
The SHARE model is simple, practical, and powerful. Do you often wonder why some students excel at studying and find things simple while others struggle with the same methods that are practical? Do you ever feel as though you just cannot use your full potential at communicating and receiving information, either as a student or a teacher?
You may think there is something wrong or that you are not smart enough, but really it could just be that you’re not using the proper learning style that is best suited for you. But let me tell you that none of this should worry you – all of us are unique and have unique skills and abilities. We learn differently, in different ways.
A learning style is a useful modality of learning that varies from one individual to another and can take many shapes and forms. There are many different styles of learning that have been introduced into the education system, but the focus of what you will be reading today is the SHARE model. This model is simple, practical, and indeed powerful if understood rightly. As a teacher, it is best to find out how you learn and then identify how your students also learn. So, what is this SHARE model talking about? You will learn as we move on.
School Management
Teachers
This model or modality is conceptualized from my experience as a teacher, coordinator, and school principal. I worked very closely with the teachers and students to understand why they were so different from one another. I taught different students and noticed that they all were different, unique, and had diverse needs to learn concepts in the class. Whenever we had staff meetings or teacher training sessions, I noticed the same among teachers too. They all were individuals who had their own style or way of learning and accepting the concepts and ideas shared. Thus, I hit upon the idea of developing a useful and practical way of helping teachers and students to learn things in their own style. This gave birth to the SHARE model. Read on to know what this model is all about.
Well, the ‘S’ stands for ‘SEE.’ What do you understand from this? You got it right! Many of us learn things by just seeing something related to them. For example, a few students in your class may learn from a chart or a drawing that you show them. You may display posters in the class and these students learn just by looking at them a few times. It is as if they have a photographic memory! Such learners can focus on visuals and absorb all information through their eyes. You should watch out for these learners in your class and make a note of them as students who learn by ‘seeing.’
You are teaching a very important concept and what do you notice? Four of your learners have buried their heads into their textbooks and have no eye contact with you. Now that is a disturbing act, isn’t it? One may choose to call it an act of disrespect too! When you walk up to them and check what they are up to, you notice that they were busy writing notes in their textbooks! They wrote down the important points mentioned by you and highlighted a few words and phrases in the book. How would you react or respond? You would respond if you knew that they learn by reading and writing or they are simply ‘read-write’ learners. So, now you have a set of students who are the ‘R’ learners. Make a note of them for future reference.
The common observation in most classes is a couple of children behave differently. While everyone is focusing on the teaching, these students are happily walking around the class, taking someone’s pencil away, asking permission to go out of the class, and looking out of the window! It is indeed tough to make them focus. They are restless. Now, assign a task to them, like solving a sum on the board, or fetching books from the cupboard, and they are fine. They are the learners who want to ‘experience’ things, and ‘learn by doing.’ Remember to keep them engaged by making them experiment for themselves and then learn. Make a note of this category of learners in your class.
Is there a simple way to remember this model? What are the tools to include in a lesson plan so that you can address all the different learners in one class? Let us look at a few of them here.
‘SEE’ Learners
‘HEAR’ Learners
‘Read – Write’ Learners
‘Experience’ Learners