LEARNING STYLES

UNIVERSIDAD DEL ACONCAGUA

ESCUELA SUPERIOR DE LENGUAS EXTRANJERAS

TEACHING-LEARNING STYLES Styles are those characteristics of

intellectual functioning that especially pertain to you as an individual , that differentiate you form someone else.

Teaching and learning styles are the behaviors or actions that teachers and learners exhibit in the learning exchange.

TEACHING-LEARNING STYLES Teaching behaviors reflect the beliefs

and values that teachers hold about the learners role in the exchange (Heimlich and Norland 2002).

Learners behaviors provide insight into the ways learners perceive, interact with, and respond to the environment in which learning occurs (Ladd and Ruby1999).

People´s styles People’s styles are determined

by....

Individual LS

Physical

Affective

Cognitive

Something to think about… Do the teaching styles of teachers

match students learning styles? Can individuals learn effectively when

instructional delivery does not match their preferred learning style?

Can teaching and learning styles be adapted or modified?

Visual learners Usually enjoy reading and prefer

to see the words that they are learning. They also like to learn by looking at pictures and flashcards.

Auditory learners Prefer to learn by listening. They

enjoy conversations and the chance for interactions with others. They don’t need to see words written down. (A recent study has found that Koreans and Japanese students tend to be visual learners, whereas English-speaking Americans prefer the auditory learning style.)

Tactile learners Learn by touching and manipulating

objects - this is known as “hands-on” work. Tactile learners remember what they do. They often respond well to music and movement while learning. They are usually distracted, but being actively involved while learning helps them to focus.

Field-independent learners (also called analytic learners)

Like to concentrate on the details of language, such as grammar rules, and enjoy taking apart words and sentences. They are sometimes unable to see the “big picture” because of their attention to its parts.

Field-dependent learners (also known as global learners)

Focus on the whole picture and do not care so much about the details. For example, they are more interested in conveying an idea than worrying about whether it is grammatically correct.

Reflective learners Like to think about language and

how to convey their message accurately. They tend not to make so many mistakes because they take time in formulating what they want to say.

Impulsive learners Take risks with the language. They

are more concerned with speaking fluently than speaking accurately, and so make more mistakes.

Practical implications of this information

Make liberal use of visuals: use photographs, drawings, sketches, and cartoons to illustrate and reinforce the meaning of vocabulary words. Show films, videotapes and live dramatizations to illustrate lessons in texts.

Design some communicative drills to provide practice in vocabulary and grammar.

Do not fill every minute of class time lecturing and writing on the board.

Practical implications of this information

Give students the option of cooperating. Active learners learn best when they work with each other.

Balance inductive and deductive presentation of course material.

BIBLIOGRAPHY A good starting point for an

investigation into learning styles can be found in chapter 5 of Principles of Language Learning and Teaching by H. Brown (1994) New Jersey Prentice Hall.