Learning Styles

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Learning Styles
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Objectives

• Students should be able to
• define the term learning styles.
• recognize different learning styles.
• Recognize the importance of knowing learning
  styles in teaching.

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The definition of the term Style

• Styles are those general characteristics of
  intellectual functioning (and personality type,
  as well) that pertain to you as an individual,
  and that differentiate you from someone else.

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A number of learning styles have been identified
and studied over years.
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We will discuss two general types of learning
styles

• 1- Cognitive learning styles
• 2- Learning styles ( discussed by a researcher
  called kolb in 1984)

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Cognitive Learning Styles

• Definition
• The way we learn things in general and the way we
  attack a problem seem to hinge on a link between
  personality and cognition this link is referred
  to as cognitive style.

Cognitive Style
Personality
Cognition
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Cognitive learning Styles

• 1- Left and Right brain functioning
• 2- Field Independence vs. Field dependence
• 3- Visual vs. Verbal
• 4- Sensory vs. Intuitive

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1- Left and Right- brain functioning

• The left hemisphere is associated with
• -logical thought
• -analytical thought
• -with mathematical and linear processing of
  information.
• The right hemisphere perceives
• Visual -auditory
• It is associated with holistic processing and
  emotional information.

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Left

Right Logical

Visual Analytical


AuditoryMathematical

emotional Linear thinking

Holistic thinking
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2- Field Independence vs. Field
dependence

• Field independent learners are able to perceive
  parts from a whole (i.e. they see only parts but
  not their relationship to the whole).
• Field dependent learners are able to perceive the
  whole picture (i.e. they always tend to have a
  general or a larger view) .

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3- Visual vs. Verbal

• Visual learners prefer information presented
  visually with
• -pictures
• -flow charts
• -diagrams
• Verbal learners prefer
• -oral explanation
• -written explanation

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4- Sensory vs. Intuitive

• Sensory learners prefer
• facts
• data
• details
• Intuitive learners prefer
• imagination
• dont like details

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Learning styles ( discussed by a researcher
called kolb in 1984)

• Divergents(feeling and watching) who need to be
  personally involved in the task, who perceive
  information in concrete terms and who reflect on
  it.
• Sensitive, perform better in brainstorming ,work
  in groups, listen with an open mind and receive
  personal feedback.
• Convergers (doing and thinking) who prefer
  detailed steps in learning who perceive
  information abstractly and who reflect on it.
• Solitary, do not like group-work find practical
  uses for ideas and theories.  like to solve
  problems Analytic learners Independent

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Learning styles ( discussed by a researcher
called kolb in 1984)

• Assimilators (watching and thinking) who thrive
  on problem-solving activities, and who perceive
  and process information abstractly and actively
  respectively.
• prefer readings, lectures, exploring analytical
  models, and having time to think things through,
  less focused on people and more interested in
  ideas and abstract concepts.
• Accommodators (doing and feeling) who enjoy
  taking risks, who thrive on flexibility in
  learning activities, and who process information
  actively.
• 'hands-on', and relies on intuition rather than
  logic, rely on others for information than carry
  out their own analysis.

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Conclusion

• In conclusion, we have discussed two general
  types of learning styles cognitive learning
  styles and learning styles introduced by Kolb in
  1984. An awareness of these styles will help
  teachers to perceive some wide-ranging individual
  differences in their learners. Not all learners
  are alike. Thus, teachers need to recognize and
  understand different learning styles in order to
  provide them with the best possible opportunities
  for learning. Moreover, learning styles can be
  used to predict what kind of instructional
  methods would be most effective for a certain
  group of learners.

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References

• Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K. (2004). A
  guide to teaching practice (5th ed.).
  RoutledgeFalmer
• Brown, H. (2000). Principles of language learning
  and teaching (4th ed.). Addison Wesley Longman,
  Inc.