2 Fundamentals of Learning Styles
The researcher agrees with Reid (1995) when she asserts that learning styles have some fundamental characteristics, on which they are based. These are:
• Every person, student and teacher alike, has a learning style and learning strengths and weaknesses;
• Learning styles exist on wide continuums; although they are described as opposites.
• Learning styles are value-neutral; that is, no one style is better than others (although clearly some students with some learning styles function better in a US school system that values some learning styles over others)
• Students must be encouraged to “stretch” their learning styles so that they will be more empowered in a variety of learning
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Auditory learners best learn through listening (lectures, discussions, tapes, etc.). Tactile/kinesthetic learners prefer to learn via experience—moving, touching, and doing (active exploration of the world, science projects, experiments, etc.). Students can use the model to identify their preferred learning style and, it is claimed, maximize their learning by focusing on the mode that benefits them the most. Fleming's model also posits two types of …show more content…
They defined a learning style as "a gestalt—not an amalgam of related characteristics but greater than any of its parts. It is a composite of internal and external operations based in neurobiology, personality, and human development and reflected in learner behavior."
• Cognitive styles are preferred ways of perception, organization and retention.
• Affective styles represent the motivational dimensions of the learning personality; each learner has a personal motivational approach.
• Physiological styles are bodily states or predispositions, including sex-related differences, health and nutrition, and reaction to physical surroundings, such as preferences for levels of light, sound, and temperature.
According to the NASSP task force, styles are hypothetical constructs that help to explain the learning (and teaching) process. They posited that one can recognize the learning style of an individual student by observing his or her behavior. Learning has taken place only when one observes a relatively stable change in learner behavior resulting from what has been
Master said: ”live and learn.” Regardless of what, where or when we choose to obtain knowledge, how we approach learning is unique to each and every one of us based on our individual learning style or styles. It is the idea of behavior that suggests learning styles are a way of being, and can change over time. The good learning style can help us learn better and learn faster. Usually, there are seven learning styles: first, Visual.
This tool states that learning is made up of four basic phases, which includes diverging, assimilating, converging, and accommodating, that gives one a better understanding of how they learn. The booklet claims that learning can be cyclical and four basic phases. These learning phases are described as a concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The assessment asserts that knowing about your learning style can help you better understand how to maximize your learning, solve problems, work in teams, manage conflict, making career choices and how to improve
And there is a four-type definition of learning styles: 1. Accommodators (CE/AE) 2. Divergers (CE/RO) 3. Assimilators (AC/RO) 4. Convergers (AC/AE)
Sims, R. & Sims, S. (1995). The importance of learning styles: understanding the implications for learning, course design, and education. London: Greenwood Press.
Instead, it is more important to use all learning types than to focus on one. According to the learning styles theory, there are three main learning styles. The first is visual, a.k.a. a.k.a. a.k.a.
The Keirsey Temperament Sorter II identified my temperament as artisan, and the classic temperament report identified me as an ISTP, or Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving. The description of my temperament was dead on with my view of myself, especially the more in depth classic temperament. My strengths include an excellent ability to apply logic and reason to solve problems or discover how things work, and being high;y practical and realistic, however I will not function well in regimented or structured environments, as I will become bored or feel stifled. This temperament profile also correlates to my learning style, as the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II results also mention that I learn best hands-on, and states that ISTP’s are a master of their physical environment.
Hence one of the practices of the Learning Styles Inventory is to let the learner to build developmental purposes for increasing their competence in the under-represented styles: for example, somebody who is a poor activist may deliberately plan to carry out further activities to absorb from. Styles Inventory is to form teams of people who as a group exhibit all of the four styles in a composed way (Gallagher K., 2013 p. 23-24).
Chapman, A. 2009. Free learning styles test. Leicester: Businessball.com. Available from : http://www.businessballs.com/vaklearningstylestest.htm [Accessed 29th November 2010]
“A learning style is a way of learning and refers to the way that you learn new information” (2). Most people have one preferred learning style and perform to a lesser standard when learning in a different style than what they’re used to. Nowadays, children are told to take a quiz in school to determine what their preferred learning style is, but after a few years, not many of these children remember what their preferred learning style is, or even if they do, they don’t apply it to their learning.
Learning styles are how individuals approach learning new concepts based on their strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. Acquiring and being aware of your learning styles is beneficial to accurately processing information that could be used for intellectual growth. Furthermore, learning styles are a part of how humans function and receive information from their world, so not being properly informed about this concept could bloom confusion, dysfunction, and chaos in society. Each learning style has a different goal and approach in interpreting information based on each individual’s abilities and should be regarded as being such. Nonetheless, it is a complex system that is produced to simplify and make sense of our world. Read/write was the
My development as a learner was encouraged by a handful of teachers who were passionate, willing to adapt their teaching styles to my style of learning to help me reach my full potential. Their actions encouraged me to be confident in myself and my ability to learn. My philospy of teaching is that all people have the ability to learn, and by empowering students to learn, Kolb’s and Felder and Silverman’s learning style models have influence my teaching philosophy in that they encourage please add a variety of teaching methods to help students with different learning preferences. Therefore, by recognizing that there are different styles of learning and using different methods to explore topics, students learning is maximized and they are able to recognize their own potential and achieve success.
To distinguish a student by their learning style, there must first be a review of the student’s abilities and the factors affecting their learning. When reviewing these factors there will be a sense of when the students responses are more consistent and help a teacher figure out when a student learns the best and how they learn as an individual. There are six different things that could affect the learning of a student: brain processing, senses, physical needs, environment, social needs, and emotional attitudes (Creative learning,1997).
Everyone has different learning styles. Learning styles are important because they help you better understand materials in classes. They are there to guide you and become a better student. Learning styles help you better grasp the material and better process it through your brain. When learning you want to do what is most beneficial for you. That is why there is many different learning styles to suit every person. There is three different types of learning styles categorized. The first learning style is auditory. Auditory is meant for individuals that enjoy asking questions, talking and listening, as well as like to read out loud. Visual learners are more interested in charts, graphs, neat surroundings, seeing rather than hearing, and are pictured to be timid as they read to themselves rather than out loud. Finally there is the kinesthetic learning style. Kinesthetic is to touch, to feel, and usually learn by doing.
Thought out our lives, we are faced with many different learning experiences. Some of these experiences have made a better impact than others. This can be attributed to everyone’s different multiple intelligences or learning styles. A persons learning style is the method though which they gain information about their environment. As a teacher, it is our responsibility to know these styles, so we can reach each of our students and use all of the necessary methods.
Each person has his or her own style of learning. Learning styles include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. In the questionnaire, I learned that I am very much a visual learner. This reflection will show what I have learned about my unique learning style and how understanding learning styles of the children I teach will be helpful as I become a teacher.