learning-styles

Learning Styles : 

Learning Styles A Key to Academic Success Created by Angela S. Shores, M.A., LPC-BE Interim Director of Academic Advising Meredith College

Module Instructions : 

Module Instructions You are encouraged to write down the answers to the questions you see throughout the workshop. Complete the included inventories and assessments. Contact our office to schedule an appointment if you need to discuss anything further with a staff member.

Overview of Learning Styles : 

Feldman, R.S. (2000) Overview of Learning Styles Definition: One’s preferred manner of acquiring, using, and thinking about knowledge The way one approaches tasks

3 Types of Learning Styles : 

3 Types of Learning Styles Auditory Prefers to learn by/through hearing material Visual Prefers to learn by/through seeing material Kinesthetic/Tactile Prefers to learn by doing a new action or task or by being involved hands-on in the project

Can I have more than one primary learning style? : 

Can I have more than one primary learning style? The answer is yes! Some individuals have two learning styles that are their preferred methods of learning

The way you process information affects your learning style : 

The way you process information affects your learning style Two ways you process information Analytic processing You use small pieces of information to build the big picture Relational processing You take the big picture and break it down into smaller pieces of information (Feldman, 2000)

Brain dominance also affects your learning style : 

Brain dominance also affects your learning style There are two types of brain dominance or preference Right Brain Center of imagination, creativity, problem-solving, color, & the arts Left Brain Center of logic, analysis, language, & sequencing of information (Ferrett, S.K., 1997)

Left Brain and Right Brain Comparison : 

Ferrett, 1997 Left Brain and Right Brain Comparison Right Brain Preference Stimulated by games & activities Cluttered desk/study area Jumps from project to project Studies with others Studies in bursts of energy Daydreaming & procrastination Likes new challenges & likes change Prefers not to work with details Left Brain Preference Very organized Has daily schedules Plans out their studying Likes quiet/solitude Prefer consistency Comfortable in familiar surroundings Like details & facts Works on one project at a time Prefers to study alone Studies consistently

Can I be both Right and Left Brain? : 

Can I be both Right and Left Brain? The answer is yes! Some individuals use a balance of characteristics or skills identified with both brain dominances when they learn and complete tasks rather than using a majority of either right brain or left brain traits

Know Your Learning Style : 

Know Your Learning Style Take five minutes to complete the Learning Style questionnaire (click here for file). You may print the questionnaire and scoring instructions for your records. Once you have completed the questionnaire, use the directions given and determine your scores. Record your scores and preferences.

What Were Your Scores? : 

What Were Your Scores? Did you have a well defined, primary learning style and brain dominance? Did you have two learning styles with tied scores, indicating that you prefer to learn in more than one way? Did you have tied brain dominance scores, indicating that you use traits from each style to complete tasks and learn material?

Importance of Knowing Your Learning Style : 

Importance of Knowing Your Learning Style In the Classroom There is a relationship between your learning style and the instructor’s teaching style By knowing how you prefer to learn and what the instructor’s teaching style is, you can make the most of classroom time Example: if you are a visual learner and your instructor uses lecture as their way of communicating information in class, you can improve your capacity for learning that material by asking for visual aids to supplement the lecture (charts, graphs, or even written notes and handouts)

Importance of Knowing Your Learning Style : 

Importance of Knowing Your Learning Style While Studying There are some techniques & strategies which are helpful for each learning style Using study techniques that match with your preferred way of learning, you can overcome challenging situations or obstacles and master difficult material Knowing the learning style of classmates also helps as you form study groups – you can make sure your study group consists of students with the same learning style as you or you can create a group that has a variety of learning styles included so that you can learn from each other and each other’s style and strengths

Possible Challenges : 

Possible Challenges There are a variety of challenges that a student can experience related to learning styles. The next few pages provide some examples of these challenges. As you read over them, identify if you have experienced any of these or others.

Possible Challenges (continued) : 

Possible Challenges (continued) A visual learner in a music class which requires listening skills and tests based on repeating back the note one hears – the visual learner may struggle or experience difficulty with auditory tasks. An auditory learner in a chemistry lab reviewing the lab manual and instructions. This student prefers to learn by hearing and may find reading the directions more challenging than hearing the directions explained.

Possible Challenges (continued) : 

Possible Challenges (continued) A kinesthetic learner is in a seminar class where the instructor uses lecture, graphs, & pictures but no interaction among participants or learning tasks that involve moving around or hands-on activity A visual learner in a lecture with no visual aids to illustrate the material being taught

Possible Challenges (continued) : 

Possible Challenges (continued) A visual learner in a foreign language course with a heavy emphasis on listening and speaking skills may find these auditory types of learning and relaying information challenging. What challenges have you experienced? How have these related to your learning style?

Take a 10 minute break : 

Take a 10 minute break Study Tip Take a short break each hour to refresh your mind and body. You’ll do better. Set an alarm clock or timer and come back!

Tips for Visual Learners : 

Tips for Visual Learners Use pictures, maps, charts, and graphs that illustrate material Sit where you can view your instructor during lectures Take notes or ask your instructor to provide handouts or outlines Visualize information as a picture to aid memorization

Tips for Auditory Learners : 

Tips for Auditory Learners Be active in class discussions Use a tape recorder during lectures instead of taking notes Read text aloud Use mnemonics or stories & jingles to aid memorization Discuss ideas verbally Practice positive self-talk

Tips for Kinesthetic/Tactile Learners : 

Tips for Kinesthetic/Tactile Learners Take frequent study breaks Move around while learning new things (read on an exercise bike, etc.) Make flashcards and/or posters Use bright colors to highlight or take notes in colors instead of highlighting Have a mentor Do an experiment or some other hands-on activity to learn the material

Case Studies : 

Case Studies Take a few minutes to read through the case studies on the next few slides. There are 5 case studies in all. Answer the following questions to test your knowledge of what you’ve learned about learning styles. What is the student’s primary learning style? What is the learning style challenge present? What suggestions would you offer to assist the student in this case?

Case Study # 1 : 

Case Study # 1 Maria is in a Music Appreciation class this semester. She is not a music major but the course fulfills a requirement for her General Education. Maria is experiencing some challenges in the class. She does well on the class assignments and parts of the test that include identifying the notes, key signatures, and chords she sees on the page. She also does well when she is testes on material she has read in the book. Maria finds other parts of the class challenging. She struggles to do well on the portions of the test that require her to listen to music that the professor plays and then identify the key, tempo, or other information about the piece. They all sound the same to her. Maria is concerned because the majority of her grade for the class comes from completing these listening tasks for parts of exams or completing listening labs.

Answer: Case Study # 1 : 

Answer: Case Study # 1 Maria is a visual learner. The learning style challenge is that the class is primarily an auditory class in that it requires a lot of listening skills and learning through listening. Suggestions: Maria could speak with her professor about her learning style and ask for ways to increase her skill in auditory tasks Maria could increase the number of hours she spends practicing her listening skills in order to develop her ability to learn by auditory methods Maria could speak with classmates who are auditory and work with them to study for the listening assignments

Case Study # 2 : 

Case Study # 2 Jill is taking a chemistry class this semester which requires a lab. Jill is doing well in the chemistry class, as she enjoys the lectures and is able to understand the material when the professor lectures to the group. Jill is struggling, however, with the lab. The lab requires a lot of reading as the students are required to read through the lab manual directions for each experiment and follow these directions in order to answer the questions provided. In addition to having trouble understanding the instructions in the manual in order to perform the experiment, it takes Jill much longer to complete the lab than it does everyone else in class. She is always the last one to leave the lab. She also performs poorly on the quizzes which cover the material they are required to read in the manual. At mid-term, Jill’s grade for her class is an A but her grade in lab is a C-. Jill is concerned and wants to pull her grade up in the lab but has a difficult time understanding the instructions in the manual and fins that she has trouble remembering what she read when it is time for the quizzes.

Answer: Case Study # 2 : 

Answer: Case Study # 2 Jill is an auditory learner. The learning style challenge is that the lab is a combination of visual and kinesthetic learning methods. Suggestions: Jill could read the lab manual out loud so that she is hearing the instructions. Jill could speak out loud the steps of the lab as she completes them. Jill could speak with her lab instructor to see if there are any suggestions that he or she has for learning the material based on her auditory learning style. Jill could practice developing her kinesthetic learning skills in order to feel more comfortable completing the lab steps.

Case Study # 3 : 

Case Study # 3 Anna is taking her introductory psychology class this semester. She is very interested in psychology and wants to major in it. She was excited early in the semester but after the first month and a half of class, she finds it challenging. Anna finds that she is attentive during the first 30 minutes or so of class but the remaining 50 minutes of the class she is fidgety and impatient. She realizes that at this point in the professor’s lecture she starts to tune out and loose interest. She therefore misses a great deal of information the professor shares in class. Anna often times steps out of class and walks around the hall for a few minutes before returning to class. She wishes the professor would let the class have small group discussions on some of the information or role play to learn some of the theories and techniques he is lecturing about. Anna is worried about her grade in the class. She has taken two tests and has found that she remembers the material she studies on her own when she is either with a study group or when she uses her flashcards on her walks around campus. She does poorly on the material from lectures, which is a least half of the material on each test.

Answer: Case Study # 3 : 

Answer: Case Study # 3 Anna’s primary learning style is kinesthetic/tactile. The learning style challenge is that the class is primarily an auditory class, focusing on lecture as the mode of communicating information, which does not fit with Anna’s preferred learning style. Suggestions: Anna could share with the instructor that her preferred learning style is kinesthetic/tactile and ask if it is possible to add group discussions or role play to the class presentation set up. Anna could, with the instructor’s permission, tape record the lecture and then listen to it in her room where she can do kinesthetic activities, such as walking around the room or listen to it as she walks around campus to supplement her learning with the kinesthetic activities she enjoys.

Case Study #4 : 

Case Study #4 Margaret is very frustrated in her biology class. She was always a good student in high school but is finding this college course challenging. The class is a lecture class and the instructor definitely enjoys talking! The entire hour and twenty minutes is filled with the professor lecturing. Margaret has a hard time grasping the concepts her instructor is talking about. Margaret also finds the lectures overwhelming because the instructor does not use PowerPoint presentations or even outlines so Margaret has no idea when the instructor has moved on to another topic or even what the main ideas are for the lecture. It takes Margaret a great deal of extra time to study for this course because she has to re-read her notes and find illustrations in her textbook that make what her professor said in class make sense. Margaret is concerned as she prepares for her first exam in the course.

Answer: Case Study # 4 : 

Answer: Case Study # 4 Margaret’s primary learning style is visual learning. The learning style challenge in this case study is that the course is auditory in nature and the instructor’s teaching style is auditory (lectures) with no visual aids. Suggestions: Margaret could let the instructor know that she is a visual learning and ask if the instructor could provide a lecture outline to follow and take notes by. Margaret could ask the instructor to point out key charts and figures in the text that cover the material he/she is teaching on so that Margaret can use the visual aids to assist her in learning. Margaret could create her own outline of the chapter when she is reading the chapter before class and use it to follow along in class. Margaret could sit near the front of the class room so that she could at least see the instructor to stimulate her visual learning preference.

Case Study # 5 : 

Case Study # 5 Jennifer is so excited to study a new foreign language in college. She went to a high school that offered few languages to study and so she chose to study Latin. She always did well in her high school Latin classes and enjoyed translating the material from the book. She has decided to take Italian in college. Jennifer finds the first day of class to be overwhelming – the instructor immediately begins talking to the class in Italian. Jennifer can keep up when he speaks in English but as soon as he speaks in Italian to the class she struggles to follow. She understands the words and vocabulary from the book but is extremely frustrated when they are asked to speak to one another in class. Jennifer has trouble pronouncing the words correctly and when she hears them spoken to her she can’t picture how they are spelled and gets confused about the words, spelling, and endings. Even more frustrating are the language lab assignments because she has to listen to tapes of someone speaking in Italian and then write down what was said in Italian and then translate it to English. She makes very low grades on these assignments and is worried about her upcoming test because there is an entire section, worth ½ of her grade, where she must translate what the instructor says to them in Italian.

Answer: Case Study # 5 : 

Answer: Case Study # 5 Jennifer is a visual learner and prefers to learn by seeing the material. The learning style challenge in this situation is that the class is heavy in auditory techniques for class material, homework, and tests. Suggestions: Jennifer could speak with her instructor and let him know her primary learning style and that she is feeling challenged and overwhelmed. She could seek his suggestions for overcoming this challenge. Jennifer could increase her time listening to the language tapes in order to develop her auditory skills. Jennifer could listen to the tapes WHILE she reads along in her book so that she can associate what she sees (her primary mode of learning) with what she hears in order to learn the material. Jennifer could participate in a study group with students who are comfortable with auditory learning techniques and practice the speaking and listening skills with them.

Additional Resources : 

Additional Resources Academic Advising Office Information & resources for using YOUR learning style to maximize YOUR academic success One-on-one appointments Discuss your learning styles in greater detail Identify challenges you may face related to your specific learning style Identify strategies specific to your learning style 2nd Floor Park Center – (919) 760-8059 Appointments strongly recommended.

References : 

References Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S.L. (2001). Keys to Success: How to Achieve Your Goals. Prentice Hall, Inc.; Upper Saddle River, NJ Feldman, R.S. (2000). POWER Learning: Strategies for Success in College & Life. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.; Boston, Massachusetts  Ferrett, S. K. (1997). Peak Performance: Success in College & Beyond. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.; Chicago, IL Nelson, D.B. & Low, G.R. (2003). Emotional Intelligence: Achieving Academic & Career Excellence. Pearson Education Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ