1. Learning Styles and You
Dr. Polly Cushman
GISAT 160
February 9, 2007

2. History of Learning Styles
Early in 20th century - Carl Jung – theory on human personality differences
After WWII - Isabel Briggs Myers – developed instrument (MBTI)
Early 1980’s - David Kolb – Developed model indicating preference for
How students take info in: concrete experience or abstract conceptualization
How students internalize info: active experimentation or reflective observation

3. Index of Learning Styles
= An on-line instrument used to assess preferences on four dimensions
ACTIVE/REFLECTIVE
SENSING/INTUITIVE
VISUAL/VERBAL
SEQUENTIAL/GLOBAL
Model formulated by Richard M. Felder and Linda K. Silverman
Instrument developed by Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Soloman of North Carolina State University

4. How You Learn
All of you take in and process information in all these ways:
by seeing and hearing
reflecting and acting
reasoning logically and intuitively
analyzing and visualizing
steadily and in fits and starts
BUT – each of you has a preference for one way or the other

5. What is the makeup of our class?X X X X
ACT REF
SEN INT
VIS VRB
SEQ GLO

6. Learners who are ACTIVE REFLECTIVE
Learn best by doing something active with info
“Let’s try it out and see how it works”
Often prefer working in group
Particularly hard to sit through lectures!
Learn best by thinking about it before doing anything
“Let’s think it through first”
Often prefer working alone
Hard to sit through lectures

7. Learners who are SENSING INTUITIVE
Tend to like learning facts
Like solving problems by well-established methods
Tend to like details, memorizing and hands-on work
Don’t like courses with no connection to real world
Prefer discovering possibilities
Like solving problems by innovation
Often better at grasping new concepts and abstractions
Don’t like “plug-and-chug” courses

8. Learners who are VISUAL VERBAL
Remember best what they see:
Pictures
Diagrams
Flow charts
Time lines
Films
Demonstrations
Get more out of words
Written explanations
Spoken explanations
Lectures
Textbooks
Handouts
Everybody learns more when info is presented visually AND verbally!

9. Learners who are SEQUENTIAL GLOBAL
Logical steps are necessary
Tend to learn in linear steps, logically following each other in order
Tend to follow logical stepwise paths in finding solutions to problems
BIG Picture is necessary
Tend to learn in large jumps, absorbing material and suddenly “getting it”
May be able to solve complex problems quickly, but may have trouble explaining HOW they did it
Everybody experiences sudden flashes of understanding!

10. Learners who are ACTIVE REFLECTIVE
How can you help yourself IF
you are an ACTIVE learner in a class that allows little or no class time for discussion or problem-solving activities?
you are a REFLECTIVE learner in a class that allows little or no class time for thinking about new information?

11. Learners who are SENSING INTUITIVE
How can you help yourself IF
you are a SENSING learner in a class where most of the material is abstract and theoretical?
you are an INTUITIVE learner in a class that deals primarily with memorization and formulas?

12. Learners who are VISUAL VERBAL
How can you help yourself IF
you are a VISUAL learner in a class that is mostly lecture?
you are a VERBAL learner in a class that uses mostly hands-on and visual tools?

13. Learners who are SEQUENTIAL GLOBAL
How can you help yourself IF
you are a SEQUENTIAL learner in a class that where the instructor jumps around from topic to topic or skips steps?
you are a GLOBAL learner in a class that where the instructor plunges directly into new topics without bothering to explain how they relate to what you already know?

14. Need for Balance between Teaching Methods and Learning Styles
Teaching methods of professors vary
Some lecture only and others demonstrate or lead students to self-discovery
Some focus on principles and others on applications
Some emphasize memory and others understanding

15. Need for Balance between Teaching Methods and Learning Styles
When mismatches exist between learning styles of most students in a class and the teaching style of the professor, the students
may become bored and inattentive in class
do poorly on tests
get discouraged about the courses, the curriculum, and themselves
in some cases change to other curricula or drop out of school

16. Two Important Points To Remember
Number 1
ILS provides an indication of your learning preferences
Even better indication of the preference profile of a group of students
SO - if you disagree agree with the ILS assessment of your preferences, trust your judgment
Why might the ILS be wrong?

17. Two Important Points To Remember
Number 2
Provides an indication of possible strengths and possible tendencies or habits that might lead to difficulty in academic settings
Does not reflect your suitability or unsuitability for a particular subject, discipline, or profession
A learning style preference also does not serve as an excuse for a bad grade on your last physics test!

18. Questions???