Special

Learning Styles

In the late 1980s, Neil Fleming, an educator from New Zealand, developed a format to categorize four different learning styles: visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic (VARK). Rather than using one main technique to teach, educators are now aware that individual students learn best through different methods, and teachers strive to present material using varying techniques.

 

Scribble Play incorporates distinct tasks from all four styles, allowing caregivers and educators an opportunity to observe and assess an individual’s dominant learning style in order to determine how to give each student the best chance to succeed.

 

How the mind works during the learning process is being studied all over the world. Experts continue to discover new information about neurological networks. We do know, however, that the brain does not function as a set of independent areas, but as a network of specialized areas that collaborate. Electrical signals that send messages through your brain travel in the opposite direction when you’re imagining a scene rather than watching it. With this generation’s excess of visual stimuli and digital “input,” Scribfolio™ creates opportunities to reverse the direction of neuro-energy to a creative and conceptual mode, developing critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and passion for the creative process.

 

 Multiple Intelligences 

Harvard University’s Howard Gardner identified seven distinct intelligences. He maintains that “different kinds of minds learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways.” Students excel in one or more of the following ways, and Scribble Play touches on each of these intelligences:

1. Visual-Spatial ­— thinks in terms of physical space and environments. Visualizes an object from a simple scribble.

2. Bodily-Kinesthetic ­— has a keen sense of body awareness; enjoys movement, making things, and touching. Create Tactile sensations through drawing and coloring.

3. Musical ­— shows sensitivity to rhythm and sound. Have the visual creation reflect the tone of the music being played in the room.

4. Interpersonal ­— shows understanding and empathy, and enjoys interacting with others. Conduct group discussions about scribbles to provide varying perspectives.

5. Intrapersonal ­— prefers self-examination, introspection, and independent study. Use the compelling introductory question “What do you see?” to spark an individualized analysis.

6. Linguistic ­— uses words effectively and has highly developed auditory skills; often thinks in words. Find descriptive words and phrases to describe the unique creation.

7. Logical ­— thinks conceptually and abstractly and is able to see and explore patterns and relationships. Experiment by adding details to the scribble that provide a sense of logic and conceptual thinking.

 

Dyslexia and Learning Challenges

The underlying mechanism of dyslexia involves problems with the brain’s processing of language and visual stimuli. It is a cognitive disorder, not an indicator of intelligence. Those struggling with dyslexia and other learning challenges must find alternate methods to master educational skills and everyday tasks.
 

When the teacher gives initial instructions to a classroom of students, a dyslexic child often feels lost,

and has the mindset of “I can’t do this.” This is not the case with Scribfolio™. Scribblers are encouraged

to look at drawings from every angle, which teaches them to find alternate ways to accomplish an assignment. When individuals search their brains for something new, they often make amazing discoveries and accidentally come into their own creative brilliance.

Seventy-five percent of self-made millionaires are dyslexic; they account for a large number of

Oscar-award-winning actors, writers, and directors, as well as inventors like Alexander Graham Bell

(the telephone) and Thomas Edison (the electric light bulb).

If dyslexic students don’t learn at a young age how successful they can be, this can have a very negative effect on their self-esteem and psychological well-being. Scribfolio™ sets the stage for success, alleviating common stressors in the classroom. If a student is uncomfortable with writing, then the character studies and backstories can be done with an audio or video recorder so the scribbler can hone the art of storytelling without the constriction of needing to produce the written word. After the story has been developed, the scribbler can then replay the recording and take his or her time to compose the story into a written form.