Learning Styles

The term "learning style" refers to an individual's preferred method for approaching learning and gaining knowledge.

An individual’s learning style refers to the preferential way in which the student absorbs, processes, comprehends and

retains information. For example, when learning how to build a clock, some students understand the process by

following verbal instructions, while others have to physically manipulate the clock. This belief of individualized learning

styles has gained widespread recognition in education theory and classroom management strategy. Individual learning

styles depend on cognitive, emotional and environmental factors, as well as prior experience. It is important for

educators to understand the differences in their students’ learning styles, so that they can implement best practice

strategies into their daily activities, curriculum and assessments.

Introduction

As an educator, it is important to have an understanding of the different learning styles in order to afford students a

variety of ways to learn and acquire information.By considering students’ learning styles, one can make the most of

their opportunities to share knowledge and experiences, and can adapt learning situations to best match the

preferences or strengths of the students. Individuals have a range of strengths and preferences for how they receive

and interpret information and usually no-one person has one exclusive style or preference.

Importance

Research has explored the impact of individual learning styles recognising that people may vary in their response to

learning opportunities and how they learn (Kolb, 1984; Honey & Mumford, 1992). Many models and theories have

been proposed to better understand the process and dynamics of learning.

The three learning theories or models discussed in this presentation are:

1. Rose (1985)

2. Honey and Mumford (1996)

3. Gardner (1993)

Theories

Colin Rose founded Accelerated Learning Systems Ltd in 1985. He developed many of the Accelerated Learning

techniques and pioneered how to apply the method for students, teachers and language learners. The Accelerated

Learning Method is based on research about how the brain works. “We each have a preferred learning style — a way

of learning that suits us best. If you know and use the techniques that match your preferred way of learning, you learn

more naturally.” (Colin Rose, 1985)

The VAK model, as it is commonly known, identifies three dominant or preferred learning styles in people. These are

Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic.

Colin Rose (1985)

The VAK model

Visual Learners

Some students rely upon a visual learning style: "Show me and I'll understand." Visual learners benefit from diagrams,

charts, pictures, films, and written directions. These students will value to-do lists, assignment logs, and written notes.

Many of these techniques, however, also benefit kinesthetic learners.

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners tend to benefit most from traditional teaching techniques. Many teachers use a lecture-style forum,

presenting information by talking to their students. Regulating voice tone and body language will help all students

maintain interest and attention. Auditory learners succeed when directions are read aloud, speeches are required, or

information is presented and requested verbally.

Teaching and Learning using the VAK model

Kinesthetic Learners

Most of the school population excels through kinesthetic means: touching, feeling, experiencing the material at hand.

"Children enter kindergarten as kinesthetic and tactile learners, moving and touching everything as they learn. By

second or third grade, some students have become visual learners. During the late elementary years some students,

primarily females, become auditory learners. Yet, many adults, especially males, maintain kinesthetic and tactile

strengths throughout their lives."(Teaching Secondary Students Through Their Individual Learning Styles, Rita Stafford

and Kenneth J. Dunn; Allyn and Bacon, 1993)

Kinesthetic learners are most successful when totally engaged with the learning activity. They acquire information

fastest when participating in a science lab, drama presentation, skit, field trip, dance, or other active activity. Hands-on

teaching techniques are gaining recognition because they address the challenging needs of kinesthetic learners, as

well as the diverse needs of auditory and visual learners.

Teaching and Learning using the VAK model

Another theory of learning styles was developed by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford, based upon the work of David

Kolb. They identified four distinct learning styles or preferences: Activist, Theorist, Pragmatist and Reflector. These are

the learning approaches that individuals naturally prefer and they recommend that in order to maximise their own

personal learning each learner ought to:

· understand their learning style

· seek out opportunities to learn using that style

Honey and Mumford (1996)

In order to understand the works of Honey and Mumford, one must understand the idea of David Kolb. David Kolb

published his learning styles model in 1984 from which he developed his learning style inventory. Kolb's experiential

learning theory works on two levels: a four stage cycle of learning and four separate learning styles. Much of Kolb’s

theory is concerned with the learner’s internal cognitive processes. Kolb states that learning involves the acquisition of

abstract concepts that can be applied flexibly in a range of situations. In Kolb’s theory, the impetus for the

development of new concepts is provided by new experiences.

“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb, 1984, p. 38).

David Kolb

Kolb’s Learning Styles

On this basis, is where Honey and Mumford developed their theory on learning styles.

Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles

Learning Style Attributes Activities

Activist Activists are those people who learn by doing. Activists need to get their hands dirty. Have an open-minded approach to learning, involving themselves fully and without bias in new experiences.

brainstorming, problem solving, group discussion, puzzles, competitions, role-play

Pragmatist These people need to be able to see how to put the learning into practice in the real world. Abstract concepts and games are of limited use unless they can see a way to put the ideas into action in their lives. Experimenters, trying out new ideas, theories and techniques to see if they work.

time to think about how to apply learning in reality, case studies, problem solving, discussion

Reflector These people learn by observing and thinking about what happened. Prefer to stand back and view experiences from a number of different perspectives, collecting data and taking the time to work towards an appropriate conclusion.

paired discussions, self analysis questionnaires, personality questionnaires, timeout, observing activities, feedback from others, coaching, interviews

Theorist These learners like to understand the theory behind the actions. They need models, concepts and facts in order to engage in the learning process. Prefer to analyse and synthesise, drawing new information into a systematic and logical 'theory'.

models, statistics, stories, quotes, background information, applying theories

Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles

Activists learn best from:

• student-centred teaching methods such as task groups, role play, games

• unstructured activities which give them the opportunity to take a lead

Reflectors learn best from:

• any activities which enable them to observe and think things over. They are usually happy to listen to lectures and watch

demonstrations.

• individual or group tasks which involve collection and research of data.

• group discussions and case studies. Theorists learn best from:

• structured learning activities which follow a logical sequence

• lectures, demonstrations, well prepared coaching and precision teaching

Teaching and Learning with Honey and Mumford’s model

Pragmatists learn best from:

• practical demonstrations, coaching simulations, work experience, project work

• any practical activity which provides the opportunity to try out what has been learnt

• group or individual activities which involve action planning and project work

In 1993, Howard Gardner, a professor at Harvard University, developed a theory of multiple intelligences. Gardner

believes that "there is persuasive evidence for the existence of several relatively autonomous human intellectual

competencies that can be fashioned and combined in a multiplicity of adaptive ways by individuals and cultures"

(Gardner, pp. 8-9). The original seven forms of intelligence are Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Spatial, Musical,

Body-Kinesthetic, Social (interpersonal; empathy and learning in groups), Self (intrapersonal; independent study and

introspection). He has also added Naturalistic (interest in ecology and large systems, develop patterns before details)

and Existential. He claims that all humans possess all of these intelligences in varying degrees which represent a

pattern of intelligences.

Howard Gardner (1993)

Multiple Intelligences

There are numerous ways to express oneself, and there are even more ways to gain knowledge and understanding.

According to the theory of multiple intelligences, individuals are of deep understanding and mastery in the most

profound areas of human experience. Even long before the theory emerged and was named in 1983 by Howard

Gardner, numerous teachers fostered the intelligences of their students. There are writers, actors, sports personalities

and others in the classroom and teachers have been trying to explore these various personalities.

Key principles of multiple intelligences (M.I.) theory to guide curriculum structure and lesson planning include the

following:

● It is important to teach subject matter through a variety of activities and projects. To this end, fill the classroom

with rich and engaging activities that evoke a range of intelligences. Also, encourage students to work

collaboratively as well as individually to support both their "interpersonal" and "intrapersonal" intelligences.

Teaching and Learning through Multiple Intelligences

● Assessments should be integrated into learning and students need to play an active role in their assessment.

When a student helps determine and clarify the goals of classroom activities, his or her academic success and

confidence increases.

● It is counterproductive to label students with a particular intelligence. All students have all intelligences. By

nurturing the whole spectrum, teachers motivate students, foster their learning, and strengthen their

intelligences.

Despite widespread acceptance and application of Learning Styles, there is still some debate about the validity of the

concept. Advocates of Learning Styles maintain that adapting classroom teaching methods to suit students’ preferred

style of learning improves the educative process. However, opponents of Learning Styles theories maintain that there

is little empirical evidence to support this proposal.

Although the VAK model is perhaps the most widely used, largely because of its simplicity, there are those that argue

that adopting such an approach is impractical from a neuro-scientific point of view. One argument suggests that

human beings make sense of the world through the senses working in unison. It is connectivity within the brain that

enables us to make sense of the world and therefore any attempt to separate the senses would be detrimental.

However, proponents of VAK are usually holistic rather than separatist and rarely propose separation of physical input.

They tend to campaign for a broadening of input, away from the tendency within many traditional classrooms to focus

primarily on auditory input.

Comparisons

Whilst acknowledging that learning is a complex process that depends upon interconnectivity between many different

parts of the brain, Gardner’s work on Multiple Intelligences would suggest that certain functions are located within

generalized regions of the brain and that these modules might be fundamentally better or worse or developed to

different degrees within individuals. This argument could be used to validate the claim that individual learners exhibit a

preference for particular types of input.

It is argued that, in the same way that some people are better physically coordinated by contrast with the clumsiness

of others, there are those who are more capable than others of extracting meaning from verbal sources. Similarly,

others might be more skillful at interpreting visual signals.

Less popular than the VAK model, largely because of the terminology employed, is Kolb’s learning styles model, which

was developed from his work on Experiential Learning. Kolb proposed a 4-stage experiential learning cycle that

applies to all learners. He suggested that immediate or concrete experiences provide a basis for observation and

reflection. These are assimilated and distilled into abstract concepts which can be actively tested, in turn creating new

learning experiences. Individual learners will demonstrate differences in the way they think about things and the way

they do things. These differences can be plotted on a Perception continuum (along a spectrum that ranges from a

preference for thinking about things in a Concrete or Abstract way) and along a Processing continuum (along a

spectrum that ranges from Active to Reflective). This results in identification of 4 broad Learning Styles, which Kolb

refers to as: Accommodating, Diverging, Assimilating and Converging.

Honey and Mumford’s Learning Styles theory is more widely used in the UK. Peter Honey acknowledges that “there

are more similarities than differences” between their work and that of Kolb.

Whereas some of us prefer to study in depth before we tackle a task; others prefer to "get stuck into the job" and learn

as we go along. Some of us are satisfied when the methods we use get the job done; others are more concerned with

why a particular approach proved successful. Yet others spend time thinking through how the task could be tackled

more effectively next time. Peter Honey and Alan Mumford suggest that we might usefully consider 4 basic learning

styles: Activist - Pragmatist - Theorist - Reflector.

Theories of learning, whether informed by study or intuition, well-considered or not, play a role in the choices

instructors make concerning teaching. The major trend in understanding how students learn has been a movement

away from the behaviorist model to a cognitive view of learning.

There are many benefits to discovering how you process information best. Some of these include:

ACADEMIC

● gives you a head start and maximizes your learning potential

● enables you to succeed in school, college, university

● allows you to learn “your way” – through your own best strategies

● shows you how to overcome the limitations of poor instructors

● reduces the stress and frustration of learning experiences

● expands your existing learning and studying strategies

Why Use Learning Styles

PERSONAL

● increases your self-confidence

● gives you insight into your strengths, weaknesses and habits

● enables you to enjoy any learning process

● inspires greater curiosity, motivation for lifelong learning

● shows you how to take advantage of your natural skills & inclinations

● Knowing your learning style may stop you from trying and experiencing other learning styles.

● Knowing your learning style might make you more inclined to spend time with other people with the same

learning style, and therefore restricting yourself from getting to know other people or experiencing how oother

people learn.

● A person does not really have a specific "learning style". They are just more suited to one than the others. It is a

matter of preference.

Limitations of Learning Styles

The VAK model

This aspect of multiple learning strategies,VAK, has been widely adopted by teachers. Some teachers have used it to

spice up lessons through fairly superficial activities and others have gone to the other extreme by believing that VAK is

all there is to understanding different learning strategies, or learners' needs and have devoted all their focus to these

three tendencies.

There is also the danger that teachers label students as so-called 'visual learners', 'auditory learners' or 'kinesthetic

learners'. The reality is that all students can learn using visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning strategies. I believe

that if teachers and educators, in their teachings, try to use methods that will tap into learners’ abilities, it will create an

atmosphere of academic greatness.

Thoughts….

Honey and Mumford’s Model

Even though this model was developed to address the needs of the business environment, it still shows relevance in

the classroom, especially in terms of the activists and the reflectors. These two categories are commonly found in the

classroom, however, as educational methods and strategies are changing, educators are now held with the

responsibility of ensuring that students can become theorists (problem solving and critical thinking) and pragmatists

(having the ability to hold meaningful discussions and analysing situations).

Thoughts….

Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences

This theory is one that has been used tremendously in the classroom. I think that because this theory has a wide range

of areas. It allows educators to not only focus on one area per child, but allows the teacher to group the areas so that

students will develop or enhance several areas in their learning capacity.

Thoughts….

Informing oneself about the different styles of learning, finding the most effective memory techniques, can help persons

become more in tune with the most efficient and effective methods (personally) that will help one to learn. Through this

insight one can learn which study techniques work best and which methods are least effective. By maximizing the most

effective study techniques students will be able to get more out of the classroom as well as through study sessions for

improved educational success.

Conclusion

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http://www.context.org/iclib/ic27/campbell/

Hastings, S. (2005). Learning Styles. TES Connect. Retrieved from https://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=2153773

Surgenor, P. (2010) (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/UCDTLT0020.pdf

Vincent, A., & Ross, D. (2015). Learning Style Awareness (1st ed.). Retrieved from

http://eflpresentations.pbworks.com/f/Good+summary+of+learning+style+models.pdf

YouTube, (2013). Learning Styles. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUTLDG-fHFE [Accessed 18 Feb.

2015].

Reference