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Learning Styles
Teaching different styles of learners
What exactly is a learning style?
A learning style is a preference or possibly even a need for learning in a certain way. This has an effect on the strategies and decisions that a learner makes both inside and outside the classroom.
Which hand do you prefer to write with? The right hand? The left hand? Why? Try writing your name on a piece of paper with your preferred hand, then the other hand. How does it feel?
You probably found it quite natural writing with your preferred hand and had to concentrate much harder using your other hand. This doesn’t mean that you don’t need your other hand – there are situations when you will need and want to use it. Learning styles are the same.
Chances are that you have a preferred way of learning (whether you know it or not), but this does not mean that in certain situations, you don’t need and even want to learn in other ways as well. For example, if time is short the night before an exam, an aural learner who prefers learning in groups, may nevertheless choose to study on their own because they see this as more cost-effective.
How flexible are learning styles?
It follows that most people can adapt their learning style to the situation they find themselves in. However, if you are not using your preferred style, you may be learning less effectively.
Some people are less flexible and if they don’t learn in a particular way this results in a severe loss of learning or even an inability to learn (“If I don’t see it, I can’t remember it”). If there is a mismatch between such people and the teaching style of a particular teacher or program then this will result in major learning difficulties.
What are the implications for teaching?
Teachers need to be aware of different styles so that they can be sensitive to the needs of their students and flexible in the way that they present their subject. A teacher’s own style can influence the way they present material and it is important that they are aware of this as well.
In the following pages, we will examine different kinds of learning styles:
22-11-09