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
Whether you believe learning styles are a myth or fact they still can help you learn the material for class. Just because you take this test online and it says that you are one hundred percent auditory learner doesn’t mean you can’t learn other ways. Learning styles can help you discover more creative ways for you to remember a topic or specific details. How Amy made a poster it helped her present her topic but also helped her learn and remember her topic. By writing it down and being creative you will remember the topic a lot better. I’m not a firm believer in learning styles but I do think that they can help. I am an auditory learner so listening helps me learn although it isn’t the only way I can learn. One of the ken talks we had watched
In school everyone learns differently; however, according to the article The Myth of Learning Styles, “The idea of learning styles is based on a theory… developed in the early 1980’s.” (pg 1.) A lot has certainly changed from the 1980’s as we learn new more material in every class we take. With this being said, someone the scientists referred to in the article “assumed” that learning styles challenged the way of the educational system when in reality, it is simply a myth. Students, like myself, only prefer to process information that they find useful or interesting to him or her. Thus giving us the problems of that teachers may take too long to cover one idea, and students may miss out out on information because he or she did not prefer that learning style.
For years, there have been many theorists who have shared their views on how individuals learn. Such research has determined that individuals have different learning styles. It is important for teacher to understand the learning styles of both themselves and their students because it helps them to relay the subject knowledge to the students. The teacher is in a position where they must be able to assess the learning styles of their students. This means that the students and teachers are both in a process of learning.
All learners have different learning styles. Using materials at the initial stage of the learning process can highlight preferred styles. Honey and Mumford show four learning styles – activists, theorists, reflectors and pragmatists, while VAK highlights visual, auditory and kinaesthetic preferences.
There are seven general styles in which people learn: visual, aural, verbal, physical, logical, social, and solitary. Visual learners prefer pictures and images. They are most successful with art programs, and by relating the content to pictures. Aural learners
It is practical to assume that students will do better in tasks that reflect their particular style of learning, so knowledge of students’ learning styles, including a variety of tasks will make teaching more inclusive. A learning style questionnaire could be handed out at the start of a course which, once completed will inform the teacher about the learning styles of the students.
i. Understanding the learners learning styles can make my course to be engaging. Flemming (1987) noted three different styles of learning; visual, kinaesthetic and aural. In order to know which method(s) to use to benefit my students the first lesson on my course will centre around discussions on what they already know, the resources they are familiar with, and a learning style questionnaire which will provide me with information on preferred learning styles. Effectiveness can also be enhanced if I adapt my teaching style to give maximum benefit to learners.
“Just as students have different personalities, they also have different ways of learing (Slavin, 107).” Learning styles are another important factor to incorporate when implementing the best learning environment. Learning styles are defined as an individual's mode of gaining knowledge. The most common learning styles addressed are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Auditory leaners understand information through hearing. Visual learners need more visual aids in the learning process, such as diagrams, webs, or pictures. Kinesthetic learners learn better by using manipulatives or by being physically involved in the learning process. Learning styles is a piece of the “backbone” of differentiated learning. Both are used to individualize instruction to help students achieve the most success.
Each child has a personal learning style that results from innate tendencies and environmental experiences. In every culture and ethnic group, individuality is more common than any general pattern. But because cultural groups often share common values, the experiences of children growing up with those values are reflected in their classroom learning behaviors. The philosophy of learning styles is based on three major grounds are , all students can learn, they learn differently, and learn better when they are taught in their specific learning style .Research indicates that African - American students are often described as being physically active, valuing verbal experience, and engaging on personal relationships. Hispanic students are often
Learning styles of individual students vary and as a consequence, learning needs also change from each student to the next (Liew, Sidhu, & Barua, 2015). The “styles” for learning that are widely adopted include the Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, Kinesthetic (VARK) model, developed by Fleming and Mills (1992) include Visual (V), Auditory (A), Read/Write (R) and Kinaesthetic (K) types of learning approaches. The Visual (V) learner learns best by the use of information by visual means (using of charts, mindmaps, and other visual aids). The Auditory (A) learner understands best by
Your child/student took a “Learning Styles Inventory” last week to determine how they learn best. They discovered that they were a visual, an auditory, or a kinesthetic learner.
There are four main types of learning styles: auditory, kinaesthetic, reading and writing, and visual. Each of these theories describes how learning occurs and has its own terminology, perceptions on learning and generalities about teaching and learning. My personal learning style uses a combination of visual, reading, writing and auditory. I prefer using pictures,
Learning styles and barriers to learning can be by the VARK to give a profile of learning preferences of how a person takes in and gives out information or Tidwell and Rodgers Practical learning styles Questionnaire. The VARK learning styles determines if the person learns by being a theorist, reflector, activist and/or pragmatist. The practical learning styles questionnaire looks at how people learn by their orientation, whether they are a realistic or creative, by their interaction, are they a doer or a thinker, by how they represent things, either by words or pictures, and how they process information, whether they are a surface or deep processor. There are many other
Learning styles is one of the ways schools have changed over the past couple of years in regards to diversity. The varieties of learning styles of students have become more
Learning styles describe the way in which an individual or student uses different methods in the way they acquire, scrutinize, understand and remember knowledge or information (Kharb, 2013). The VARK questionnaire is a tool through which one can identify his/her learning style and is based on how individuals interact and respond to their learning environment. After undertaking the questionnaire, the scores for visual learning was 10, kinesthetic was 12, Aural was 10 and read/write was 16. The preferred learning style was, therefore, determined to be Multimodal which means that multiple strategies can be in cooperated to enable sufficient learning. Read/Write had the highest score followed closely by kinesthetic, aural and visual. This implies that the adequate strategy to acquire and convey information or knowledge is through printed or written words. With Kinesthetic having the second highest score, it shows that learning is also adequate through gaining experience and engaging in practical activities or processes that give real-life examples. Visual and Aural strategies had the same score meaning that learning can also be achieved through presentations in visual formats, drawings or diagrams as well as observations and taking of verbal instructions or listening.