Learning Styles in Literature - Essay Example

Learning Styles In the last few years, people have talked about learning styles because they are important to the way children and adults learn. Some people say that people have different personalities that influence their learning while others say it is certain ways of feeling or certain attributes that people have that help in the processing of learning. There are several theories that make up the literature on learning styles and this paper will discuss the important aspects of each one. The Preferred Representational Systems is a Neural Linguistic Programming Model (NLP) that looks at how our human brains process information ("Representational Systems"). In this model there are five ways that our brain processes: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Gustatory, and Olfactory. According to Ellerton (2003), "these modalities are the primary ways we represent, code, store and give meaning or language (linguistic) to our experiences". (par. 1). However, we work with the Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK) areas most of the time, according to this model. The model states that we use more than one of these VAKS, depending on what we are doing. For instance, when we listen to music, we are feeling the music (kinesthetic), listening to it (auditory) and some picture is coming to mind (visual). Usually one of these is a "preferred" mode for a learner to use. Individuals have the ability to move from one to the other easily. According to this model Visual learners tend to be neat because they want to "look good." Their decision making tends to use visualization and they have insights that they share. They remember faces more than names and they want to see the big picture (Ellerton, 2003, par. 8). The auditory learner falls into two categories, either the Auditory Tonal or the Auditory Digital learner. The Auditory Tonal spends time listening to the tone of a persons voice and are paying attention to the total voice inflection. They are verbal processors and like to think out loud as they are working through a problem (Ellerton, 2003, par. 9). Auditory Digital learners usually are more thinkers and tend to work things out in their mind rather than on paper. It is more important for them to memorize "steps, procedures and sequences" (Ellerton, 2003, par. 11). Kinesthetic learners will use their senses of feeling to get in touch with their learning. They learn best by moving, touching and feeling. They also make decisions based on their feelings (Ellerton, 2003, par. 12). The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test that has been used by millions of people. According to Pelley (1998) type indicators " are questionnaires that help you identify your own preferences for the way you process information, day-in and day-out". (par. 1). According to this test, the learner is influenced by this personality in a number of ways. For the MBTI, there are 8 basic "types" : Introverts or Extroverts, Sensors or Intuitives, Thinkers or Feelers, Judgers or Perceivers. These categories form the foundation for a four letter code that encompasses each one. As an example, an Introvert (I) according to this model is someone who listens more than they talk, tend to focus on one thing at a time and have quiet energy. The individual who is Extroverted (E) is quite the opposite because they have higher energy, like to be with people and are more outgoing (Tieger and Baron, 2001, "Extraverts, Introverts"). Bring into this personality a Sensor (S) who focuses on details, likes to work consistently and notice details with an Intuitive (N) who sees the possibilities and focuses on the big picture and trusts their gut instincts and you have half of the four letter code (Tieger and Baron, 2001, "Sensors," Intuitives"). The last two are comprised of Thinkers (T) who are honest and direct, who tend to see flaws and are motivated by achievement with a Feeler (F) who makes their decisions on how they "feel" about something and appear warm and friendly. They are the people who tend to take things personally that others say and try to avoid conflict or arguments at all cost (Tieger and Baron, 2001, "Thinkers, Feelers"). The final two comparisons are the Judgers(J) who want things decided quickly, tend to make decisions easily and like using schedules with the Perceivers (P) who like to start projects but not finish them, like to keep their options open and like to keep their plans flexible (Tieger and Baron, 2001, "Judgers, Perceivers"). When a person understands their type according to this format, they can see how they fit with other people and they can see how they fit with a teachers teaching style. The last learning style model is called the Learning Styles Profiler and was created by Professor Chris Jackson. His style is a personality style where he "argues Sensation Seeking provides a core biological drive of curiosity, learning and exploration." (Innovative Learning, 2008, par. 4). He says that if people are pushed to explore things they can have problems unless the areas of creating goals and emotional intelligence are present. The study of learning styles has been debated for many years. There is no scientific evidence, according to Innovative Learning and others, and many psychologists quote the lack of scientific evidence as the reason that learning styles are not reliable. However, learning styles can be a starting place to show how an individual can approach any learning situation. Learning styles can show that a learner has a preference for a certain type of learning and understanding this information can help them acquire the knowledge and skills in the way they learn. In a study by Coffield, Ecclestone, Hall, and Moseley (2003) in which they reviewed several learning style models, it was found "little good evidence to suggest that teaching influenced by the idea of learning styles [had] a significant effect on achievement or motivation" (par. 5). Although many people have studied learning styles they still remain as somewhat of an enigma because of all the controversy. Some people criticize type indicators like the MBTI because they say it is an attempt to pigeonhole people into believing that they are a certain way. The question then becomes "How do students learn and what is the most effective way to teach them?" This is a question that is being asked through many universities across the country. Another thought is to look at learning theories and one of the most important ones is the Adult Learning Theory because it speaks to some of the issues for adult learners. According to Knowles (as quoted in Lieb, 1991, "Adults as Learners"), adult learners are self-directed, autonomous, goal directed and relevancy oriented. Many adults have to answer the question "Why?" when they approach learning situations. Perhaps this is what teachers and administers should be looking at when they are designing learning programs for adults. If they take into consideration learning styles and give them many tests to at least get an idea or a "feel" for how a person is at least processing information, they may find that all of these methods work together to help someone learn. All of these learning modules have some type of test to go with them and most are just interview type tests. If a person takes several of them, it is quite possible that they will find that they have a better pathway to their own learning. References Brightman, H. J. (n.d.). GSU master teacher program: on learning styles. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from http://www2.gsu.edu/~dschjb/wwwmbti.html. Coffield, F., Ecclestone, K., Hall, E. and D. Moseley. (2003). A systematic and critical review of learning styles. School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences. University of Newcastle. Retrieved May 30, 2008, from http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ecls/research/project/1927. Ellerton, R. (2003). Modalities and representational systems. Renewal Technologies Inc. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from http://www.renewal.ca/nlp10.htm. Innovative Learning. (2008). Fleming, A. (2007). Learning styles. Fact Sheet. CIPD. Retrieved May 30, 2008 from http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/lrnanddev/general/lrngstyles.htm. Innovative Learning (2008). Learning styles. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from http://www.innovativelearning.com/teaching/learning_styles.html. Lieb, Stephen. (1991). Principles of adult learning. VISION. Arizona Department of Health Services. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet /committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm. Pelley, J.W. (1998). The SuccessTypes learning style type indicator: introduction to your psychological type. Texas Tech University, Health Sciences Center. Retrieved May 30, 2008 from http://www.ttuhsc.edu/SOM/Success/LSTIntro.htm. Representational systems (NLP). [n.d.]. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 29, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? title=Representational_systems_%28NLP%29&oldid=215778144 (note: only definition taken from this source). Tieger, P. and Baron, B. (2001). Whats your personality type? Personalitytype.com. Retrieved May 30, 2008 from http://www.personalitytype.com/quiz.html. Read More