Learning Styles

INTRODUCTION – WHAT IS A LEARNING STYLE?  

Learning can be accomplished in a myriad of measures. I am a firm believer that everyone is capable of learning, but that not everyone is capable of learning in the same manner. I am not alone in this belief, and because of this, many learning styles have been researched and practiced. A learning style “consists of distinctive, observable behaviors that provide clues to the functioning of people’s minds and how they relate to the world” (Boneva & Mihova, 2012, p. 7). I write this blog with the understanding that “the very same learning conditions, guidance and instructions that can be so effective for one person can cause problems for another” (Boneva & Mihova, 2012, p. 5). Understanding learning styles is important for educators because it will enable them to produce a curriculum that utilized different styles to engage all their students who don’t all intake knowledge in a universal manner. 

In this blog, I will first discuss two different learning style theories from David Kolb and Howard Gardner, then I will defend my belief that Gardner’s theory is the stronger of the two, and conclude this post with presenting a Christian perspective regarding the seven different learning styles from Gardner.

LEARNING STYLE THEORISTS AND THEORIES

Here, I will discuss two well-known theories regarding learning styles. One is from David Kolb’s experiential learning theory and the other is the theory of multiple intelligences from Howard Gardner.

David Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory

David Kolb presented his experiential learning theory that revolves around four distinct principles. These principles are diverging (feeling and watching), assimilating (watching and thinking), converging (doing and thinking), and accommodating (doing and feeling) learning styles.  These learning styles are often portrayed in the continuum showed below:

http://www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html

This spectrum allows individuals to be placed on the continuum according to their learning styles. Individuals who fit in the top right of the spectrum under diverging “prefer to watch rather than do, tending to gather information and use imagination to solve problems. They are best at viewing concrete situations at several different viewpoints” (McLeod, 2013). Assimilating learners, who are on the right below diverging learners, put more emphasis on “ideas and concepts…these people require good clear explanations rather than practical opportunity” (McLeod, 2013). In the bottom left quadrant are the doing and thinking type of learners, or the converging learning style. People with “a converging learning style can solve problems and will use their learning to find solutions to practical issues” (McLeod, 2013). Finally, the last principle of Kolb’s is accommodating, located in the doing and feeling quadrant in the upper left hand corner. These learners “use other people’s analysis, and prefer to take a practical, experiential approach. They are attracted to new challenges and experiences, and to carrying out plans” (McLeod, 2013). Due to everyone’s ability to intake knowledge in different ways, Kolb believes that this spectrum has a place for everyone’s individual learning style. This spectrum can help educators create material in their curriculum that draws upon abilities from each stage of the experiential learning cycle in order to engage students located across the sequence.

Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory

Howard Gardner identified seven distinct intelligences that represent the myriad of ways people can learn. His seven principles can be boiled down into spatial, auditory-musical, linguistic, kinesthetic, mathematical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal styles of learning. The visual of this theory is posted here:

http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/

Gardner says that the fact that everyone learns in different ways creates a “challenge [for] an educational system that assumes everyone can learn the same materials in the same way and that a universal measure suffices to test student learning” (Lane, n.d.). These seven styles are what I believe to be most effective for teachers to mix together in their curriculums in order to reach all students who learn differently and engage them on several different levels.

I see Gardner's multiple intelligence theory as stronger than Kolb's because it is more concrete with how to implement the seven styles within a curriculum and makes it easier to identify the types of people who learn in different ways. 

             
 Next, I will discuss each of Gardner's learning style separately, and use examples of each within the descriptions to enhance their credibility.

SPATIAL/VISUAL LEARNING STYLES

            There are those who learn best by visually interpreting the information they are being taught. For these learners, educators can use tools such as pictures and videos to help with their spatial understanding. These visuals can “help students acquire concrete concepts, such as object identification, spatial relationship, or motor skill where words alone are inefficient” (Lane, n.d.). To tangibly demonstrate this kind of learning, I have placed an infographic below relating to the seven learning styles. This is an example of something a visual learner would benefit from within a lesson.

           

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/type-of-learner-infographic/

MUSICAL LEARNING STYLES

            Individuals who are musically inclined can tend to learn best from an auditory-musical style of learning. These learners are apt at discovering rhythm within life, and if educators can try to incorporate sounds, music, or rhythm into their curriculum, it can benefit these learners. For example, “A person who is strongly musically and weak numerically will be more likely to develop numerical and logical skills through music, and not by being bombarded by numbers alone” (Chapman, 2003). A demonstration of this example is a Schoolhouse Rock multiplication song called “3 is a Magic Number”. In fact, I hold this song very dearly to my heart, as it helped me in third grade while learning my multiplication tables. I have posted the video here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aU4pyiB-kq0

LINGUSITICAL LEARNING STYLES

            The use of words matter to those who learn best linguistically. These types of learners can be identified by their liking of “reading, playing word games, [or] making up poetry or stories” (Lane, N.D.). Educators can best teach these learners by having effective lectures using multimedia, books, tape, games, or computers incorporated throughout their lessons.

Here is a list of ways a linguistic learner might do to help them learn material:

·         Read content aloud in dramatic or varied tones

·         Record themselves reading over their notes on a tape to use later to review

·         Read back rhythmic word-based techniques like assertion and scripting

·         Recall lists of information through acronyms

·         Record lists of information using alliteration (get it?)

KINESTHETIC LEARNING STYLES

            Kinesthetic, or physical, learners prefer using their bodies and their sense of touch to intake information. Through the intentional placement of “physical activity, hands-on learning, acting out, [and] role playing” kinesthetic learners are able to retain information more fully (Lane, N.D.). Incorporating “physical experience and movement, touch and feel” into lesson plans is what will help enhance these learners knowledge (Chapman, 2003).

             Here is a very simple video of a woman explaining how to teach a child to tie their shoe. I feel like this would be beneficial for kinesthetic learners if they had a shoe with them so that they can practice as she explains how to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm5ItoIJ4sg

LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL LEARNING STYLES

Logical thinkers tend to learn best through a mathematical method of teaching. These learners are able to “think conceptually and are able to see and explore patterns and relationships [and] like to experiment, solve puzzles, [and] ask cosmic questions” (Lane, n.d.). Educators can best reach these learners by referencing numbers and logic in their lesson plans.

 Here is an example of a math problem that needs to be solved by the quadratic formula:

http://maths.nayland.school.nz/Year_12/AS_2.6_Algebra/Images/Poster_images/ScreenShot024.gif

This exemplifies a method of learning that a mathematical and logical learner would be able to internally process very well.

INTERPERSONAL/SOCIAL LEARNING STYLES

          Interpersonal learning helps to take place in social situations in groups or with other people.  Besides being taught through group activities, interpersonal learner can also benefit from tools like “the telephone, audio conferencing, time and attention from the instructor, video conferencing, writing, [and] e-mails” (Lane, n.d.). This demonstrates that those who learn best interpersonally will benefit both from collaborative efforts in the classroom, but also from outside attention and communication with their instructor or other students in their class.

Here is a slide that reiterates what is above, but uses visuals to help put it all together.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/476326098061583151/

INTRAPERSONAL/SOLITUDE LEARNING STYLES

While some learners do well in environments where students learn in groups, there are other learners who learn best by working individually. These learners are called intrapersonal learners who tend to work alone and use self-study techniques to absorb knowledge.  Educators can identify these types of learners from their showing of “wisdom, intuition and motivation, as well as a strong will, confidence and opinions” (Lane, n.d.). Lesson plans incorporating questions asking how the material relates to an individual’s personal view of the world or giving journal assignments that allow for deeper thought will benefit those who learn best through self-discovery. 

Here is a list of general example questions to ask students to record throughout lessons that will help build intrapersonal leaning styles:

·         How can I tangibly apply this lesson into my own life?

·         How could I use this lesson to help others learn something about the world or themselves?

·         In what ways does this lesson make me understand more about this subject?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT LEARNING STYLES?

            The Bible offers insight into learning styles. I believe we can see this through the description of the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12: 12-14 states, “There is one body, but it has many parts. But all its parts make up one body…We were all given the same spirit to drink. So the body is not made up of just one part. It has many parts” (New International Reader’s Version). This verse not only says that the body of Christ is made up of more than one part, but it also offers a visual for the different styles of learning. The verse continues on with saying “suppose the foot says, ‘I am not a hand. So I don’t belong to the body.’ By saying this, it cannot stop being part of the body” (1 Corinthians 12:15, NIRV). The hand and the foot serve a different purposes, the feet can take ground while the hands can serve and reach out to Christ’s people. We can reflect this onto the different styles of learning, because even though everyone learns through different capacities, the important thing is that the knowledge they are learning does not change. This can be exemplified through how Christians come to know Christ, as well. Some testimonies express how they learned about God in a group setting, others came to know God in solitude, others can rationalize the existence of God, while some feel God and experience Him through music or physical activities, some can see His creation and know that God is real, while others simply read the Bible and just get it. God does not come and show Himself to everyone in the same manner, just as not everyone can learn information in the same way.

CONCLUSION

            I believe that everyone learns in different ways. This is a popular belief that has been researched by Kolb and Gardner. They have both come up with different modules to express different learning styles and how to best incorporate different styles of teaching into a curriculum to serve students. In the end, I side with Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences because I can see how these seven learning styles can be combined and used throughout a classroom in order to effectively teach all students the same knowledge through different channels. God has created every individual in His image, and it is up to us, as educators, to “train up a child in the way he should go” but do it in a way that will resonate best with all our students, despite their learning styles (Proverbs 22:6, English Standard Version).

REFERENCES

Chapman, A. (2003-2014). Howard gardner’s multiple intelligences. Retreived February 4, 2017, from http://www.businessballs.com/howardgardnermultipleintelligences.htm

Daniela, B. and Mihova, E. (2012). Dyslang: dyslexia and additional academic language learning module 8: Learning styles and learning preferences.

Lane, C. (n.d.). Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Retrieved February 4, 2017, from http://www.techweb.org/styles/gardner.html

McLeod, S. A. (2013). Kolb - Learning styles. Retrieved February 4, 2017, from www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html

Overview of learning styles. (n.d). Retrieved February 5, 2017, from http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview/