Learning Styles and Inclusion

′[Gavin Reid] provides some useful links to websites devoted to different approaches. Some of the ideas relating to specific areas of the curriculum, for example, the suggested approaches to the teaching of modern languages, are likely to be particularly valuable. Reid also outlines strategies using learning styles for pupils with learning differences, including attention disorders, dyslexia, developmental co-ordination difficulties, number difficulties, and those on the autistic spectrum′ - Times Educational Supplement Extra for Special Needs `We have been lucky enough to hear Gavin speak twice in the last year and those of you who have also heard him will know that he is at the cutting edge of his field. This book really encompasses those areas that are particularly topical and the "buzz" words on everyone′s lips! This book clearly sets out "who" is involved in inclusion and "what" is actually meant by learning styles. Gavin not only offers practical strategies but also suggests how "old hands" could vary their teaching styles to appeal to all types of learners. Therefore we feel this book is for the main stream teacher as well as the specialist and, if this is a target area for your school, this book might be a valuable addition to your bookshelf′ - SATIPS `In this book, Gavin Reid has grasped the nettle (of inclusion) with both hands and provided a text that is full of common sense and practical suggestions as to how the mainstream teacher can draw upon recent psychological theory and research to enhance the learning of all children. He jumps on no bandwagons but draws judiciously from a wide range of approaches to assessing learning styles and links what can be learned about groups and individuals from such techniques to helpful classroom practice′ - Professor Bob Burden, School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of Exeter `Gavin Reid is that rare professional who not only explains how and why children learn best, but also suggests a myriad of practical strategies to help them. I highly recommend this book for everyone from undergraduates to "old hands" working toward successful inclusion. Parents, too, will profit from Dr. Reid′s wise and comprehensive experience′ - Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., Educational Psychologist and Author of "Your Child′s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence." 3rd Edition. NY: Broadway Books, 2004. Drawing on his considerable experience as a teacher, educational psychologist, lecturer and author, Gavin Reid illustrates how to assess pupils′ different learning styles and how to vary your teaching style to appeal to all types of learners, including disaffected students and those with special educational needs. This book provides an overview of the different stages in the learning cycle; describes the differences between learners; and emphasizes the role the classroom environment and different teaching styles play in children′s ability to learn. Readers will see how an understanding of learning styles can be used to encourage and promote good inclusive practice. Ideas for assessment of learning styles and examples of different teaching styles will prove invaluable to class teachers, trainee teachers, SENCOs, LEA advisers; NQTs and NQT advisers and school management

Table of Contents:
Learning Models and the Learning Cycle Learning Differences and Learning Styles The Role of the Learning Environment Background to Learning Styles Assessment of Learning Styles Learning Styles Learning and Teaching The Inclusive School Characteristics and Challenges Learning Styles in the Inclusive Context Promoting Effective Learning Learning Styles Strategies and Insights

About the Author :
Dr. Gavin Reid is an international consultant and psychologist with consultancies in Canada, UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australasia. He was Visiting Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, in the Department of Education and Counseling Psychology and Special Education in 2007 and 2010. ? He is chair of the British Dyslexia Association Accreditation Board and an ambassador for the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre in the UK and is a Consultant/Psychologist for the Centre for Child Evaluation and Teaching (CCET) in Kuwait and the Lighthouse Learning Centre in Cairo. He is also a director of the Red Rose School for children with specific learning difficulties in St Annes on Sea, Lancashire, UK.  He was formerly senior lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies (formally Department of Special Education), Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh, from 1991 to 2007. He has written 34 books on learning, motivation and dyslexia and lectured to thousands of professionals and parents in 75 countries. Some of his books have been published in Polish, Italian, Greek, Arabic, Hebrew, French, Latvian and Slovak. He is an experienced teacher with over ten years’ experience in the classroom and has held external examiner appointments at 20 universities worldwide for PhD and masters’ courses. He resides in Vancouver and Edinburgh. His email is gavinreid66@gmail.com and his website is: www.drgavinreid.com

Review :
`We have been lucky enough to hear Gavin speak twice in the last year and those of you who have also heard him will know that he is at the cutting edge of his field. This book really encompasses those areas that are particularly topical and the "buzz" words on everyone′s lips! This book clearly sets out "who" is involved in inclusion and "what" is actually meant by learning styles. Gavin not only offers practical strategies but also suggests how "old hands" could vary their teaching styles to appeal to all types of learners. Therefore we feel this book is for the main stream teacher as well as the specialist and, if this is a target area for your school, this book might be a valuable addition to your bookshelf′ - SATIPS ′[Gavin Reid′ provides some useful links to websites devoted to different approaches. Some of the ideas relating to specific areas of the curriculum, for example, the suggested approaches to the teaching of modern languages, are likely to be particularly valuable. Reid also outlines strategies using learning styles for pupils with learning differences, including attention disorders, dyslexia, developmental co-ordination difficulties, number difficulties, and those on the autistic spectrum′ - Times Educational Supplement Extra for Special Needs `In this book, Gavin Reid has grasped the nettle (of inclusion) with both hands and provided a text that is full of common sense and practical suggestions as to how the mainstream teacher can draw upon recent psychological theory and research to enhance the learning of all children. He jumps on no bandwagons but draws judiciously from a wide range of approaches to assessing learning styles and links what can be learned about groups and individuals from such techniques to helpful classroom practice′ - Professor Bob Burden, School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of Exeter `Gavin Reid is that rare professional who not only explains how and why children learn best, but also suggests a myriad of practical strategies to help them. I highly recommend this book for everyone from undergraduates to "old hands" working toward successful inclusion. Parents, too, will profit from Dr. Reid′s wise and comprehensive experience′ - Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., Educational Psychologist and Author of "Your Child′s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence." 3rd Edition. NY: Broadway Books, 2004. ′Gavin Reid uses a holistic overview approach to describe the learning process with a view to having more control over what and how students learn; in order to maximize the effectiveness of the learning experience. The focus moving from the ′task′ (what to learn) to the ′how′ making sure that the student′s learning is optimized. The author provides an awareness of the wide variety of learning styles, their strengths and limitations, and how their selective application can help provide a diverse, individually structured, meaningful learning experience for everyone regardless of ability. In this sense he provides a useful summary of the wide variation in learning style models and gives an appreciation of how they can be used to assist ′inclusion′. The information is presented in an easy-to-digest format and, following its own principles, uses various different methods to summarise the specific chapter (e.g. key points, mind maps, pictorial route maps, etc.) in order to help the reader get the most from the book′ - The Psychologist ′This book will indeed be of value to those involved at the "chalk face" of educational inclusion... It cannot but help to raise issues and questions about the reader as a learner, as well as about educational practice. Gavin Reid tells us in his introduction that "in the climate of inclusion an understanding of how children learn, and of learning styles, is not only desirable but essential." To this end, this book is most definitely a helpful resource′ - Support For Learning