The Sequential Learning Style

This post will look at the sequential learning style.  This particular style is for those that have a hard time finishing the job.  Some people must stick to one task until it is done or they will leave it unfinished.  Unlike the simultaneous learning style where several projects can be going at once, the sequential learning style involves one thing at a time.

The Distracted
We all know those people that once distracted from a task are never able to pick it up and finish it.  A lot of us have this issue to varying degrees.  My husband is a 90-95% person.  He finishes a task up to 90-95% and then he is done.  Getting him to finish that other 5-10% most of time becomes a lost cause. For me, this kicks in when I have to do something I really dislike.  If I let myself get distracted, it is over.  The unpleasant task will get shelved until it hits the "absolutely must get done now" category.  Taxes every year fall into this scenario.

Finish the Job
For children, learning to finish the job can be a very difficult lesson.  Of course, like so many other good habits that have gone the way of the wind, this one can be complicated by the prevalent parenting style of today.  When you do too much for your children, they will not learn to do for themselves.  Many times it is so much easier to do for them than to let them do it themselves that most parents do not even realize they are sabotaging teaching their children to finish the job.  I had a scenario come up in my childcare recently where I had to teach my mother to stop doing for the children.  I have often caught her during pick-up time picking up sometimes half of the kid's mess just to get them done faster. Growing up under her I knew this to be one of her weaknesses that I often exploited as a child.  Finally, a scenario presented itself that allowed me to talk to her about enabling the children.  One of our two year olds made a huge mess under my watch.  I do not pick up for them because I have my center times structured in such a way that I know exactly who made each mess.  Each child is responsible for his/her mess, period.  After the child finally picked up the enormous mess, I had a talk with my mom about how it was important that I not do it for the child.  My mom had never considered how much she enabled the children to not finish the job.  She learned a bigger lesson that day than the child did.

Rotate vs Finish the Job
Sometimes a situation calls for rotating jobs to break up the monotony.  However, when it becomes apparent that finishing the job has become an issue, then it is time to switch to the sequential learning style.  These two learning styles often fall in most people's learning repertoire depending on the circumstances.  As a teacher, you must be observant enough to see when a situation calls for breaking up monotony or finishing the job.  With children this will shift back and forth from day to day.  Some days the children work better with the rotating of activities.  Other days, stubbornness rears its ugly head and finishing the job becomes top priority.  This is why flexibility in a schedule can make or break your day.  Many times in the one-on-one instruction I do with the children everyday, I will run across a topic that requires us to dig in and work through something.  I always make sure I have buffers in my schedule to allow for those times.  Sometimes an activity that the child had no problem with the day before suddenly becomes an issue because of an attitude or mood swing.  When this happens, all else falls away and finishing this activity becomes top priority.  I do not do this because the activity in and of itself is so all-important.  What becomes important is working through a difficult situation.  The child needs to learn to push through difficult circumstances or activities that do not fall on their favorite list as much as adults need to learn the same lesson.

Daily Routines
Not only do you need flexibility in a schedule to allow for those circumstances where you must switch gears to deal with a situation, but you also need to have daily activities that teach finishing the job.  Daily routines often make the best times to zero in on teaching this skill.  Having a specific order for a routine helps the child to concentrate on one thing at a time and not move on to the next thing until the first is finished.  Our center rules have this built into them.  The children must pick up their mess before they can transition to the next activity.  After nap time, the children must pack up their pillow, blanket, and sheet in their box before they can come for snack.  This MUST be consistent from day to day in order for it to be effective.  If you are doing it for them when issues arise, you are sabotaging what you are trying to teach them.  With small children all important lessons usually come with wailing and gnashing of teeth at one point or another (or daily).  Do not sweat the occasional hissy fit because the child had to finish the job.

When to Use the Sequential Learning Style
The sequential learning style for most children comes into play for some routines or a difficult or unpleasant subject.  However, some children cannot concentrate on more than one thing at a time.  These children will need everything structured in the sequential style.  Like all other matters dealing with learning styles, observation and trial and error will tell you if you have this scenario.  When a child has serious concentration issues, you might try giving that child only one task at a time.  Do not even mention the next task until the first one is complete.  Lead the child step by step through a process to see if that works well for that child.  This sometimes works extremely well when dealing with toddlers and two year olds, but you really want them to transition to being able to follow more than one direction at a time.  You will also see this with immature three, four, and five year olds.  Again, you want them to eventually transition to being able to follow more than one direction at a time.  However, some children require the step by step process every time a new concept is introduced whether it be a routine or an academic concept.  They eventually transition when the concept becomes familiar, but will shut down when a slight variation is introduced.  These are the children that require the near constant sequential learning style.  They need to only concentrate on one thing at a time and must learn to follow the process to completion.

I hope you have enjoyed this post.  Goodbye and God bless!! Check out Natalie's children's books at:  https://www.amazon.com/author/nataliewade7457