Meeting Different Learning Styles in the Correctional Education Setting (From Correctional Education - A Focus on Success, 1983, Helen E Pecht, ed. - See NCJ-95891)

• NCJ Number: 95894
• Author(s): R L Fizzell
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Factors found to affect a student's ability to learn -instructional mode, cognitive style, the environment, and curriculum preferences -- are explored, and ways to adapt these instructional concepts to the correctional setting are suggested.

Abstract

It has been evident for years that students in correctional facilities need individualized education programs, but this has been accomplished by providing materials at the appropriate level, adjusting the pace, and providing tutoring. This approach has had limited success, but now educators know that several factors affect conditions under which an individual learns best. Furthermore, traditional schooling seldom has dealt with clearly stated instructional objectives which are critical to an individualized program. Any individualized learning program must have a statement of objectives based on a scheme amenable to assessment, such as Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. Correctional settings cannot address all factors affecting learning styles, but they do permit great time flexibility and can deal with differing instructional modes, various cognitive styles, and curriculum preferences. For example, students can select the time of day or night when they want to study and can decide if they want to stay with one subject until a specified level of skill is reached or shift topics according to a schedule. In a larger program, students can be divided by the instructional modes of group teaching, peer tutoring, and self-instruction. Tables, examples, and seven references are supplied.