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Cognitive Styles And Their Impact On Learning

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Introduction Dr. Seuss once said “It is better to know how to learn than to just know”. The debate over cognitive styles and their impact on learning has been prevalent for over 50 years and is still being researched today. Cognitive styles, also referred to as learning styles, can be defined as “information processing habits” (Kollofel, 2012) and are believed to be much like traits of personality in that they remain stable and unchanged over time (Klitmoller, 2015). There are three different types of learning styles including visual, auditory/verbal, and kinesthetic. A kinesthetic learner may prefer demonstrations and more hands-on approaches in order to process information. The most prevalent and debated learning styles are visual and verbal. A visual learner is someone who learns through pictures or diagrams while a verbal learner may learn best through discussions and talking out problems. According to Kollofel (2012), there are two different types of visual learners, those who learn best through spatial imagery and those who learn best through pictures or object imagery.
Learning styles in schools are largely debated because it is often difficult for instructors to meet every student’s learning needs. Increasing numbers of students mean that there will be more preferred learning styles. According to Romanelli, Bird, and Ryan (2009), learning styles vary by culture so one form of instruction that may work in America may not necessarily work in Eastern cultures. One

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