CHAPTER 3 Learning Styles.pdf

Chapter 3 : learning styles MOHD RIDHUAN BIN OMAR@ABDULLAH [email protected] IDENTIFYING YOUR LEARNING STYLES  People learn differently  Experts agree that there is no one best way to learn.  You may have trouble paying attention to a long lecture, or listening...

Chapter 3 : learning styles MOHD RIDHUAN BIN OMAR@ABDULLAH [email protected] IDENTIFYING YOUR LEARNING STYLES  People learn differently  Experts agree that there is no one best way to learn.  You may have trouble paying attention to a long lecture, or listening may be the way you learn best.  You may love classroom discussion, or you may consider hearing what other students have to say in class a big waste of time.  You’ve probably already discovered that college instructors and even courses have their own inherent styles.  Many instructors rely almost solely on lecturing and others use lots of visual aids such as PowerPoint outlines, charts, graphs and pictures.  In science courses, you will conduct experiments or go on field trips where you can observe or touch what you are studying. Field Dependence/ Independence  Field-independent learners tend to be highly autonomous. They require little interaction with instructors or other students and tend to favor areas of study that call for analytic skills, such as mathematics, engineering and science.  Field-dependent students tend to learn more effectively in classroom where there is frequent interaction with others, and they tend to choose majors that include interpersonal relationships such as clinical psychology, humanities, counseling and teaching.  Research has found that field dependence is more common in women and in students from some racial or ethnic groups. And because the word dependence has negative connotations, some educators have suggested that the term field-sensitive be substituted.  MBTI Extraversion (E) vs. Introversion (I): The Inner or Outer World  Extraverts tend to be outgoing, gregarious and talkative.  They often “think with the volume on,” saying out loud what is going through their minds.  They are energized by people and activity and they seek this in both work and play, They are people of action, who like to spend more time doing things than thinking about them.  At their best, they are good communicators who are quick to act and lead.  At their worst, they talk too much and too loudly, drowning out others, and they act before they think  Introverts prefer to reflect carefully on things and think them through before taking action.  They think a lot but if you want to know what’s on their minds, you may have to ask them.  They are refreshed by quiet and privacy. At their best, introverts are good, careful listeners whose thoughts are deep and whose actions are well considered.  At their worst, they may be too shy and not aware enough of the people and situations around them and they may think about things so long that they neglect to actually start doing them. Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N): Facts or Ideas  Sensing types are interested above all in the facts, what is known and what they can be sure of.  Typically they are practical, factual, realistic and down to earth.  They can be very accurate, steady, precise and patient and effective with routine and details.  They are often relatively traditional and conventional.  They dislike unnecessary complication and they prefer to practice skills they already know.  At their best, sensing types can be counted on to do things right, with every detail well taken care of.  At their worst, they can plod along while missing the point of why they are doing what they do, not seeing the forest (the whole picture) for the trees (the details).  Intuitive types are fascinated by possibilities-not so much the facts themselves, but what those facts mean, what concepts might describe those facts, how those might relate to other concepts and what implications of the facts would be.  Intuitive types are less tied to the here and now and tend to look further into the future and the past.  They need inspiration and meaning for what they do and they tend to work in bursts of energy and enthusiasm.  Often they are original, creative and nontraditional.  They may have trouble with routine and details, however and they would rather learn a new skill than keep practicing the one they have already mastered.  They can be bad at facts and exaggerate without realizing it.  At their best, intuitive types are bright, innovative people who thrive in academic settings and the world of invention and ideas.  At their worst, they can be impractical dreamers whose visions fall short because of inattention to detail. Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F): Logic or Values  Thinking types are usually logical, rational, analytical and critical.  They pride themselves on reasoning their way to the best possible decisions.  They tend to decide things relatively impersonally and objectively and they are less swayed by feelings and emotions-both their own and other people’s.  Other people’s feelings sometimes puzzle or surprise them. They can deal with interpersonal disharmony and can be firm and assertive when they need to be.  In all their dealings, they need and value fairness.  At their best, thinking types are firm, fair, logical and just. At their worst, they may be cold, insensitive to other people’s feelings and overly blunt and hurtful in their critisms.  Feeling types are typically warm, emphatic, sympathetic and interested in the happiness of others as well as themselves.  They need and value harmony and they may be distressed and distracted by argument and conflict.  They sometimes have trouble being assertive when it would be appropriate to do so.  Above all, they need and value kindness.  At their best, feeling types are warm and affirming and facilitate cooperation and goodwill among those around them while pursuing the best human values.  At their worst, feeling types can be illogical, emotionally demanding, reluctant to tackle unpleasant tasks and unaffected by objective reason and evidence. Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P): Organization or Adaptability  Judging types approachthe world in a planned, orderly, organized way; as much as possible, they try to order and control their part of it.  They make their decisions relatively quickly and easily. They like to make and follow plans.  They are usually punctual and tidy and they appreciated those traits in others.  At their best, judging types are natural organizers who get things done and done on time.  At their worst, judging types may jump to conclusions prematurely, be too judgmental of people, make decisions too hastily without enough information and have trouble changing their plans even when those plans are not working.  Perceiving types don’t try to control their world, as much as adapt to it.  Theirs is a flexible, wait-and-see approach.  They deal comfortably and well with changes, unexpected developments, and emergencies, adjusting their plans and behaviors as needed.  They tend to delay decisions so that they can keep their options open and gather more information.  They may procrastinate to a serious degree, however, and they may try to carry on too many things at once, without finishing any of them Multiple Intelligences  Another way of measuring how we learn is the theory of multiple intelligences, developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard University.  Gardner’s theory is based on the premise that the traditional notion of human intelligence is very limited.  He proposes eight different intelligences to describe how humans learn. The VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic) Learning Styles Inventory