The Concept Of The Theories, What Do They Say?

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.

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.

From an early age I found learning hard and in my early educational years I

“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.

The learning style survey reflected that I am a strong visual learner. The survey was extremely accurate and has a strong correlation as to why certain subjects are easier for me to be successful in than others. For example, math is easier for me to grasp than literature based courses. Mathematics is comprised of complex formulas and diagrams. Explicit modeling must be done by the instructor (solving problems on the board and drawing diagrams) in order to effectively teach math. This is a direct contrast to literature instruction.

It is practical to assume that students will perform 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.

Allinson, C., and Hayes, J. (1988), ‘The learning styles questionnaire: an alternative to Kolb’s inventory’, Journal of Management Studies, 25, (3):269-281.

Education benefits individual mentally, emotionally and physically by placing them in better place than they were previously before. Everybody would agree that learning something new would take place throughout the life. Learning style defined as "A term that describes the variations among learners in using one or more senses to understand, organize, and retain experience" (Reid, 1987, p. 89). Furthermore, Felder and Henriques (1995, p. 21) explained learning styles as "the ways in which an individual characteristically acquires, retains and retrieves information". However, different learners possess different characteristics and different preferred learning styles to perceive, process, take in and understand information.

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

When one thinks of a theory, the normal assumption is an abstract statement that includes but is not limited to convoluted ideas, exorbitant amounts of math or calculations, and enough difficult or complicated words to fill a dictionary. Then comes the overwhelming wave of emotions following the question, “Why do I care??” Aaron James, a Harvard graduate and a Professor of Philosophy at UC Irvine, wrote a book that you may be interested in. The title of said book is Assholes* A Theory. The ideas covered in this book are all about what makes a person an asshole and the concepts surrounding the different possible types of assholes. However, the question stands, does this book present a legitimate theory?? The answer to that is no; the book Assholes* A Theory by Aaron James does not demonstrate a theory as it lacks qualities that are essential to theories.

Willingham, D. T., Hughes, E. M., & Dobolyi, D. G. (2015). The scientific status of learning styles theories. Teaching of Psychology, 42(3), 266-271. doi:10.1177/0098628315589505

So if everyone was the same, the world would be uninteresting. Since being unique and different from others is always better than being the same as everyone else it is always okay to be different in one's own way. By being different it also means that mistakes will come which is okay since no one is perfect. Overall it is good to be different from others, for the reason of that’s what makes people unique and special. It is also good to accept who one is and to be okay with who one has become and what one looks

Need theories, as defined by psychologist David McClelland, is a concept that explains how human beings respond to different situations within an environment offering a particular set of conditions, based on specific needs. The thiories of need originate from the fact that most of the motivation that employis possecc stem from their need to fulfill certain needs. Unsatisfied needs therefore act as a factor bringing about motivation among individuals. Individual differences, just like the name suggests, is a concept in psychology that appreciates the physical and psychological differences among people and how the differnces affect individual reactions to various situations (Bandura, 1997). Cognitive theories, mainly focusing on mental processes, are theories that attempt to explain human behavior by critical studies of the human brain. These theories take into account that the various learning proceccees can be explained by analyzing the human brain function.

Douglas McGregor, a social psychologist in the 1960’s, developed two theories for workplace employees (Theory X and Theory Y, 1996-2016). Theory X describes employees as unmotivated, irresponsible, they need to be controlled, and they dislike working. Theory Y describes employees as responsible, enthusiastic, motivated, and imaginative. As an employee, not in a Management position, I can say I appreciate a manager who follows the Theory Y description. Since I feel that way as an employee, I will strive to be that type of Manager. I will participate, guide, lead, and motivate my employees to want to do a good job, and truly love what they do every day. I do believe that there are many employees in the workforce who do not like to work. When I come across someone with these characteristics, it will be my job to change their views. A low dose of responsibility will most likely motivate people to do better. Unfortunately, there are still many people who have the pessimistic view on life, and nothing will change their ways. Participating and interacting with employees on a day to day basis shows your interest in their role. I can understand how applying Theory Y in large organizations may be difficult, but with the right management in place, each department can be managed with Theory Y roles. I believe many companies give up on the chance to give their employees the responsibility because it is easier to control and direct without consideration or involvement from the