learning styles & how to use them
Ramesh Mehay Programme Director (Bradford)
2011
Aim
To introduce the participants to the concept and the use of learning
styles
and linking it to the e-portfolio
Objectives
At the end of the sessions the participants will have: been introduced to the Honey & Mumford
Learning Styles seen the variety of styles amongst their
fellow colleagues related their learning styles to themselves
and their own lives some awareness of the implications for the
e-portfolio
Perceptions
What do you see? Demonstrates the
value in working with others
On to Honey & Mumford…
Honey & Mumford Learning Style Learners
4 axes:
Activists
Involve themselves fully & without bias in new experiences
Open minded & not sceptical, enthusiastic about anything new
Days are filled with activity When one activity is dying down,
they’re on the look-out for another
“I’ll try anything once”
Activists
But: Act first & consider the consequences
after Centre all the activities around
themselves! Thrive on challenge, but bored with
implementation and long term consolidation
Reflectors
stand back and ponder about experiences
enjoy observing other people, adopt a low profile
act on the past, the present and the opinion of others
= a more ‘rounded’ reflection
“Do you mind if I think about it more first?”“We need to be cautious”
Reflectors
But: thorough collection and analysis of
data can delay reaching a definite conclusion
Theorists
observe and make theories analyse and synthesise go back to basic assumptions,
principles, theories, models and systems
“If it’s logical, it must be good”“Does it make sense?”
“How does this fit in with that?”
Theorists
But: perfectionists tend to be detached Analytical feel uncomfortable with subjective
judgments, lateral thinking and anything flippant
Pragmatists
keen on trying out ideas, theories & techniques to see if they work
return from management courses brimming with new ideas that they want to try out
essentially practical down to earth people & get on with things
“There is always a better way”“If it works it is good”
“How can I apply this to practice?”
Pragmatists
But: impatient with ruminating and open-
ended discussions
The graphs
Whats the NORM = “all rounded”
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REFLECTOR
PRAGMATIST
ACTIVIST THEORIST
Reflector Theorist
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REFLECTOR
PRAGMATIST
ACTIVIST THEORIST
Reflector - Theorist
Commonest variant style “ANALYSIS TO PARALYSIS”
Activist - Pragmatist
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REFLECTOR
PRAGMATIST
ACTIVIST THEORIST
Activist - Pragmatist
2nd commonest variant style but they do things too quickly!!!
Activist - Theorist
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REFLECTOR
PRAGMATIST
ACTIVIST THEORIST
Activist - Theorist
Not a common style jump to conclusions
Activist - Reflector
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REFLECTOR
PRAGMATIST
ACTIVIST THEORIST
Activist - Reflector
uncommon But depending on the proportions,
have the ability to reflect before they act = a good thing
How does all of this tie in with the
e-portfolio?
Activists - Pros
Enthusiastic about anything new
You need to capture this in your e-portfolio. Love projects and new experiences
Why did you engage in an activity? etc. Act first, consider consequences later
Capture the consequences and reflect later. What have you learned?
Activists - Cons
Days are filled with activity/Bored with long term consolidation
Will you have time for the e-portfolio? (schedule it in because when one activity is dying down, you’ll already be onto another).
Will you get bored with the activity by the time it needs logging on?
End up with lots of incomplete PDPs (long term consolidation).
Might end up overwhelming the e-portfolio (with all the activities)
Be selective – what is useful & what shows curriculum coverage.
Reflectors - Pros
Very good observers
Capture what you’ve seen, heard or feel. Capture an ‘all rounded view”
Act on the past, the present and opinions. Good at exploring ‘feelings’
As well as the mechanics of an issue.
Reflectors - cons
Can postpone reaching a definite conclusion
And may end up adding entries too late. Capture the views of everyone and
everything around them
May result in long entries – think about those who have to read them!
Theorists - Pros
The e-portfolio might complement their learning style
Because it helps provide a structure for their learning.
eg what did you learn from the event, what will you do differently, how will you do this, by what time?
Often add entries in a logical way
Starting from first principles and basic assumptions.
Therefore, the flow is often good.
Theorists - cons
Theorists are perfectionists and the e-portfolio isn’t
E-portfolio may not accommodate all real life situations.
Where do you put what? Tend to be detached and analytical
You need to show your ‘humanistic’ side.
Subjectivity and ambiguity are just as important as objectivity.
For that, you need to get comfortable with lateral thinking + ruminating/open ended discussions.
Pragmatists - pros
Return from courses brimming with pragmatic ideas
Capture them in the e-portfolio, may help you keep a log of them so you don’t forget.
Practical people
Placing learning events in context. See problems and opportunities as
challenges
And the ARCP panels like that attitude.
Pragmatists - cons
Practical down to Earth people
May ignore the e-portfolio as they might not see how it can help them with their day to day work.
Concentrate on the mechanics rather than people and feelings
Be careful, you need to capture both – a balance. Impatient with ruminating and open ended
discussions
And sometimes you need that to help things progress.
If you were the norm:
The ideal for the e-portfolio IS the NORM: all rounded no extremes to stop them from using the e-
portfolio in a skewed way
…and something about how we run our scheme
How else can you use learning styles to your advantage?
Putting it all together
When learning, use learning styles to: Complement your preference style Use methods to boost weaker areas
We use them to: Design courses to appeal to a set of
different learning styles Learning styles can be used to achieve a
balance of skill mix within a team/group
Methods of Instruction
the lecture the modified
lecture the
demonstration Practical sessions Readings group discussion conferences seminars workshops, clinics the fishbowl
role-play simulation games videos/films brainstorming programmed instruction field trips question and answer
Things we do on our scheme:
Multi-modality learning
We remember: 10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we see and hear 80% of what we say 90% of what we say, hear and do
(Rigg)
So don’t dismiss the exercises
Close
HDR exercises, tasks and games are carefully designed to:
Explore new avenues, so don’t just dismiss them
We often put a lot of thought into them Don’t mock them until you’ve tried
them So :
Close
Go out there and PLAY!