This assignment came to life because of the two theorists P. Honey and A. Mumford. They researched on how to put together a project in order to identify the learning styles. The starting point of this scheme was supported by the Kolb learning style inventory (LSI). Finally, they came up with the idea of a questionnaire. They gathered eighty questions together, containing four different learning styles along with characteristics of the person/s that might fit in. The image below represents the theory along with the learning styles produced. (workpress.com, 2011)
Many people will argue that the theory discussed is `not a psychometric instrument, but a checklist about how people learn`; furthermore, it could expose the `danger of labelling people as theorists or pragmatists, when most people exhibit more than one strong preferences (F.Coffield, 2004, p. 28).
Perhaps that every individual from this Planet is different and unique, this is a fact. The same like being different means that we have diverse ways of perception towards new concepts and ideas (learning in general). However, we all have similar ways of approaching and understanding, therefore learning. The two theorists did not necessarily intended to say that certain people have certain learning styles; conceivably, they just wanted to help people recognize themselves and other people around them in order to learn and work more efficiently. As we are so unpredictable, at least to know from where to start (what
Before taking the Learning Style Inventory, I always felt I was mostly a tactile learner. I would be able to learn in a visual fashion if need be, but I would rather learn and by doing and making mistakes. After taking the Learning Style Inventory, the results definitely supported my initial thoughts. My tactile preference was 14 points higher than my auditory score, but only 2 points higher than my visual. Although I believe I will always will be a stronger tactile learner, my visual learner skills have been improving throughout my college learning experience. Plus, it’s important to note that many tactile learning situations are dependent on visual learning. This means that tactilely learning has been strengthening my visual learning skills.
Whether you believe learning styles are a myth or fact they still can help you learn the material for class. Just because you take this test online and it says that you are one hundred percent auditory learner doesn’t mean you can’t learn other ways. Learning styles can help you discover more creative ways for you to remember a topic or specific details. How Amy made a poster it helped her present her topic but also helped her learn and remember her topic. By writing it down and being creative you will remember the topic a lot better. I’m not a firm believer in learning styles but I do think that they can help. I am an auditory learner so listening helps me learn although it isn’t the only way I can learn. One of the ken talks we had watched
After taking the learning styles assessment it was found that I am a visual learner most of all followed by tactile and auditory. This meaning that I like to see what I am learning, I am able to understand things and later recall what I have seen. I honestly have to say that I do not agree with these results; I say that because after reading and just knowing how I am, I believe my best type of learning is through tactile, I have been this way since elementary school. When you are a tactile person you like to learn and pick up the information best through touching and doing things, you are very hands-on. Versus someone who is a visual learner just needs to see it or read it. Some of the characteristics a tactile person has is completely me; such as I am always doing something, I like to be hands on, when I talk I move my hands sort of like I am trying to act out what I am saying, I always have my legs going or am swaying side to side, like flashcards to study with, and am always chewing gum.
In school everyone learns differently; however, according to the article The Myth of Learning Styles, “The idea of learning styles is based on a theory… developed in the early 1980’s.” (pg 1.) A lot has certainly changed from the 1980’s as we learn new more material in every class we take. With this being said, someone the scientists referred to in the article “assumed” that learning styles challenged the way of the educational system when in reality, it is simply a myth. Students, like myself, only prefer to process information that they find useful or interesting to him or her. Thus giving us the problems of that teachers may take too long to cover one idea, and students may miss out out on information because he or she did not prefer that learning style.
For years, there have been many theorists who have shared their views on how individuals learn. Such research has determined that individuals have different learning styles. It is important for teacher to understand the learning styles of both themselves and their students because it helps them to relay the subject knowledge to the students. The teacher is in a position where they must be able to assess the learning styles of their students. This means that the students and teachers are both in a process of learning.
In order to effectively teach students with different learning styles, I will most likely be using this website for ideas. Education.com has everything. They tell you how to know what styles your children are better with and give you some activities that you can use to reach all of those students. On their site, you can find specific activities for any grade, or subject, up through high school. For example, I will be teaching third grade so I would go and look under third grade and then go under whatever subject I need, such as math. Once there, I just scroll through and pick an activity that allows student to interact with each other while practicing the subject and having fun. I can also use
It is practical to assume that students will do better in tasks that reflect their particular style of learning, so knowledge of students’ learning styles, including a variety of tasks will make teaching more inclusive. A learning style questionnaire could be handed out at the start of a course which, once completed will inform the teacher about the learning styles of the students.
i. Understanding the learners learning styles can make my course to be engaging. Flemming (1987) noted three different styles of learning; visual, kinaesthetic and aural. In order to know which method(s) to use to benefit my students the first lesson on my course will centre around discussions on what they already know, the resources they are familiar with, and a learning style questionnaire which will provide me with information on preferred learning styles. Effectiveness can also be enhanced if I adapt my teaching style to give maximum benefit to learners.
“Just as students have different personalities, they also have different ways of learing (Slavin, 107).” Learning styles are another important factor to incorporate when implementing the best learning environment. Learning styles are defined as an individual's mode of gaining knowledge. The most common learning styles addressed are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Auditory leaners understand information through hearing. Visual learners need more visual aids in the learning process, such as diagrams, webs, or pictures. Kinesthetic learners learn better by using manipulatives or by being physically involved in the learning process. Learning styles is a piece of the “backbone” of differentiated learning. Both are used to individualize instruction to help students achieve the most success.
After completing the assessment, the inventory concludes that my learning style is predominantly feeling and concrete experiences. For concrete experience, my score of 43 reveals my passion to learn information that I believe is relevant for myself. Subsequently, scoring 34 for active experimentation indicates my preference for applying and testing ideas to understand a concept. Additionally, scoring 25 for reflective observation reveals how I learn concepts through observing others complete a task. Scoring 18 for abstract conceptualization indicates how my learning style does not depend on facts and figure. With all of these learning styles, my graph illustrates strong areas in mode 4 and 1, however, it is immensely low in mode 2 and 1. Overall, my results showcase that I belong in mode 4 learning. The learning style inventory is accurate as it reveals that my strongest learning style is concrete experience. This
From doing the Learning Style Inventory, I learned that I learn better when I write things down and when I have a visual of the information I am learning. For my writing style way of learning, I found I should take notes. When the professors give us notes I should write them in my hand writing. I just need to be able to read my notes because I write so fast some times.
It is practical to assume that students will perform better in tasks that reflect their particular style of learning, so knowledge of students’ learning styles, including a variety of tasks will make teaching more inclusive. A learning style questionnaire could be handed out at the start of a course which, once completed will inform the teacher about the learning styles of the students.
Allinson, C., and Hayes, J. (1988), ‘The learning styles questionnaire: an alternative to Kolb’s inventory’, Journal of Management Studies, 25, (3):269-281.
Education benefits individual mentally, emotionally and physically by placing them in better place than they were previously before. Everybody would agree that learning something new would take place throughout the life. Learning style defined as "A term that describes the variations among learners in using one or more senses to understand, organize, and retain experience" (Reid, 1987, p. 89). Furthermore, Felder and Henriques (1995, p. 21) explained learning styles as "the ways in which an individual characteristically acquires, retains and retrieves information". However, different learners possess different characteristics and different preferred learning styles to perceive, process, take in and understand information.
Learning styles and barriers to learning can be by the VARK to give a profile of learning preferences of how a person takes in and gives out information or Tidwell and Rodgers Practical learning styles Questionnaire. The VARK learning styles determines if the person learns by being a theorist, reflector, activist and/or pragmatist. The practical learning styles questionnaire looks at how people learn by their orientation, whether they are a realistic or creative, by their interaction, are they a doer or a thinker, by how they represent things, either by words or pictures, and how they process information, whether they are a surface or deep processor. There are many other