Learning Styles in Education

Many different trends have occurred over the years in the field of education, and each one was touted to be the "thing" to successfully teach our children. A huge volume of books have been written about the different trends and methods presented by those calling themselves experts. CNN, MSNBC and FOX all have their educational experts.

We've gone from punishing to paying for grades. You know you couldn't participate in extracurricular activities if you failed, then someone came up with paying for grades. In the same breath that they say pay for grades, they tell you they have to cut programs-go figure.

When I was teaching in public school one of my favorite educational ideas came from someone I like to call Dr. Frankenstein. It was the famous "bean bag chair" escape or as I like to call it "what the". I know this had to be invented by the bean bag manufacturers of America. You see bean bags had gone the way of the hula-hoop. The bean bag manufacturers wanted to revitalize the bean bag industry, but could not get our first lady at the time to sit on one (recently Mrs. Obama did hula hoop). The baby boomers who were the bean bag chair generation were starting to have trouble sitting in regular chairs, and no sane person wanted to have a print of their backside for the entire world to see left on the bean bag. Not to mention trying to stand up after sitting on a beanbag is very unflattering.

Then Dr. Frankenstein came up with a plan-to sell them to school districts, they won't buy books or computers, give teachers raises, buy band instruments, but they will buy dumb bean bag chairs. Guess what? They did.

Dr. Frankenstein told the powers that be that the bean bag chairs were to be used because students learned differently. He informed them that some students could sit and learn at regular desks, some on the floor, some sitting on the bean bag chairs, some standing and some in other ways. People bought porch swings and sat them in their classrooms (students needed tranquility). An expert (ha!) told us about a student who constantly needed to be moving in order to concentrate fully. They put a treadmill in a classroom for him. What about the student who can't concentrate unless there is complete quietness and no movement? Well anyway there were students everywhere. They were on pillows, the infamous bean bag chairs, swings, floors, desks, everywhere. Were they learning, heck fire NO! They were learning that adults will buy into anything just like teenagers.

Each time I saw those two big blue and white bean bag chairs they gave me, I would cringe. There would be no swings, pillows or treadmills in my classroom. But I would go along with the program with the two big, and I do mean big bean bag chairs. I was a team player. It seemed they grew bigger each day (sort of like Audrey II in Little Shop of Horror). Everyone wanted to sit on them, they would argue, they would try sitting two on each one.

Then one day something happened-they were gone. The students wanted to round up a posse and go out into the school and find their beloved blue and white bean bag chairs. Since I was the sheriff of the room, I informed them I would take it upon myself to find them. I even offered a reward for their return-ha, ha. Sadly, I had to inform them that learning would have to continue, and we would have to go back to desks until the return of the blue and white bean bag chairs. As time went on, as most children do, the blue and white bean bag chairs faded from their memory. The bean bag chairs, pillows, swings and even the treadmill disappeared never to return again.

Experts come and go. School districts are always trying to find some new trend to confuse students and teachers. They are correct when they say that students learn differently. The bean bag chairs may have worked in some classrooms. Traditional desk seem to work in others. This year the experts may come up with a plan to play jacks to help with hand eye coordination. Maybe they can sell the idea of hopscotch to help with balance. Don't laugh there is an "expert" out there just itching to become the next "bean bag chair" educational expert. Dr. Frankenstein is probably sitting in his bean bag chair on some wonderful beach enjoying all the money he made selling bean bag chairs to school districts.