Learner Strategies / Learner Focused Teaching

One of the strategies discussed in chapter 5 is Adapting Instructions to Learning Styles.
First I think it is effective to help students to become aware of their learning style if they are not aware of what that learning style is.
In Diaz-Rico they discuss that it would help the teacher in knowing his or her own style to appreciate the differences in how we learn.

Some students are visual/verbal learners while others may be auditory , tactile or analytical.
Being aware of the learning style of your students opens up the opportunity for more effective teaching.
The lesson planning process would become more tailored to the needs of the student in terms of their learning styles. Our lessons would now be supported by visual aids and hands on learning processes that give students the experience of learning in an effective way that reaches the student in a way that is effective in that you connect with the students better when they see that our school is connected to what they are like outside the classroom door.

In Special Education students are assessed to determine if there is a processing disorder and as a result it guides the teacher to the learning style that is best suited for this student. This in turn allows the teachers to plan individualized lessons based on that student's learning style.
We need to observe the EL learner and talk to the families to determine the learning style so that our teaching can be aligned to the student's learning style.