Transcript Slide 1

Learning Styles
Learning Style

Stewart and Felicetti (1992): those "educational
conditions under which a student is most likely to
learn."

a student’s consistent way of responding to and
using stimuli in the context of learning

how learners prefer to learn
Traditional Schooling

Use of linguistic and logical thinking methods only

Rely on classroom and book-based teaching,
repetition, pressured exams for reinforcement/review
Vs.
Use of Learning Styles
 Recognize that each person prefers different
learning styles and techniques
 Use techniques suited to the learner to improve
speed and quality of learning
Kolb’s Learning Styles
Kolb (1984) theorized that people develop preferences for
different learning styles. According to Kolb, the learning
cycle involves four processes that must be present for
learning to occur:

Activist - Active Experimentation (simulations, case study,
homework). What's new? I'm game for anything.

Reflector - Reflective Observation (logs, journals,
brainstorming). I'd like time to think about this.

Theorist - Abstract Conceptualization (lecture, papers,
analogies). How does this relate to that?

Pragmatist - Concrete Experience (laboratories, field work,
observations). How can I apply this in practice?
Kolb’s Learning Styles
These learning styles are the combination of two lines of axis
(continuums) each formed between what Kolb calls
'dialectically related modes' of 'grasping experience' (doing or
watching), and 'transforming experience‘ (feeling or thinking):

Feeling - Concrete
Experience (CE)

Watching - Reflective
Observation (RO)

Thinking - Abstract
Conceptualisation (AC)

Doing - Active
Experimentation (AE)
Multiple Intelligences

Intelligence can come in many forms.

Learning styles are the way people put the intelligence to
work.

Knowing which intelligence you possess enables you to
select learning styles that work for you.
Multiple Intelligences

Visual (spatial) – use of pictures,
images and spatial understanding

Aural (auditory-musical) – prefer using
sound and music

Verbal (linguistic) – prefer using words,
both in speech and writing

Physical (kinesthetic) – prefer using body, hands and sense
of touch

Logical (mathematical) – prefer using logic, reasoning and
systems

Social (interpersonal) – prefer learning in groups

Solitary (intrapersonal) – prefer to work alone and use selfstudy
VAK Learning Styles
VISUAL
AUDITORY
Learning
through
seeing
Learning
through
hearing
KINESTHETIC/
TACTILE
Learning
through
moving, doing,
and touching
VAK Learning Styles
VISUAL LEARNERS

Think in pictures and learn best from visual displays
(diagrams, illustrated textbooks, videos, charts)

Prefer to take detailed notes to absorb information

Need to see teacher’s body language and facial
expression to fully understand content of lesson
VAK Learning Styles
AUDITORY LEARNERS

Learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, and
listening to what others have to say

Interpret the underlying meanings of speech through
listening to tone of voice, pitch, speed and other
nuances

Benefit from reading text aloud and using a tape
recorder
VAK Learning Styles
KINESTHETIC/TACTILE LEARNERS

Do best while touching and moving

Learn best through a hands-on approach

Need for activity and exploration
Integrating the Styles into
the Learning Environment
VISUAL LEARNERS

Use graphs, charts, illustrations, or other visual aids.

Include outlines, concept maps, agendas, handouts, etc. for
reading and taking notes.

Invite questions to help them stay alert in auditory
environments.

Post flip charts to show what will come and what has been
presented.

Supplement textual information with illustrations whenever
possible.

Have them draw pictures in the margins.

Have the learners envision the topic or have them act out
the subject matter.
Integrating the Styles into
the Learning Environment
AUDITORY LEARNERS

Begin new material with a brief explanation of what is
coming. Conclude with a summary of what has been
covered.

Use the method of questioning learners to draw as much
information from them as possible.

Include auditory activities, such as brainstorming, buzz
groups, or Jeopardy. Leave plenty of time to debrief
activities.

Have the learners verbalize the questions.

Develop an internal dialogue between yourself and the
learners.
Integrating the Styles into
the Learning Environment
KINESTHETIC/TACTILE LEARNERS

Use activities that get the learners up
and moving

Play music, when appropriate, during activities

Use colored markers to emphasize key points on flipcharts
or white boards

Give frequent stretch breaks (brain breaks).

Guide learners through a visualization of complex tasks

Have them transfer information from the text to another
medium such as a keyboard or a tablet
Education and Gaming
The nature of learning supported by use of games
in education can be broadly divided into three
types:
 learning as a result of tasks stimulated by the
content of the games
 knowledge developed through the content of
the game
 skills arising as a result of playing the game
Education and Gaming
Categories of Games

adventure games – where the player moves through a
virtual world

puzzle games - such as Tetris

role-playing games – where the player assumes the role of
a person or creatures, such as Dungeons and Dragons

strategy games – such as Sims, where the player’s
strategy drives the game

sports games
Education and Gaming
Use of games in education can support valuable
skill development, such as:
• strategic thinking
• planning
• communication
• application of numbers
• negotiating skills
• group decision-making
• data-handling
Education and Gaming
Skills Developed Using Games
Mathematical Development

Use everyday words to describe position
Creative Development

Recognise and explore how sounds can be changed, sing
simple songs from memory, recognise repeated sounds
and sound patterns and match movements to music.

Respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell,
touch and feel.

Use their imagination in art and design, music, dance,
imaginative and role play and stories.
Education and Gaming
Skills Developed Using Games
Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Use early control software to investigate direction and
control
Physical Development

Fine motor control can be developed with the increased
refinement in using a mouse for navigation and selecting
objects.