The Learning Styles Inventory that I recommend to students gives results on four aspects of
learning styles. The authors of the
Questionnaire have published a guide to help you interpret your results, and
your position on each index.
The first
index is Active versus Reflective learning styles. The authors emphasize that everyone can be
active and reflective at different times, but “a balance of the two is
desirable”. This is particularly true in
A&P, where part of the class is taught as lecture and part of the class is
taught as participation in lab.
Sometimes
students that score more strongly as a Reflective learning style tell me that
they find it hard to work in lab, which requires a more Active learning style,
because they need time to think about and process the information. Those students then find that they either
have to attend more Open Lab times to actually do the lab material, or they
don’t get to work with the materials as much as they would like. My suggestion to those students is to make
sure that they come to lab prepared. I
recommend that they look at the lab sheet (posted on Bb) ahead of the lab, and
review the relevant sections of the lab ahead of time. This will allow them time to reflect on the
lab material and organize their work prior to the lab session. By completing some pre-lab activities,
reading sections of the book, and looking at what items are required for
identification on the models, a Reflective learner can process the preliminary
information at their own pace, and might feel more prepared for the lab class.
Active
learners are usually more successful working in groups, actively discussing the
material they are trying to learn. Lab
material lends itself to this type of learning, but some students have a hard
time figuring out how to manage lecture information if they are an Active
learner. These students usually find
they are more successful when they work with their lab partners on both lab
material as well as lecture material. By
discussing concepts in an active way, they can use their learning style to be
successful in both areas of the class.
The second
index is Sensing versus Intuitive learning styles. This is another index where students can be
Sensing at some times and Intuitive at other times. The Sensing learning style refers to the “5
senses” – Sensing learners like learning material with a factual basis, that
can be measured by the sensed. Intuitive
learners are more successful learning material by determining relationships
between concepts.
According to
the authors, If you overemphasize Sensing, you may rely too much on
memorization and familiar methods and non concentrate enough on
understanding…” While there are elements
of the course that require memorization, there are other areas of the course
that require comprehension and making connections between concepts presented in
different systems. I always encourage
students to try to remain balanced in using the Sensing and Intuitive learning
styles.
The third
index shows your preference for Visual and Verbal learning styles. Most people do have a definite preference in
this index. Many people who take science
courses are Visual learners, but that is not true of all students. I have worked over the years to make sure
that when I present information in lecture, that both Visual and Verbal
learning styles are accommodated in my Powerpoint slides. While I may have one slide that will be a
figure from the textbook that I will explain in class, the next slide will
often have words that explain the same process.
Verbal learners may prefer the slide with the written explanation – or
the accompanying paragraphs in the textbook – while Visual learners may prefer
the figure or diagram to help them learn the process. That isn’t to say that Verbal learners should
never look at a figure or Visual learners should never read the text. It is to say that you can use your
preference, if possible, when learning physiological processes like we are
studying. For example, Verbal learners
can use the figure caption and text beside each step to help them determine
what the figure is trying to convey.
The last
index helps you understand if you are a Sequential or a Global learner. Sequential learners prefer to have
information presented in steps or a logical order. Global thinkers need to see the “big picture”
for new information to make sense. In
class I try to meet the needs of both kinds of learners. I will often give an overview of a new topic,
so that Global learners can see how the information we will discuss fits into
an overall framework. For Sequential
thinkers, this overview can be overwhelming, as they are trying to understand
all the details at once instead of in a step-wise fashion they prefer. After the overview, I then present
information in a step-wise way, which is where the Sequential learners will begin
to feel comfortable. I then conclude by
summarizing or trying to tie together the information covered. This helps the Sequential learners make sure
they have their logical order of steps, and helps the Global learners see again
how all the details fit together.
Because
critical thinking and mastery of a subject often requires relating different
concepts that you have learned, it is always good to practice Global thinking
and challenge yourself if you are not a Global learner. By forcing yourself to summarize or see the
“big picture” you can help break out of a purely stepwise learning pattern and
see the connections between larger concepts.
In fact, much of the critical thinking we try to develop is designed to
move students from Sequential thinking to Global thinking, to see how different
systems are working together to maintain physiological processes.
I have been
using this Index of Learning Styles for several years now, and every semester I
have students report that learning their style for each of these indexes – and
how to optimize their studying based on their learning style – has been helpful
for their success in A&P.
