different learning styles essay

different learning styles essay

The Importance of Understanding Different Learning Styles

1. Introduction

The learning style can vary from person to person or even from situation to situation. This can be influenced by the complexity of the task, familiarity, and your skills in the task. It is suggested that people should try and use all the styles, not just the preferred ones. Relying too much on a preferred style may have some negative effects. For example, a person who is used to drawing a plan or diagram to solve problems may have difficulty making decisions if visual aids are unavailable. It is thought that people have one or two preferred styles, and it is best for them to try and identify these for themselves to improve learning techniques.

1. Visual (spatial) – You prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding. 2. Aural (auditory-musical) – You prefer using sound and music. 3. Verbal (linguistic) – You prefer using words, both in speech and writing. 4. Physical (kinesthetic) – You prefer using your body, hands, and sense of touch. 5. Logical (mathematical) – You prefer using logic, reasoning, and systems. 6. Social (interpersonal) – You prefer to learn in groups or with other people. 7. Solitary (intrapersonal) – You prefer to work alone and use self-study.

Have you ever wondered why you do better in some classes than others? It may depend on your individual learning style. Your learning style influences the way you understand information and solve problems. There are 7 different learning styles:

2. Overview of Learning Styles

As originally described by Anthony Gregorc in the early 1980s, on the basis of his comparisons on how individuals learn, learning styles are indeed ways of learning whatever material is being taught or fact that is being learned. This information may pertain to your educational goals, or knowledge of a product you are selling and its market, to social issues that impact an industry, or to personal relationships with loved ones, colleagues, and customers. In brief, if there is a point to be learned, there is a learning style to design instruction around it. Learning styles are a way to explain how an individual processes new information. The process occurs immediately and automatically. Although the individual is not always consciously aware of the many learning activities or cognitive strategies he/she may use, it is not necessarily that more thought is put into learning. Rather, it is the selection of specific learning tools or some unconscious categorization process going on finally impacting the individual’s awareness of understanding. For ease of understanding style differences, it is helpful to think about learning styles as a continuum being that everyone is different and has a differing degree of specific learning style, and no one is absolutely confined to a specific style.

3. Benefits of Recognizing Different Learning Styles

Verbal learners are often articulate and eloquent communicators. They will readily express their needs and prefer math worksheets to have these explained orally rather than simply handed to them. They will generally read for pleasure and possess a well-developed vocabulary. These learners may well excel in language-based subjects, where they can be motivated by the prospect of utilizing their reading and writing abilities and can also benefit from interpreting difficult information, such as instructions, into their own words. During a practical exercise in which the task is to follow instructions, a verbal learner will often be drawing upon their writing skills as they annotate the task. This type of learner is perfectly capable of keeping diaries and writing detailed revision notes for exams. Teachers should encourage verbal learners to highlight their notes with color to make them more memorable and encourage them to convert any information they need to remember into a rhyme or cleverly constructed sentence. Listening to music may be a common habit of many verbal learners who are perhaps not always auditory learners, as they find it both moving and a rich source of language, especially if the lyrics are meaningful. Music can also be a useful memory aid, allowing them to recall information by thinking of a song linked to it. This may be a surprising idea to many educators who do not recognize the vast listening capabilities of an audio learner.

4. Strategies for Catering to Different Learning Styles

Visual learners Visual learners learn best through information that is observed. Reading and writing activities are excellent for these types of learners. This involves taking notes, rewriting the information in a more condensed form, and summarizing the material. Use of lists and bullet points is an effective way to absorb and understand information. Diagrams and flow charts are an excellent means of revising a process or understanding how certain components of a system link together. Color is also a very effective tool for these types of learners. Coding different information with different colors will enhance memorization.

Catering to a range of learning styles There is no defined method which caters to all learning styles, as we have discovered, there are three basic types of learning styles. Use of a VARK questionnaire has the ability to determine an individual’s preferred mode of learning (The VARK Questionnaire). However, some people may sometimes use a style that is different from their preference and still be successful. Thus, it is important to incorporate a wide variety of strategies while implementing a lesson plan. Following are a few strategies that can be used to teach/learn new material.

5. Conclusion

In today’s environment, it is important to understand various learning styles, what a learning style is, and the theories. In doing so, it will successfully assist teachers in preparing to teach and students in their learning. Through different assessments, it has been shown that instructors who take into account the diversity of learning styles as well as intellectual development promote student persistence and satisfaction in a course. In order to promote higher student performance through instructor understanding of learning styles, it is imperative for an instructor to incorporate ways in their course to appeal to all the different learning styles. By incorporating several teaching methods that appeal to various learning styles, the possibility of a better understanding and long-term retention of material is likely. In understanding learning styles, instructors may also realize that student underachievement may not be a result of poor teaching or a low intellectual capacity, but rather a mismatch of learning styles between the student and the instructor. In such cases, it is crucial for the student and the instructor to come to an understanding of the learning style requirements for the course and the learning style preferences of the student in order to increase the performance of the student. By doing so, it is probable that the student will become more adept in developing new learning strategies and the instructor will learn to integrate new methods in teaching a specific learning style. Understanding learning styles can also aid in curriculum design. By using information about the learning styles of the target audience, one can ensure that the design of the instruction and the e-learning objectives are attainable.