Finding every single way to help children understand themselves, heal from their experiences, and become their best selves all depends on communicating in a way they can grasp. Since every child starts in a different place, professionals at Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch use many different tools and approaches.
The Occupational Therapists who work at the Ranch help children learn coping skills. They also teach the kids about how we all respond to sensory input according to our own preferences and experiences. Last week, I received the following email from our Occupational Therapy Supervisor, Renae Fettig, about an eye-opening exercise she did in group work with the children.
“Self-Awareness” was this week’s focus in our new group structure. Each group member completed their own quiz to identify what they perceived as their learning style and why this is important to understand. Note, this is not a formal standardized assessment but rather a self-reflection of how each resident feels they learn best. Here are the results.
In this group, we learned that:
"K" is an Auditory Learner
"E" is a mostly Visual learner with some Kinesthetic/Tactile
"Z" is a mostly Kinesthetic/Tactile learner but equally Auditory and Visual
"K" is a Visual Learner
"L" is a Visual Learner
"D" is a Kinesthetic/Tactile Learner
Visual Learners like to see things. Learning materials such as flip charts, videos, pictures, and handouts are helpful. They often draw graphs or pictures to explain ideas or concepts.
Auditory Learners like to hear and talk about things and find that small group discussions, music, and lecture-type presentations promote learning. They often like to talk through homework assignments or tasks or create songs to remember things like spelling words.
Kinesthetic or Tactile Learners like to feel things and prefer “hands-on” activities, simulations, and games that involve movement. They often like to trace the shape of things or build models of the things they are studying. These youth enjoy moving as they learn.
I’ve always known that I am a largely auditory learner. K and I have that in common!
Please keep our kids and staff in your prayers.
In His love,
Joy Ryan, President/CEO
Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
Sign up today to receive ministry updates and stories about our precious kids directly to your inbox!