Educational Technology 1 – Educ 4038
July 23, 2009
Class 6 (3 Hours)
Dr. Diane P. Janes – Diane_Janes@cbu.ca – Office hours by appointment – Phone: 563-1236

What are Learning Styles?
There are many models used to describe learning styles. Below you will find a number of them grouped according to Curry's "onion" model (see Claxton & Murrell, Learning Styles ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report #4 (1987). This model arranges learning style models from those that focus on external conditions to those that are based on personality theory.

Instructional Preferences
• Canfield
• Dunn and Dunn
• Friedman and Stritter
• Goldberg
• Hill and Nunnery
• Renzulli and Smith
• Rezler and Rezmovic


Social Interaction Models
• Reichman and Grasha Learning Styles
• Mann
• Perry
• Belenky et al.
• Baxter Magolda


Information Processing
• Biggs, Study Process Questionnaire
• Entwhistle and Ramsden, Approaches to Studying
• Felder's Learning Style Page
• Gardner's Seven Learning Styles
• Gregoric Mind Styles
• Hunt, Paragraph Completion Method
• Kolb's model of Experiential Learning
• Pask
• Schmeck, Ribich, & Ramanaih, Inventory of Learning Process Schroeder, Paragraph Completion Test

Personality Levels
• Kagan, Matching Familiar Figures Test
• Katz and Henry's Omnipubus Personality Inventory
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Witkin, Embedded Figures Test

Litzinger & Osif describe learning styles as "the different ways in which children and adults think and learn (1992, 73)." They see that each of us develops a preferred and consistent set of behaviors or approaches to learning.

In order to better understand the learning process, they break it down into several processes:
1. cognition - how one acquires knowledge
2. conceptualization - how one processes information. There are those who are always looking for connections among unrelated events. Meanwhile for others, each event triggers a multitude of new ideas.
3. affective - people's motivation, decision making styles, values and emotional preferences will also help to define their learning styles.

A number of people have tried to "catalogue" the ranges of learning styles in more detail than this. Kolb is perhaps one of the best known and his thinking is outlined on the next page.

Kolb's Theory of Learning Styles

First Kolb showed that learning styles could be seen on a continuum running from:
1. concrete experience: being involved in a new experience
2. reflective observation: watching others or developing observations about own experience
3. abstract conceptualization: creating theories to explain observations
4. active experimentation: using theories to solve problems, make decisions

Hartman (1995) took Kolb's learning styles and gave examples of how one might teach to each them:
1. for the concrete experiencer - offer laboratories, field work, observations or trigger films
2. for the reflective observe - use logs, journals or brainstorming
3. for the abstract conceptualizer - lectures, papers and analogies work well
4. for the active experimenter - offer simulations, case studies and homework

Although Kolb thought of these learning styles as a continuum that one moves through over time, usually people come to prefer, and rely on, one style above the others. And it is these main styles that instructors need to be aware of when creating instructional materials. In order to find out more about each of Kolb's learning styles, and how to teach to them, you may choose to click on any of the learning style names in the diagram below.

Accommodators

Accommodators (Concrete experience/Active experimenter) are motivated by the question, "what would happen if I did this?" They look for significance in the learning experience and consider what they can do, as well as what others have done previously. These learners are good with complexity and are able to see relationships among aspects of a system.
A variety of methods are suitable for this learning style, but anything that encourages independent discovery is probably the most desirable. Accommodators prefer to be active participants in their learning.
The instructors working with this type of student might expect devil's advocate type questions, such as "What if?" and "Why not?"

Assimilators

Assimilator (Abstract conceptualization/Reflective observer) are motivated to answer the question, "what is there to know?" They like accurate, organized delivery of information and they tend to respect the knowledge of the expert. They aren't that comfortable randomly exploring a system and they like to get the 'right' answer to the problem.
Instructional methods that suit Assimilators include:
• lecture method (or video/audio presentation)--followed by a demonstration;
• exploration of a subject in a lab, following a prepared tutorial (which they will probably stick to quite closely) and for which answers should be provided.
These learners are perhaps less 'instructor intensive' than some other learning styles. They will carefully follow prepared exercises, provided a resource person is clearly available and able to answer questions.
Convergers
Convergers (abstract conceptualization/active experimenter) are motivated to discover the relevancy or "how" of a situation. Application and usefulness of information is increased by understanding detailed information about the system's operation.

Instructional methods that suit Convergers include:
• above all, the instruction should be interactive, not passive for these kinds of learners
• computer-assisted instruction is a possibility
• problem sets or workbooks can be provided for students to explore
Divergers
Divergers (concrete/reflexive learners) are motivated to discover the relevancy or "why" of a situation. They like to reason from concrete specific information and to explore what a system has to offer and they prefer to have information presented to them in a detailed, systematic, reasoned manner
Instructional methods that suit Divergers include:
• lecture method-focusing on specifics such as the strengths, weaknesses and uses of a system
• hands-on exploration of a system

The instructor would be best to mingle with the students, answering questions and making suggestions. Ready reference guides provide handy, organized summaries for this kind of learner. Flexibility and the ability to think on your feet are assets when working with Divergers.

Learning Styles Inventory

Take the LSI found at this web site: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/

Now, read the paper by Felder and Soloman called Learning Styles and Strategies found at this web site: http://web.archive.org/web/20080125051848/http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

How are learning styles and multiple intelligences similar? Different? Post your thoughts on the blog.

Discussion Activity: Thinking about MI in the Classroom

At this site http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/local/dd/dd98/projects/Lucinora.html you will find an example of a lesson plan on Urban Heating and see how the different multiple intelligences of students can be addressed through the same content.
Lesson Plan Assignment - Choose a topic of instruction and provide an example of how each of Gardiner's intelligences can be used to teach your selected concept. Post it to your blog.

Learning Theory's Impact on Teaching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnnjX9RrGq8&feature=related

Introduction to Learning Theories

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsX5Tq3WTBw