DIAGNOSING DIAGNOSING LEARNING LEARNING

STYLESTYLEHandoutonline

ENVIRONMENTALENVIRONMENTALPSYCHOLOGICALPSYCHOLOGICALSOCIOLOGICALSOCIOLOGICALPHYSICALPHYSICALCOGNITIVECOGNITIVE

ENVIRONMENTALENVIRONMENTAL:your external surroundings

ENVIRONMENTAL ELEMENTS

Your preferences about: AMOUNT OF SOUND TYPE/ AMOUNT OF LIGHT TEMPERATURE FURNITURE

PSYCHOLOGICALPSYCHOLOGICAL:your emotional

preferences

PSYCHOLOGICAL STYLE

THE PROFESSORENCOURAGES STUDENTS’:

• competition

• cooperation

THE PROFESSOR and STUDENT

INDEPENDENCE:

• Expects students to ask for help

• Guides students step by step

THE PROFESSORSTRESSES

IMPORTANCE OF:

• Individual effort

• Group effort

SOCIOLOGICALSOCIOLOGICAL:your interactions

with people

You like to learn: BY YOURSELF IN A PAIR WITH A GROUP WITH AN EXPERT

PHYSICALPHYSICAL:your personal

needs

PHYSICAL STYLE

TIMESENSES MOBILITYINTAKE

Your preferences: PERCEPTUAL

(senses) INTAKE TIME MOBILITY

WHEN GIVING DIRECTION,

THE PROFESSOR:

• “Tells” what to do

• “Shows” what to do

THE PROFESSOR and VISUAL

AIDS:

•uses often

•uses rarely

DURING CLASSTHE PROFESSOR:

•Mostly lectures

•Mostly holds class discussion

COGNITIVECOGNITIVE

You think: ANALYTICALLY(starting with the details)

vs. GLOBALLY(starting with the big picture)

Logical or intuitive?

Or you think: INDUCTIVELY

(specifically)

vs. DEDUCTIVELY

(generalizing)

You react: REFLECTIVELY

vs. SPONTANEOUSLY

“impulsively”

CEREBRAL PREFERENCE

LEFT BRAIN vs.

RIGHT BRAIN

You process via: LEFT BRAIN

(verbal, logical)

vs. RIGHT BRAIN

(visual, creative)

LEFT BRAIN vs.

RIGHT BRAIN

•DIGITAL COMPUTER

•KALEIDOSCOPE

SENSIBLE vs. CREATIVE

RIGHT HEMISPHERE

LEFT HEMISPHERE

1. INPUT2. LANGUAGE3. MEMORY4. TESTS 5. PROCESSING6. PERSUASION7. METAPHORS8. APPEARANCE9. PLANNING10.TIME11. DECISIONMAKING12. MEMORY13. GESTURES

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1. RECEIVING

•prefers verbal information

•prefers visual, tactile information

2. LANGUAGE

• responds to word’s meaning

• responds to word’s tone,

pitch, emotional content

Oops!

3. MEMORY

• recalls facts, dates

• recalls faces, images

4. TESTING•better at multiple-choice tests

•better at essay exams

5. PROCESSING•wants info in sequence, step-by-step

•wants info in chunks, patterns, as a whole

6. PERSUASION• responds to logical appeals

• responds to emotional appeals

7. METAPHORS

• rarely uses metaphor

• frequently uses metaphors

APPEARANCE

8. APPEARANCE

• looks neat,

straight, organized

• looks disorganized, untidy

9. PLANNING

• structured, plans ahead

•fluid, spontaneousad libs

10. TIME

•punctual, with a strong sense of time

• little sense of time

11. DECISIONMAKING

• reflective: considers decisions

• spontaneous:

quick decisions

12. MEMORY• recalls people’s names

• recalls people’s faces

13. GESTURES• speaks with few gestures

•gestures when speaking

seeing smelling hearing touching doing

Sensory Preferences

• Seeing – visual channel• Hearing – auditory channelHearing – auditory channel• Doing – haptic/ kinesthetic

and tactile channel

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VISUAL total _______

AUDITORY total _______

HAPTIC total _______

AUDITORY LEARNERSAUDITORY LEARNERS

VISUAL LEARNERSVISUAL LEARNERS

HAPTIC LEARNERSHAPTIC LEARNERS

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VISUAL LEARNERSVISUAL LEARNERS

 You will usually learn better when you read or SEE

information; your textbooks will be easier than straight lectures.

 Write down things you want to

remember.

AUDITORY LEARNERSAUDITORY LEARNERS

You will usually learn better when You will usually learn better when information comes through your information comes through your

ears - you need to ears - you need to HEARHEAR information; you will probably do information; you will probably do

better in better in lecture lecture situations than in situations than in those requiring a lot of reading.those requiring a lot of reading.

  Recite aloud things you want to Recite aloud things you want to

remember.remember.

HAPTIC LEARNERSHAPTIC LEARNERS 

You will usually learn better when you’re able to DO: experience, experiment,

and move.

Get active with things you want to remember

WHERE TO SIT

Sit right up front in a classroom to stay connected and reduce opportunities to “zone out” -

closeness to the professor can be very energizing.

Sit away from distractions.

BEGINNING A READING ASSIGNMENT

Start actively previewing a chapter before reading by

first highlighting the title and headings, by numbering the headings and

subheadings, by marking or captioning pictures, charts,

maps and diagrams by taking end-of-chapter quizzes to get your

momentum going.

USING HIGHLIGHTING

Use color and visual highlighting to mark up

textbooks, handouts, and lecture notes.

Write or diagram main points in the margin if there’s room.

MEMORIZING

Squeeze a tennis ball, spin a yoyo, chew gum, doodle, etc.

while reading. When you have to memorize something, pace or walk around

while reciting to yourself, looking at a list or index cards.

TO HAVE NOISE OR

NOT TO HAVE NOISE

Music or white noise in the background can help siphon off

distracting energy.