learning+styles

To collect the students preferred learning styles I make use of the online survey offered by the [|University of North Carolina].

I'll add some ideas of how to use this information to enhance student's engagement with learning and to improve their outcomes when I get a chance - hopefully soon (5/11/08 - just to embarass myself into making those notes! - didn't work, it's taken me until 11/12/09 to finally get these notes together in a form I wanted to share with my colleagues - the shame)

**Using Learning Styles preferences with your students **  __Introduction __  There are a number of systems which one can use to measure a students preferred learning style. In recent years I have used the one recommended by North Carolina State University, only because the survey is freely available on their website, [] and the students get an immediate response in the form of a graph showing their position on four linear dichotomies: Active – Reflective Sensing – Intuitive Visual – Verbal Sequential – Global The more toward the poles the stronger the preference is. If a student scores between 3 and 0, then either they haven’t been able to reflect clearly on the statements through lack of self knowledge or they are displaying a lack of preference for one pole over the other.

I’ve found the results to be consistently accurate.

__The Preferences __  A student can be either an active learner or a reflective one. Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it; discussing or applying it or explaining it to others. "Let's try it out and see how it works" is an active learner's phrase; If you are an active learner in a class that allows little or no class time for discussion or problem-solving activities, you should try to compensate for this when you study. Study in a group in which the members take turns explaining different topics to each other. Work with others to guess what you will be asked on the next test and figure out how you will answer. You will always retain information better if you find ways to do something with it. Reflective learners prefer to think about it quietly first. "Let's think it through first" is the reflective learner's response. If you are a reflective learner in a class that allows little or not class time for thinking about new information, you should try to compensate for this lack when you study. Don't simply read or memorize the material; stop periodically to review what you have read and to think of possible questions or applications. You might find it helpful to write short summaries of readings or class notes in your own words. Doing so may take extra time but will enable you to retain the material more effectively.

Students may be sensors or intuitors. Sensing learners tend to like learning facts. Sensors often like solving problems by well-established methods and dislike complications and surprises. Sensors tend to be patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on (laboratory) work. Sensors tend to be more practical and careful than intuitors. Sensors don't like courses that have no apparent connection to the real world. Sensors remember and understand information best if they can see how it connects to the real world. If you are in a class where most of the material is abstract and theoretical, you may have difficulty. Ask your teacher for specific examples of concepts and procedures, and find out how the concepts apply in practice. If the teacher does not provide enough specifics, try to find some in your course text or other references or by brainstorming with friends or classmates. Intuitive learners often prefer discovering possibilities and relationships. Intuitors like innovation and dislike repetition. Intuitors may be better at grasping new concepts and are often more comfortable than sensors with abstractions and mathematical formulations. Intuitors tend to work faster and to be more innovative than sensors. Many lecture classes are aimed at intuitors. However, if you are an intuitor and you happen to be in a class that deals primarily with memorization and rote substitution in formulas, you may have trouble with boredom. Ask your teacher for interpretations or theories that link the facts, or try to find the connections yourself. You may also be prone to careless mistakes on tests because you are impatient with details and don't like repetition (as in checking your completed solutions). Take time to read the entire question before you start answering and be sure to check your results

Students are either visual or verbal. Visual learners remember best what they see; pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films, and demonstrations. If you are a visual learner, try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow charts, or any other visual representation of course material that is predominantly verbal. Ask your teacher, consult reference books, and see if any videotapes or on-line displays of the course material are available. Prepare a concept map by listing key points, enclosing them in boxes or circles, and drawing lines with arrows between concepts to show connections. Colour-code your notes with a highlighter so that everything relating to one topic is the same colour. Verbal learners get more out of words; both written and spoken explanations. Write summaries or outlines of course material in your own words. Working in groups can be particularly effective: you gain understanding of material by hearing classmates' explanations and you learn even more when you do the explaining.

Students can be either sequential of global. Sequential learners tend to gain understanding in linear steps, with each step following logically from the previous one. Sequential learners tend to follow logical stepwise paths in finding solutions. Most courses are taught in a sequential manner. However, if you are a sequential learner and you have a teacher who jumps around from topic to topic or skips steps, you may have difficulty following and remembering. Ask the teacher to fill in the skipped steps, or fill them in yourself by consulting references. When you are studying, take the time to outline the lecture material for yourself in logical order. In the long run doing so will save you time. You might also try to strengthen your global thinking skills by relating each new topic you study to things you already know. The more you can do so, the deeper your understanding of the topic is likely to be. Global learners tend to learn in large jumps, absorbing material almost randomly without seeing connections, and then suddenly "getting it." Global learners may be able to solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture, but they may have difficulty explaining how they did it. If you are a global learner, it can be helpful for you to realize that you need the big picture of a subject before you can master details. If your teacher plunges directly into new topics without bothering to explain how they relate to what you already know, it can cause problems for you. Fortunately, there are steps you can take that may help you get the big picture more rapidly. Before you begin to study the first section of a chapter in a text, skim through the entire chapter to get an overview. Doing so may be time-consuming initially but it may save you from going over and over individual parts later. Instead of spending a short time on every subject every night, you might find it more productive to immerse yourself in individual subjects for large blocks. Try to relate the subject to things you already know, either by asking the instructor to help you see connections or by consulting references. Above all, don't lose faith in yourself; you will eventually understand the new material, and once you do your understanding of how it connects to other topics and disciplines may enable you to apply it in ways that most sequential thinkers would never dream of.

__Using the preferences __  As for multiple intelligence were word and logic and math preferences are favoured by the culture, interestingly school culture has traditionally favoured verbal learning styles (with lots of chalk and talk) and sequential learning styles. My experience measuring these preferences for many years has shown that the majority of learners are visual and that most classes will show a 50:50 split on sequential versus global. In keeping with one’s desire for all one’s students to achieve success one needs to be aware of this source of difference and use different strategies to teach material and give students the power to either choose how they will attempt the task and represent their learning or give them the ability to negotiate the details of a task.

Knowledge of learning styles compliments the knowledge of multiple intelligences particularly when constructing groups. If you make sure that the majority of the learning styles required to be successful with the task you have constructed are represented in the group you have put together, then the ability to be successful has been greatly increased.

The other really important use of this information is when students are preparing for tests and exams. North Carolina State University have clearly made this information available to their students to assist them when studying. The descriptions above are an edited version of what is on their website. I have used learning styles most successfully with students when assisting them to prepare study materials. If they have knowledge of how they best learn and you can offer them a selection of techniques to choose from, then if they put in the work, they tend to be more successful.

I give my students the following chart as part of a larger document on study techniques: __Stage One Techniques __ ||  __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Learning Style __ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Multiple Intelligence __ <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> || Reflective || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Intra Personal || Reflective || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Intra Personal || Reflective || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Intra Personal || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Stage Two Techniques __ |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Learning Styles __ || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Multiple Intelligences __ || Sequential || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Kineasthetic || Global || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Spatial || Musical || Musical || Reflective Global || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual || Reflective || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic || __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Stage Three Techniques __ |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Learning Style __ |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> __<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Multiple Intelligence __ || Active Reflective |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Kineasthetic || Reflective |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic Musical || Reflective |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Kineasthetic || Verbal Visual |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">If these are your strengths, then you learn best from arranging concepts to explain them to yourself by creating visual images – mosaics of photos, posters, diagrams, flow charts etc. Look for video productions on ClickView or YouTube that summarise the main concepts – or better still make your own. Flash cards work well for you and many publishers produce very good ones for VCE studies, but the most learning is done when creating your own and then reinforced by using them – with or without a partner.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Rewrite all headings and subheadings for the semesters work || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Sensing || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Logical-Mathematical ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Write one thing that you already knew for each unit and explain how this acted as a knowledge hook to help you learn another thing in that units work || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">List 5 concepts or formulas and display this in the Science room. Ask teacher. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Spatial ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">List 5 concepts or formulas and display in your home (Bedroom, fridge, toilet door, etc) || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Spatial ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Teach a family member a concept/s related to the course || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Active || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Inter Personal ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Redo the text questions for one topic || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Write down three puzzling questions that you need the teacher to help you with || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Reflective || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Intra Personal ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Swap and attempt another students questions || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Active || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Inter Personal ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Arrange 20 concepts/ideas in order from know well to know least || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create a crossword using at least 10 glossary words for the semesters work || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Select 20 glossary words and create a mix and match activity – include the answers |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Active || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create a diagram or flowchart that explains a concept |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create a drawing or mind map that is related to a topic |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create a story about an important concept |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create a poem about an important concept |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create a rhyme about an important concept |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Prepare a concept map for one unit of study |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Rewrite all major conclusions that you have found from prac work. |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Redo your tests for all topics |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Prepare a glossary for the unit |||||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Prepare a five minute video that explains a concept/s covered this semester |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Prepare a five minute audio tape that explains a concept/s covered this semester |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Active
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Prepare a five minute class presentation on a concept/s covered this semester |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Active
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create 20 multiple choice questions related to the semesters work. Include answers. |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create 20 short answer questions related to the semesters work. Include answers. |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Verbal |||| <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Linguistic ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Create flash cards that list all the glossary words covered this semester. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Visual
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Spatial Intelligence and Visual Learners **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">If you combine this intelligence with linguistic, then writing poems and raps or setting facts to song tunes works really well for you. If you match this with logical mathematical then you are usually a sequential learner and best served at making lists of information in a pattern such as a flow chart, that you may set to music.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Musical Intelligence **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">You find study hard. You need to be doing things. You can chant sequences of facts while bouncing a ball or squishing a nerve ball. Otherwise you can try and turn the concepts into short role plays and play them out for your class or family. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;">Bodily-kineasthetic intelligence and Active learners **