1. Learning – styles and strategies
Lars Peter Jensen and
Xiangyun Du

2. Agenda Reflection on learning through exercises Learning styles
Learning portfolio

3. Exercise 1: 3 minutes’ individual thinking
Wishful thinking - One thing you want to be good at
Braining writing - Thinking about a person you know who is good at this thing – why and how – list a few words

4. Group work (20 minutes) Reverse brainstorming in groups
Share your thoughts with each other
Tell each other what you should DO in order NOT to improve your skills in doing this thing you wish to be good at
Individual reflection – what have you learned in order to realize your wish?

5. Learning – is it only about how brain works?

6. Experiential learning - Kolb’s learning cycle
Test
Generalisation/
conceptualisation
Reflection
Experience
Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experiences David Kolb
Learning is a function of the activity, context, and culture in which it normally occurs, thus it is situated
- Jean Lave & Etienne Wenger

7. Experiential learning – the Cowan loopy diagram
P0-proces analysis
”P1-midway seminar”
P1-process analysis on
action
Reflection
for in
Eksperimental, testing
Consolidating, verifying
Next project
P0-project start
Time

8. Everyday reflections – an enhanced Cowan loopy diagram
Planned and joint ’grand’ reflections
Incidential and personal ’small’ reflections
Time

9. Meta-learning WHAT? Learning about learning
WHY? Deeper, more lasting learning
HOW? Via reflection on own learning process
WHO? You, individually and in the group
WHERE? In the POPBL-course and in other learning situations
WHEN? When there is a need to improve learning processes

10. Learning and meta-learning - the Pask model
Experiential learning = ’to find the way out of the maze’ by:
Gain experience by trying
Reflect on the result
Generalise
Test generalisation by new trials
Genera-
lisation
Test
Reflection
Experi-
ence

11. Learning and meta-learning - the Pask model
Meta-læring = become better in ’finding the way out’ by having my ’observing self’ climb up and:
Observe my ’learning self’ in the maze,
Reflect on learning processes, i.e. my attempts to ’find the way out’
Generalise learning processes,
Test new methods of learning.
Genera-
lisation
Test
Reflection
Experi-
ence
Genera-
lisation
Test
Reflection
Experi-
ence

12. Learning styles
Individuals’ different ways of taking in and processing information
- Richard Felder

13. Different learning styles 1
Visual Learners
Remember best what they see - ‘Show me’
Pictures
Diagrams
Sketches
schematics
Flow charts
plots
Verbal learners
Getting more out of words - ‘Explain it to me’
Spoken words
Written words
Everybody is both visual and verbal. Preferring one does not mean that you don’t learn in the other way. Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

14. Different learning style 1: Input modality
Visual
Verbal
Score 11 9 7 5 3 1
Electronic 2003 10 13 6 4 2
E7-Intro 2007
Preference
strong
moderate
well balanced
Percent EE 19
33 % 20
35 % 17
30 %
2 %
Percent 7-Intro
17 %
28 %
50 %
6 %

15. Different learning styles 2
Sensing Learners
Tend to like facts
Like solving problems by well-established methods and dislike complications and surprises
Be patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on work
More practical and careful
don’t like courses that have no apparent connection to the real world
Intuitive Learners
Prefer discovering possibilities and relationships
Like innovation and dislike repetition
Be better at grasping new concepts and more comfortable with abstractions and mathematical formulations
Work faster and more imaginative
Don’t like courses that involve a lot of memorization and routine calculation
Everybody is sometimes sensing and sometimes intuitive.
Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

16. Different learning style 2: Perception
Sensing
Intuitive
Score 11 9 7 5 3 1
Electronic 2003 2 4 8 13 10
E7-Intro 2007
Preference
strong
moderate
well balanced
Percent EE 6
11 % 21
37 % 22
39 %
10 %
3 %
Procent 7-Intro
44 %

17. Different learning styles 3
Active Learners
Retain and understand information best by doing something active
Like discussion or applying it or explaining it to others
‘let’s try it out and see how it works’
Like group work
Reflective Learners
Think about it quietly before talk
Let’s think it through first
Prefer working alone quietly
It is hard for both learning types sitting through lectures without getting to do anything physical but taking notes, particularly hard for active learners.
Everybody is sometimes active and sometimes reflective.
Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

18. Different learning style 3: Processing
Active
Reflective
Score 11 9 7 5 3 1
Electronic 2003 6 10 4
E7-Intro 2007 2
Preference
strong
moderate
well balanced
Percent EE
16 % 16
28 % 27
47 %
7 %
2 %
Procent 7-Intro
11 %
22 %
55 %
6 %

19. Different learning styles 4
Global Learners
Learning in large jumps, absorbing materials almost randomly without seeing connections, and suddenly ‘get it’. Need big picture to function
Solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture
Feel difficult to explain
Sequential Learners
Gain understanding in linear steps
Follow logical stepwise paths in finding solutions
Feel comfortable explaining things
Which is your preference? Your preference for one category or the other may be strong, moderate, or mild.

20. Different learning style 4: Understanding
Sequential
Global
Score 11 9 7 5 3 1
Electronic 2003 2 6 12 4
E7-Intro 2007
Preference
strong
moderate
well balanced
Percent EE
0 % 8
14 % 36
63 %
16 %
7 %
Percent 7-Intro
22 % 13
72 %
6 %

21. Exercise 2 (20 minutes) Post-it exercise
Brainstorming - Write down whatever possible strategies for this question:
What makes efficient learning?
Write one on each post-it
When you are out of ideas, categorize them and put them into the chart

22. Highly efficient learning for the group
for individual
Not highly efficient
for individual
Not highly efficient learning for the group

23. Highly efficient learning for the group25 5
Highly efficient learning for the group 16 4
Highly efficient for individual
Not highly efficient for individual 3 5 4 2 1 2 4
Not highly efficient learning for the group 1 1

24. Results of your discussions
Low scoring methods
Google 4
Discussion (not efficient for individual)
Taking notes in a lecture 9
Memorizing (repeating) 1
No exams – only beers 1
Learning by beating –physical punishment 1
Individual reading 5
Competition 5
Assignment 3
Only sitting still 1
Lectures 8
Individual learning 2 (readinig by oneself, etc.)
Doing part of the task without knowing the rest 4
High scoring methods
Planning (16)
Relating theory to practice (25)
Subgroup teaching others (25)
Problem based 25
Illustration 25
Time pressure 20
Discussion 20
Using facilities and equipment 25
Preparation before handing in 20
Learning by doing 25
Getting supervision 25
Peer teaching 20