers.

Later, Dougherty joined the local maker community for an interactive evening cohosted by the Austin Hardware Startup Meetup and Austin Mini Maker Faire at Capital Factory, a tech startup incubator, accelerator, and coworking space in downtown Austin. To a standing-room-only crowd filled with representatives of ATX Hackerspace, Round Rock’s TechShop, San Antonio’s Geekdom, and other Central Texas maker organizations and individuals, Dougherty spoke of Maker Faire’s success in bringing together people who do very different things (e.g., embroiderers, robot builders, kombucha brewers) who don’t necessarily know each other or believe they have anything in common. It also “flushes people out of their basements and garages,” where they have been pursuing their passions in isolation, and helps them share their skills and joy in making with other makers and the world.

Following Dougherty’s informal talk, he engaged audience members in a lively conversation about ways to strengthen, expand, and diversify the Austin maker community. Suggestions included developing networks of mentors and designing maker spaces to be friendlier to women and others not traditionally comfortable in these kinds of places. Dougherty emphasized summer camps as opportunities to practice maker education in less restrictive conditions than most schools can provide and encouraged camp directors to network with each other to establish as many maker experiences as possible for kids in Austin and beyond.

In wrapping up, Dougherty encouraged everyone to get involved in and help spread the word about this year’s Austin Mini Maker Faire, which takes place May 5 at the Palmer Events Center. Faire producer Kami Wilt announced that the Call for Makers is open through March 15 and that earlybird tickets are already on sale. Sponsorships are available at various levels. Alt Ed Austin is a proud sponsor of this all-ages, homegrown event, and I invite you to join us there to experience the magic of making.

Crazy in the name of education

We, as a modern adult society, are quite literally “driving our children crazy in the name of education,” according to author and Boston College research professor Peter Gray. Speaking yesterday at the SXSWedu conference, where I’ll be reporting for Alt Ed Austin throughout the week, Gray cited numerous studies showing a marked increase since the mid-1950s in childhood psychopathology. This change is closely correlated, he said, with the expansion of in-school and homework hours and the attendant decline in children’s free play time over the same half-century. Careful to note that he could not definitively prove a causal relationship, he said that after more than thirty years of professional research and personal observation, he considers the “continual usurpation of children’s free time” to be the most likely reason for the rise in anxiety disorders, depression, and suicide among children and teenagers.

Gray, author of a widely used introductory psychology text now in its sixth edition, explained that the higher numbers are not, as some might suggest, the results of today’s better diagnostic tools or broader recognition of these disorders; rather, they reflect data from standardized assessment tools that have not changed over the decades as they have been used to measure anxiety levels and depression in normalized samples of children and adolescents. Interestingly, the psychopathology numbers do not correspond at all with economically difficult periods or wartime, Gray said; children seem to have weathered the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War—all shown to have been seriously stressful times for adults—with no significant increase in mental or emotional distress. What is stressful for children, Gray posited, is the lack of freedom to play and a shortage of friends to play with.

Play by definition is self-directed, Gray said. “It is nature’s means of teaching children to take control of their own lives.” We are naturally selected, he explained, to practice solving problems on our own from a very young age. Independent play, especially the kind that pushes safety boundaries—like young chimpanzees swinging just a bit too high or far—is necessary for healthy development. Animal behavior researchers believe this is about learning to regulate fear and other emotions, he said. Unlike our hunter-gatherer ancestors (and members of the few such societies that survive today), children in the United States and most other developed economies largely miss out on these crucial developmental experiences.

According to Gray, the closest modern students can come to the kind of freedom young humans experienced in the egalitarian hunter-gatherer societies that were the norm from 1.8 million years ago until only ten thousand years ago (the latter characterized as “an evolutionarily insignificant amount of time”) is in schools that follow the Sudbury model of democratic education. As a longtime observer of and sometime systematic researcher at the original Sudbury Valley School in Framingham, Massachusetts, Gray has concluded that it closely resembles the hunter-gatherer mode of education, although its founders did not set out with this goal in mind. These schools, Gray said, share the following conditions that make them work:

• unlimited freedom to play and explore—“because that's how children educate themselves”
• free age mixing
• access to a variety of knowledgeable and caring adults
• access to the culture’s tools and freedom to use them, especially the cutting-edge ones that help them prepare for the future
• immersion in a stable, moral, democratic community (in contrast to what Gray characterizes as the “tyranny” of traditional schools, where kids have virtually no legal rights)

Gray’s new book, Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, was officially released today. It documents the evidence for his theories in detail, drawing on research in anthropology, behavioral and evolutionary psychology, and historical sources. You can also find more of Gray’s writings on play and education at his Psychology Today blog, Freedom to Learn. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on his provocative work; please feel free to share them in the comments below.

Peter Gray will give a talk and Q&A tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the Clearview Sudbury School. It is free and open to the public. More details about the event are on Clearview’s blog and Facebook event page.

Small is beautiful

There is no right school size for everyone. Some children thrive in large groups with many diverse social opportunities such as those found in most public schools and typical private schools. But many children (and adults, for that matter) feel overwhelmed by crowds and find that they don’t function at their best when surrounded by too many people. They blossom in small groups and when nurtured with individual mentoring. That’s one reason Alt Ed Austin’s Alternative School Directory is focused on small programs. (You can find somewhat larger progressive schools in our carefully curated Other Recommended Schools directory.)

My son’s school during his upper elementary and early middle school years was what some in the education world refer to as a “microschool” and others like to call “small but mighty.”  It had about a dozen students and one main teacher (though students also learned from parent volunteers, neighbors, and guest speakers, as well as from artists, artisans, and other community experts the students visited in their workplaces). Now a teenager, my son is one of about 60 students enrolled in high school and middle school classes at another innovative school in Austin. These are just two of many intentionally small schools featured on this site, and the demand for this kind of intimate learning environment is growing. To be sure, some of the smallest schools in the directory are simply new; they plan to grow in student enrollment, staff size, and facilities—but not to exceed the size of a well-functioning community.

What is the upper limit of such a community? That’s a matter of opinion, and education researchers continue to debate the issue and to study the effects of “small learning communities” or “schools within schools” established in the last two decades in Boston, New York, and other large cities—even right here as part of AISD’s High School Redesign. The main idea behind the Human Scale Education Movement is that smaller classes and school communities lead to closer relationships between teachers and students and among fellow students, which in turn lead to higher levels of academic engagement, fewer dropouts, better test scores, higher rates of college admissions, etc. These programs generally try to cap learning communities at around 300 (so, for example, an urban high school of 1,200 students might encompass 4 separate or semiseparate learning communities that stick together with the same teachers and advisers for several years).

These smaller learning communities within large urban public schools are a good step in the right direction, but 300 is still too many for some kids, perhaps most. For my purposes at Alt Ed Austin, I’ve chosen to embrace Dunbar’s Number, a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom a human being can maintain stable relationships, which works out to approximately 150. First proposed by the British anthropologist Robin Dunbar and popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point, Dunbar’s Number has come to be seen as a useful guideline in organizing groups in business, industry, law enforcement, some European government agencies, and even online social networks. Why not education?

Here’s a brief video primer on Dunbar’s Number, by Robin Dunbar himself:

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2010/02/18/Robin_Dunbar_How_Many_Friends_Does_One_Person_Need Evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar expands on "Dunbar's number," his theory that the maximum number of stable relationships a person can maintain is approximately 150. Time to delete a few hundred Facebook friends?

What’s your upper size limit for a school or other created community? Do you have a lower limit? Does it depend on the age of the students or other factors? Does size matter?

[2018 update: My son, mentioned above, is now in college, studying at a terrific small liberal arts college.]

Teri