The impact of varying teaching style techniques to better match learning styles in the science classroom

This paper will address the correlation between student learning styles and the mode of delivery employed for instruction, and the outcome: student test scores. By integrating a learning style assessment with a teaching style assessment the researcher challenges the belief that science needs to be taught in a systematic, methodical fashion and varying teaching style will result in significantly higher test scores. The test scores of a class taught with traditional science teaching delivery (lecture style) and the test scores of a class taught with various teaching styles were then compared. The method employed involved using a learning style survey to assess the learning preferences of the students and using a teaching style survey to evaluate the teaching techniques employed in the classroom. A comparison of the results and utilization of the data was used to plan lessons to match the learning style preferences of the students. Findings show that there were negligible differences in the test scores of the control and experimental groups. Although no significant increase in test scores was noted, the experimental group students did increase class participation and voice their enjoyment of the varied lessons