learning styles

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learning styles how to use them

• Ramesh Mehay
• Programme Director (Bradford VTS) 2008

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Aim

• To introduce the participants to the concept and
  the use of learning styles
• and linking it to the e-portfolio

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Objectives

• At the end of the sessions the participants will
  have
• been introduced to the Honey Mumford Learning
  Styles
• seen the variety of styles amongst their fellow
  colleagues
• Related their learning styles to themselves and
  their own lives
• Some awareness of the implications for the
  e-portfolio

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Perceptions

• What do you see?

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On to Honey Mumford
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Honey Mumford Learning Style Learners

• 4 axes

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Activists

• Involve themselves fully without bias in new
  experiences
• Open minded Not sceptical, enthusiastic about
  anything new
• Days are filled with activity
• When one activity is dying down, theyre on the
  look-out for another

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Activists

• But
• Act first consider the consequences after
• Centre all the activities around themselves!
• Thrive on challenge, but bored with
  implementation and long term consolidation

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Reflectors

• stand back and ponder about experiences
• enjoy observing other people, adopt a low profile
• act on the past, the present and the opinion of
  others
• a more rounded reflection

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Reflectors

• But
• thorough collection and analysis of data can
  delay reaching a definite conclusion

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Theorists

• observe and make theories
• analyse and synthesise
• go back to basic assumptions, principles,
  theories, models and systems

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Theorists

• But
• perfectionists
• tend to be detached
• Analytical
• feel uncomfortable with subjective judgments,
  lateral thinking and anything flippant

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Pragmatists

• keen on trying out ideas, theories techniques
  to see if they work
• return from management courses brimming with new
  ideas that they want to try out
• essentially practical down to earth people get
  on with things
• like making practical decisions and problem
  solving

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Pragmatists

• But
• impatient with ruminating and open-ended
  discussions

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The graphs
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Whats the NORM all rounded
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Reflector Theorist

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Reflector - Theorist

• Commonest variant style
• ANALYSIS TO PARALYSIS

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Activist - Pragmatist

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Activist - Pragmatist

• 2nd commonest variant style
• but they do things too quickly!!!

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Activist - Theorist

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Activist - Theorist

• Not a common style
• jump to conclusions

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Activist - Reflector

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Activist - Reflector

• uncommon
• But depending on the proportions, have the
  ability to reflect before they act a good thing

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How does all of this tie in with the e-portfolio?
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Activists - Pros

• Enthusiastic about anything new
• You need to capture this in your e-portfolio
• Love projects and new experiences
• Why did you engage in an activity? etc
• Act first, consider consequences later
• Capture the consequences and reflect. What have
  you learned?

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Activists - Cons

• Days are filled with activity/Bored with long
  term consolidation
• Will you have time for the e-portfolio?
  (schedule it in because when one activity is
  dying down, youll already be onto another)
• Will you get bored with the activity by the time
  it needs logging on?
• May end up with lots of incomplete PDPs (long
  term consolidation)
• Might end up overwhelming the e-portfolio (with
  all the activities)
• Be selective what is useful what shows
  curriculum coverage?

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Reflectors - Pros

• Very good observers
• Capture what youve seen, heard or feel
• Capture an all rounded view
• Act on the past, the present and opinions
• Good at exploring feelings
• As well as the mechanics of an issue

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Reflectors - cons

• Can postpone reaching a definite conclusion
• And may end up adding entries too late
• Capture the views of everyone and everything
  around them
• Beware, e-portfolio entries need to be concise

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Theorists - Pros

• The e-portfolio might complement their learning
  style
• Because it helps provide a structure for their
  learning
• eg what did you learn from the event, what will
  you do differently, how will you do this, by what
  time?
• Often add entries in a logical way
• Starting from first principles and basic
  assumptions.
• Therefore, the flow might be good.

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Theorists - cons

• Theorists are perfectionists and the e-portfolio
  isnt
• E-portfolio may not accommodate all real life
  situations
• Where do you put what?
• Tend to be detached and analytical
• You need to show your humanistic side
• Subjectivity and ambiguity are just as important
  as objectivity and for that, you need to get
  comfortable with lateral thinking
  ruminating/open ended discussions

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Pragmatists - pros

• Return from courses brimming with pragmatic ideas
  
• Capture them in the e-portfolio, may help you
  keep a log of them so you dont forget
• Practical people
• Placing learning events in context
• See problems and opportunities as challenges
• And the ARCP panels like that attitude

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Pragmatists - cons

• Practical down to Earth people
• May ignore the e-portfolio as they might not see
  how it can help them with their day to day work
• Concentrate on the mechanics rather than people
  and feelings
• Be careful, you need to capture both a balance
• Impatient with ruminating and open ended
  discussions
• And sometimes you need that to help things
  progress

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If you were the norm

• The ideal for the e-portfolio IS the NORM
• all rounded
• no extremes to stop them from using the
  e-portfolio in a skewed way

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How else can you use learning styles to your
advantage?

• and something about how we run our scheme

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Putting it all together

• When learning, use learning styles to
• Complement your preference style
• Use methods to boost weaker areas
• We use them to
• Design courses to appeal to a set of different
  learning styles
• Learning styles can be used to achieve a balance
  of skill mix within a team/group

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Methods of Instruction

• the lecture
• the modified lecture
• the demonstration
• Practical sessions
• Readings
• group discussion
• conferences
• seminars
• workshops, clinics
• the fishbowl

• role-play
• simulation
• games
• videos/films
• brainstorming
• programmed instruction
• field trips
• question and answer

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Things we do on our scheme
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Multi-modality learning

• We remember
• 10 of what we read
• 20 of what we hear
• 30 of what we see
• 50 of what we see and hear
• 80 of what we say
• 90 of what we say, hear and do (Rigg)

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So dont dismiss the exercises
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Close

• HDR exercises, tasks and games are carefully
  designed to
• explore new avenues, so dont just dismiss them
• dont mock them until youve tried them
• So

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Close

• Go out there and PLAY!