Effectiveness of the Learning Styles, Models and Methods - Literature review Example

DEVELOPING THE PROFFESIONAL Table of contents Introduction ……………………………………………………………. 3 2. Skills Evaluation ………………………………………………………. 4 3. My Learning Methods ………………………………………………… 4 4. Teamwork ……………………………………………………………… 6 5. The charity fundraising project ……………………………………… 7 6. Important lessons from the project ………………………………….. 8 7. Project Planning ………………………………………………………. 9 8. Lessons from group formation ………………………………………. 11 9. Conclusion ……………………………………………………………. 12 10. Bibliography ………………………………………………………….. 14 11. Appendix: Thomas Kilmann’s Model of Problem Solving ……….. 16 Introduction Nowadays, many people are looking for opportunities that they can use in the process of accessing higher education. In this globalised world, many opportunities in terms of careers seem to exist in different social, economic and political institutions across the world. Most of these opportunities are available to people that have higher levels of education from reputable universities. This could be perhaps the reason why the demand for education in many countries seems to have gone a step ahead, with governments trying to ensure that they offer basic education at little or no charges at all(Hall &Buzwell 2012, p. 63). People finishing this basic level have the responsibility to finding ways to sponsor and manage their higher education from masters to postgraduate levels depending on the existing policies in the country (Taggart & Wilson 2005, p. 34). Getting a postgraduate qualification is a dream of most people the finish their undergraduate levels because it is the pathway to higher levels of learning and career opportunities in reputable organizations. As far as master’s education is concerned, one need to understand that at this level, a variety of learning styles are often required in completing the course successfully and in good time. Additionally, the emphasis at this stage is not just the completion itself, but rather it is important that one completes the level with better grades that can help him secure a better career or scholarship for a doctorate level degree (Chesters 2012, 23). Some of the learning methods and skills needed in the processing of having a successful completion of the masters course include effective communication and team work. It is important to understand that knowing how to deal with other people is very important in order to get any help from them. For this reason, effective learning about people’s behavior is important in the process of having a successful masters program. This paper provides a reflection of my journey into the masters program, examining the effectiveness of the learning styles, models and methods that I used in my masters program to its successful completion. Skills Evaluation In my masters program, I have been careful to choose and apply leaning styles and methods that I deemed effective in helping me achieve my goals in the right way as planned. For instance, I had to ensure that I develop positive attitudes towards the learning process itself. A positive attitude is a good tool that makes it possible for one to meet and interact with different people, which is exactly what I did. Having a positive attitude means that one exhibits good behavior to other people. It enhances the success of personal and other professional developments, things that I have explained in detail in this paper. In the same way, I have also explained how these skills are going to be instrumental towards my career and general development plan in the coming future (Chesters 2012, p. 33). The interactions that I have established in the course of my masters plan will assist me to create linkages that will help me achieve success in future (Chesters 2012, p. 34). My Learning Methods In any system, the success of the strategies designed lies in the effectiveness of the methods applied in achieving the strategies. In this case, it is important that organizations develop reliable and successful methods that can enable them achieve their goals and objectives (Roberts 2011, p. 55). It is important to realize that learning is a lifelong process that begins from cradle to grave, however, the success of individuals learning is depended on the methods and strategies that are developed and applied. Before I began my masters program, I did not have any better clue about the most important and effective learning styles that I would use. This was especially in the line of my academic and other personal issues. During this time, I had many problems in understanding much of the content and subjects that I was learning. In the same way, I did not give much attention to reflections about the significance of the courses I undertook. All this among other challenges meant that if a persisted in the same way, I could have problems in achieving better grades at the end of my studies. For this reason, I had to look for effective ways that I would use in order to improve my learning process. I started finding the need to have effective and suitable learning styles that would assist me to successful complete my masters program and team up with other people in the best way possible. I realized that forming a team with others would not have been the best option if my contributions would not make a difference. For this reason, I decided to research and apply some of the successful methods that I would use in order to achieve competency in my masters program. The questionnaires presented in the DTP assignment two were a wakeup call in my new endeavor. In this assignment, I learnt about various learning styles and methods that exposed me to various ways of how I would manage my learning process in the best way possible. With the use of the learning styles outlined in the VAK strategy (Wysocki & McGary 2003, p. 54), I realized that I am good in audio and kinesthetic learning. I understood that I am a very good listener and can learn effectively by being hands-on in the activities that I interact with in the masters program. The learning styles that I exhibit can be compared to those of an activist, who often wants to listen and practice out when he learns by doing it. I understood that according to my particular learning styles I am hood at seeking new experiences and finding out their effectiveness by working them out. It is actually the reason why I learn fast and have knowledge about many different concepts and subjects, including even those not in my learning path. I realized that the reason that makes driving and music lessons to be enjoyable for me it’s because of my learning styles. Additionally, subjects that require hands-own experience are always very easy for me compared to those that involve observation skills like watching movies and art. It is because of my learning style that we teamed together as a group in order to run the charity fundraising project. Teamwork Through analyzing my learning styles, I realized that I preferred working with other people in order to challenge our intellect and work collectively for a common goal (Baldwin 2013, p. 42). In getting results from effective teamwork, all the friends that I teamed with loved the group structure that we developed. It was one in which people had the freedom to bring their ideas together. Most of the time, we found ourselves trying to find better ways of how we could utilize our time in the best way that would not only satisfy our leaning ambitions but would also make a difference in the society and the immediate environment. This kind of thinking prompted us to begin on a project in which we could provide charity services and other kinds of aids to the needy and underprivileged children in the neighborhoods. In this project, everyone had to acknowledge the fact that coordination and team work are often inseparable. In this project, everybody had to understand that he had two important stakes, i.e., those involving his responsibilities as an active member of the group as well as the leader in the particular group (Mackin 2007, p. 75). In this group, there was effective coordination, sharing of responsibilities equally depending on our skills endowment and level of ability. This project was very helpful because it taught us some important aspects of management, which are practical in the labour market. Such aspects included people management, effective utilization and management of resources as well as time. Additionally, the project taught us how to overcome cultural barriers and boundaries since the members of the group were drawn from diverse cultures. This was a good ground in which we could learn how people in different areas undertake their duties and responsibilities as well as their perspectives on various issues of life like opportunities, challenges among others. We often found ourselves having to work in constrained environments so that we could come up with reliable working solutions in the most effective and efficient way (Mayer 2015, p. 87). Having the project to accomplish, planning was very essential for us. For this reason, we had to learn how to make priorities be examining all the options we had. After a thorough evaluation of the options we had, we settled on raising funds for needy children, which we thought was a very noble cause of concern looking at their future. The charity fundraising project The charity fundraising project was founded on the basis of providing opportunities for bright children that are needy such that they cannot afford the cost of higher education (Branche 2005, p. 28). To undertake this project, we were expected to sell foodstuffs to fellow students at the University. We grouped ourselves in order to undertake the project, so that all the members took part in the process and achieved the intended goals. According to the way we grouped ourselves, were secured a space at South Wales University, where we set up two tables. In this place, the first table that was set comprised on Arabic and Indian foods. On this table, the traditional and well known chicken biryani was made by two people; that is, member 1 assisted by member 2. Member 3, since she was good in Arabic foods, she prepared them in the best of her style. Many of the customers that visited these tables to buy the foods were swept off by their aroma and tastes and would not stop coming for more. Member 4 and 5 set up the next table, where they set up drinks, sweets, different kinds of Christmas gifts and several confectionaries that people could easily pick as they passed. This table became a huge attraction as many people trooped in order to find out about gifts they could buy for their loved ones. In the process, they ended up buying the foods set up on the first table because they were adjacent to each other. At the end of the day, everybody acknowledged that the day had become successful because of the coordination from all the members. The money that was collected at the end of the project was given out to the “Barnardos,” a welfare organisation that take scare of needy children, assisting them in their social, cognitive and physical development. The fundraising campaign taught us some important things about us as people in the society. We learnt that it is important to operate and work together in order to assist to empower those that have not had the opportunity to pursue their life goals. Through such initiatives, people begin to realize their mission and purposes in life, thus living their dreams. The success of the project made us learn some ways of leaning and working collectively in order to achieve our dreams, raise funds and other kinds of charities that can empower and enlighten the poor children in the society. Important lessons from the project Before the start of this project, no one knew that it would be successful in terms of the amount of money raised and the coordination that was shown by the people who took part in it. The fundraising made us learn the importance of shared responsibility (Golding 2000, p. 52). I had to learn that in a group, people often have diverse skills that need to be effectively coordinated. For instance, those that could not make Arabian foods managed to sell at the table that had confectionaries and other Christmas gifts. This complementarity is what actually brings ultimate success in a shared initiative. As a leader, it is important to learn from the views of other people before making the final verdict. This was illustrated in the planning process that gave us the option of fundraising for the needy children among the options that we had. Additionally, member’s contributions in terms of the activities to be done in achieving this objective Ire essential in ensuring that the final objective was achieved. At the end of the day, everyone that took part in the activity was very happy because of the achievement I had made in helping those bright and needy children pursue their education and life dreams. In general, I can acknowledge that I have got a lot of experience from the success of this project. I now understand how to run a project from the first stage, all the way to its completion. I have known that in such an activity, it is important to include the perspectives of all people in order to achieve a common goal. In a project, people will often have ideological differences which when brought together, they can be essential towards creating and achieving a common goal. People management is always the key to success for most organizations; in this case, organizational managers need to learn how to manage their teams effectively in order to elicit maximum and effective output from them Project Planning Like any other projects in organizations, ours needed effective planning before embarking on activities that would see us achieve our set goals effectively. The first thing that we did was to outline our objectives (White 2001, p. 43). In this case, we set out our project scope so that we knew the boundaries within which we could operate. This process made us understand some of the barriers that we could meet and the solutions to them. The second thing was to make an evaluation of our skills and abilities in order to execute the responsibilities assigned. In this case, we had to find out what each one of the members would accomplish effectively (Morris & Sember 2008, p. 21).It is from this process that we realized those who could cook different kinds of foods, sell confectionaries and Christmas gifts. After this exercise, the final thing that we were expected to do was to execute the plan. Planimplementation involved securing space at the South Wales University from where we set up our tables, ready to roll out the plan. During the course of the project, we had to effectively monitor the progress in order to ensure that everything was going on as planned. This was the controlling functions of the project (Dommeyer 2007, p. 61), the same way it happens in projects undertaken by organizations. For this project, everybody took up their plans and responsibilities as outlined. Perhaps the success of our projects may have been attributed to the fact that every person was undertaking that part which they loved and specialized most. Generally, the success of project activities as we later discovered was in people doing those responsibilities to which they are best suited for. At the end of the day, we had to evaluate the progress we had achieved, prepared and audited the entire plan. We counted the money we had raised and donated it to the children’s welfare group according to the plan outline as set out prior to its beginning, the plan as was used is outlined in the appendix. It is also important to understand that by following the group formation stages as outlined by Tuchman (Demange 2005, p. 41), we managed to overcome some of the challenges that many people face in the process of forming and managing their group activities. Lessons from group formation Groups are important tools by which organizations use in their project planning and management. Students, in the course of their learning rely on groups on order to pursue and complete group’s project and assignments. However, the success of these groups relies on the skills that are used in their formation and effective management (Topchik 2007, p. 32). In our case, prior to our project, we had to ensure that our project was established on the standards outlined by Tuchman as shown Fig 1. Tuckmann’s stages of Group Development (Demange 2005, p. 57) According to Tuchman, the success of the group depends on a persistent focus on the groups relationships and its particular focus. Four main stages have been outlined by Tuchman in the process of establishing a successful group. The group begins at the formation stage, where members come together with an idea to collaborate and achieve a certain goal (Demange 2005, p. 34). The storming stage involves people discussing what they have that can be accepted as the main agenda in the group. Thereafter, the group sets rules and regulations and other issues that are to guide it in achieving their set goals and objectives. The last aspect involved performing, where the group implements the plans it has set out (Sperschneider & Sperschneider 2008, p. 32). In our case, we followed all this stages effectively within the time that we had so that we managed to raise enough funds for the children’s welfare organisation in good time. Conclusion In conclusion, it is important to note that just like any other initiative, problems and challenges are bound to occur. However, the cohesion in the group depends on the strategies and approaches that are used in solving these problems as they arise. In order to maintain our cohesiveness, we had to rely on the Thomas Kilmann model for problem solving (Mayer 2015, p. 92). The Kilmann model offers a five point approach to learning how to accommodate and accept each other’s diverse opinions, thus achieving intended group activities. The five stages outlined in this model are outlined in the appendix. In any group, people often have diverse opinions that need to be accommodated and addressed. It is important to realize that the success of any project lies in its diversity. For this reason, we learnt how to accommodate and accept each other’s perspectives so that we could effectively harmonize and achieve common goals. Finally, I can acknowledge that the masters program has taught me many effective skills that I plan to use in the course of my career and other areas of life. I have learnt that in this life, people are not the same in very many ways, in their skills endowment, levels of education and assertiveness. At the same time, there is also another group that does not have the resources to reach their next levels in life. For this reason, as an elite member of the community, it is important to learn how one can take part in the economic and social empowerment of these people in order to improve their welfare. This means that one should always participate in those activities aimed at improving the welfare of other people, especially those that do not have the means to achieve their dreams and other important endeavors. All this can be achieved when people can form groups or unite on projects that they can use in achieving this important goal and others that they can set to achieve. Bibliography Baldwin, L.P 2013. ‘Active Learning in Higher Education’, Active Learning in Higher Education, Vol 14, No. 3, 165-173. Branche, B. 2005. Reflective thinking. Athena Press, London. Chesters, S. 2012. The Socratic classroom reflective thinking through collaborative inquiry. Sense, Rotterdam. Demange, G. 2005. Group formation in economics: Networks, clubs and coalitions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Dommeyer, C. J. 2007. ‘Using the diary method to deal with social loafers on the group project: Its effects on peer evaluations, group behavior, and attitudes’, Journal of Marketing Education, Vol 29, no. 2, pp 175–88. Golding, D. 2000. Thinking about management a reflective practice approach. Routledge, London. Hall, D. &Buzwell, S. 2012. ‘The problem of free-riding in group projects: Looking beyond social loafing as reason for non-contribution”, Active learning in higher education, Vol14, no. 1, 37-49. Mackin, D. 2007. The team building tool kit tips and tactics for effective workplace teams(2nd ed.). AMACOM, New York. Mayer, B. 2015. The Conflict Paradox Seven Dilemmas at the Core of Disputes. Wiley, Hoboken. Morris, R., &Sember, B. 2008. Project management that works real-world advice on communicating, problem solving, and everything else you need to know to get the job done. American Management Association, New York. Roberts, P. 2011. Effective project management.Kogan Page, London, UK. Sperschneider, V., &Sperschneider, J. (2008). Bioinformatics: Problem solving paradigms. Berlin: Springer. Taggart, G., & Wilson, A. 2005. Promoting reflective thinking in teachers: 50 action strategies (2nd ed.). Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, Calif. Topchik, G. 2007. The first-time managers guide to team building. AMACOM, New York. White, E. 2001. The fratricidal global village: The theory of hypertrophic group formation. Praeger, Westport, Conn. Wysocki, R., &McGary, R. 2003. Effective project management traditional, adaptive, extreme (3rd ed.). Wiley Pub, Indianapolis. Appendix: Thomas Kilmann’s Model of Problem Solving (Mayer 2015, p. 92) Read More