A House of Learning: Learning Styles

The three basic learning styles?

Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic

Beyond the basics....
Jung, Meyer's, Kolb, Bloom

WARNING! Read the fine print....
"Although the literature on learning styles is enormous, very few studies have tested the validity of learning styles applied to education. Moreover, of those that did use an appropriate method, several found results that flatly contradict the popular meshing hypothesis....
at present, there is no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning-styles assessments into general educational practice. Thus, limited education resources would better be devoted to adopting other educational practices that have a strong evidence base, of which there are an increasing number. However, given the lack of methodologically sound studies of learning styles, it would be an error to conclude that all possible versions of learning styles have been tested and found wanting; many have simply not been tested at all. Further research on the use of learning-styles assessment in instruction may in some cases be warranted, but such research needs to be performed appropriately." -

Journal of Psychological Science, Learning styles Concepts and Evidence, Harold Pashler, Mark McDaniel, Doug Rohrer, and Robert Bjor - link
.

.
In short, dozens of studies have shown using a student's preferred cognitive modality does NOT give that student an edge in learning new material. What??!!!???
.

.
Most new material we want students to grasp – is not necessarily visual, auditory, or kinesthetic information…it’s meaning.

Presenting information via the visual channel has not been proven to give a “visual learner” any advantage in learning anything besides visual representations. The same holds true for auditory and kinesthetic “learners”. An auditory learner might very easily remember the sound of your voice while you were reciting the vocabulary words (and can probably imitate you quite well behind your back), but “the sound of the teacher’s voice” is most likely not one of your learning objectives.

So if using their “learning style” has not been shown to help, should we give up on it?

No! Becoming familiar with ALL of the learning styles, and using ALL of them is still a good way to teach meaning.

So:
Auditory - Talk about it
Visual - Read about it
Kinesthetic - Experiment with it

It's good to know and use what learning style they prefer, but keep in mind - the point of it all is not what it looks like, it's not what it sounds like, it's not what it feels like - the point is understanding what it all really means.

Dec 2013 Ensign - Our Homes, Our Families, Helping Children Recognize the Holy Ghost, By Merrilee Browne Boyack - link

" Our oldest son’s grades in his social studies class were declining. We had talked with him about it, encouraging him to study harder, but there was still no improvement. We had been praying for ideas to help him. One day in a bookstore, I had a strong impression to buy a book from a pile of books that were on sale.

The book was about how each of us has distinct learning styles. Many people are visual learners, meaning they learn best by what they see. These learners often love art and reading. Some learn best aurally. They process information most effectively when they hear it. These people often love music. Finally, some learners are kinesthetic learners. They learn best when there is motion or activity involved. These learners sometimes struggle in school when teachers insist on them sitting still. They learn best when they’re moving around.

There was the answer! Our son was obviously an aural learner—he loved music and talking! We discovered that he was often being pulled out of class for other activities during social studies and was then told by the teacher to go home and read the material. He was struggling because he wasn’t hearing the class discussion. Once we understood this, we encouraged him to read his assigned material aloud and then discuss it with us. His grades shot back up."

What is your learning style?
take the test to find out - link

Auditory Learners - link

Kinesthetic Learners - link

Visual Learners - link

Below are copies of resources I use for my engineering students & kids, but it applies to everyone.

Beyond the basics....Notes from an engineering class...

“If you, as with all humans since the birth of man, desire change; if the system you want to change is complex and poorly understood, if the change you will accept must be the best available, and if it is constrained by limited resources, then you are in the presence of an engineering problem. If you cause this change … then you are an engineer." - Koen

Jung, Meyer's, Kolb, Bloom

Jung / Meyers Typology

If you do not know your Meyer's personality

- take a few online tests

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp

http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html

etc. - there are many versions of this test online, in the end, go with your gut feeling of what matches the best. Also, keep in mind, your personality at work or school might be different than your personality at home or around friends in a casual setting.

Kolb Test:

Not only should you recognize your own learning and personality styles, but you should also be able to identify the learning and personality styles of those around you so that you can most effectively communicate your ideas with others. Become familiar with all of the different styles, and provide explanations and presentations that appeal to a wide and diverse audience.