(C) 2002 South-Western/Thomson Learning 1 SUCCESS SKILLS Strategies for Study and Lifelong Learning 2E by Abby Marks-Beale CHAPTER 2 Discovering Your Learning Styles

SUCCESS SKILLS: STRATEGIES FOR STUDY AND LIFELONG LEARNING 2 CHAPTER 2 DISCOVERING YOUR LEARNING STYLE “I would have each one be very careful to find out and preserve his own way.” ---Thoreau

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.1 WHAT ARE LEARNING STYLES? 3 WE ARE UNIQUE As we mature, we develop our own comfortable, effective ways to learn. Your learning preference or style is entirely personal and right for you. Understanding your learning preferences and style will help you be successful in the classroom, and in the real world.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.1 WHAT ARE LEARNING STYLES? 4 LEARNING STYLES ---how you prefer to gather information and what you do with the information. Your learning style is reflected in your behavior. Your learning styles are a reflection of how you absorb information and how you process it.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.1 WHAT ARE LEARNING STYLES? 5 Instructors’ preferred teaching styles match their preferred learning styles. Your employment supervisors’ behavior reflect their preferred teaching and learning styles. Teachers and supervisors can consider and adapt to your learning style.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.1 WHAT ARE LEARNING STYLES? 6 OBSERVERS …are more thoughtful--prefer to think about what is being taught. PARTICIPANTS …prefer to become involved and learn from experience.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.2 SEQUENTIAL OR RANDOM, WHICH ARE YOU? 7 SEQUENTIAL LEARNERS Prefer logical, step-by-step problem solving. Enjoy theory. Prefer orderliness and neatness. Require structure.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.2 SEQUENTIAL OR RANDOM, WHICH ARE YOU? 8 RANDOM LEARNERS Prefer less structure. Need examples and comparisons. Respond to pictures and illustrations in reading material. May appear to be disorganized. May not respond well to traditional instruction.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.2 SEQUENTIAL OR RANDOM, WHICH ARE YOU? 9 BALANCED LEARNERS Possess both sequential and random preferences. Are able to adapt to either style, as needed. “To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.” ---Maslow

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.3 IDENTIFYING TEACHING STYLES 10 Your job is to learn and succeed in every learning situation. Observe your instructors. Discover their teaching styles. Find ways to adapt--it is YOUR responsibility to understand. Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. --- David Sarnoff

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.3 IDENTIFYING TEACHING STYLES 11 SEQUENTIAL INSTRUCTORS Are systematic and organized. Like facts and details. Show more interest in data than in people. May be unaware of the emotional climate. Have well-planned learning activities. Stress factual correctness in grading. Tend to be firm disciplinarians.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.3 IDENTIFYING TEACHING STYLES 12 RANDOM INSTRUCTORS Value others’ opinions. Prefer open discussion. May make an effort to individualize instruction. Expect interest value to enhance learning. Encourage self-discovery. May be more spontaneous, less likely to use structured lesson plans. May create what appears as a disorderly learning environment.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.3 IDENTIFYING TEACHING STYLES 13 HOW TO ASSESS YOUR INSTRUCTOR’S STYLE Consider clues from their presentations. Consider the kinds of questions they ask. Observe their behavior. Observe their dress.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.4 YOUR SENSES AND LEARNING 14 SENSORY LEARNING PREFERENCES Visual learners prefer visual aids, demonstration. Auditory learners prefer listening and speaking. Kinesthetic learners prefer to be physically involved.

SUCCESS SKILLS 2.5 OTHER LEARNING STYLES 15 OTHER LEARNING STYLES Left brain/right brain theory Independent learning Social learning Multiple intelligences

(C) 2002 South-Western/Thomson Learning 16 SUCCESS SKILLS: Strategies for Study and Lifelong Learning Chapter 2 Discovering Your Learning Styles Table of Contents Chapter 3 Presentation