Spotlight on learning styles modovia webinar 2015

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META Webinar
7 October 2015
Marjorie Rosenberg
‘I never knew there were
different styles of learning. I
thought I just couldn’t learn
a foreign language.’
What are learning styles?
 Perceptual filters
 Strategies to perceive, store and recall material
 Cognitive processing
 Organisation of perceived material
 Approaches used by individuals
 Patterns of behavior
Learning styles in the classroom
 Most classes have variety of learner types
 Teachers often teach in the way we learn
 Mix of methods can reach more learners
 Help learners stretch out of preferred styles
 Encourage learners to develop successful strategies
 Harmonise and challenge learners
 Metacognition of styles gives learners more insight
 Tolerance grows from acceptance of other styles
What styles are not
 An excuse
 A way to pigeon-hole
 Right or wrong
 A limitation with no possibility of stretching
 An indication of competence
 Judgemental
Three models
 Sensory-perception: VAK
 Cognitive processing: Global-Analytic
 Behavioral: Mind Organisation

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VAK Model
 Visual
 Auditory
 Kinesthetic motoric
 Kinesthetic emotional
VAK
AV
K
VA
AKVK
Standard VAK Model
Visual Handwriting Example Visual Handwriting Example
Auditory Handwriting Example Kinaesthetic Handwriting Example

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Visual Learners
 need to see things written down
 write out words to check spelling
 usually take notes in class
 like visual materials and handouts
 generally have good handwriting
 like to use colours and highlighers
 may draw ideas to remember them
They need to rearrange material and learn it again.
Visual Teachers
 learn and teach through seeing and observation
 often make use of visual aids
 like visually stimulating environments
 take time creating visually pleasing handouts,
presentations
 may use colour-coded systems to explain ideas
 may use mind-maps to explain concepts or vocabulary
Auditory Learners
 need to listen or speak to remember
 may sub-vocalise or move in rhythm while learning
 do not usually take notes
 like class discussions
 often listen to music while learning
 can repeat back what they have heard
They need to write down what they have learned aloud.
Auditory Teachers
 learn and teach through speaking and listening
 many rely on their voice or other auditory input to get
ideas across
 enjoy using music, rhymes, raps to teach
 encourage class discussions
 may work intensively on pronunciation
 make use of story-telling in the classroom
Kinaesthetic Emotional Learners
• feel comfortable in a group in which they like the people
• need to connect learning with positive feelings
• often personalise their learning materials
• may need to find their own reasons for learning
• like the freedom to be creative
• need to be able to ask for help
They need to learn to put their emotions aside.
Kinaesthetic Emotional Teachers
• learn and teach using feelings and intuition
• use activities which encourage personal and/or emotional
input from learners
• are sensitive to moods in the classroom
• make use of creativity
• may use personal stories to teach
• strive for harmonious atmosphere in class

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Kineasthetic Motoric Learners
 like to move about
 may play with small objects
 need to try things out for themselves
 learn by doing and real-life experiences
 learn well with manipulatives and things they can touch
They need to write down whatever they learned while
moving about.
Kineasthetic Motoric Teachers
 learn and teach through movement or physical activities
 rarely sit while teaching
 make use of mime, role plays, simulations, etc.
 demonstrate concepts or vocabulary physically
 relate learning material to real-life experiences
 make use of manipulatives in the classroom
Global / Analytic Model
 Global
 Analytic
Global Learners
• remember the entire experience rather than the details
• prefer to try things out rather than read detailed explanations
• perceive information holistically
• are relationship-oriented in groups
• like to please others
• value feelings over facts
• tend to be spontaneous
They need to learn to take criticism without attaching emotions
to it.
Global Teachers
• may give general rather than specific goals
• tend to give concrete and/or personal examples while
explaining concepts
• value student-centred classroom and group work or
cooperative learning activities
• have a plan for the lesson but stay flexible and
spontaneous
• encourage discovery or inductive method
Analytic Learners
• perceive information in detailed way
• remember specifics
• may prefer to work alone
• are generally self-motivated
• are task-oriented
• value facts over feelings
• can usually take criticism more rationally
They need to work on creating an overview and not get
caught up in the details.

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Analytic Teachers
• tend to give specific goals
• put emphasis on reflection and analytical reasoning
• prefer deductive approach and give rules first
• may put emphasis on accuracy
• generally follow their plan/syllabus carefully
• may make use of logic puzzles or problem-solving
activities which require critical thinking skills
• may prefer more individual work in the classroom
Mind Organisation
Perceive
concretely
Organise non-
systematically
Organise
systematically
Perceive
abstractly
Power
Planner
Expert
Investigator
Radical
Reformer
Flexible
Friend
Power Planners
 are organised and plan ahead
 are hard-working
 are perfectionists
 work step-by-step
 need exact instructions
 like routines and structure
 like to know what is expected
They need to learn to accept change and other peoples’
points of view.
Power Planner Teachers
 like to set out a plan and follow it
 may note how long activities should take
 are well-organised
 try to ensure handouts are error-free
 give exact instructions and expect them to be followed
 keep the goal of the lesson in mind
Expert Investigators
• are logical and systematic
• are sensible, objective and rational
• enjoy research
• are thorough and exact
• may be skeptical
• like to gather information
• understand abstract ideas
• need time
They may need to learn to work with others.
Expert Investigator Teachers
• enjoy doing research for lessons
• may use abstract explanations
• generally enjoy complicated or difficult questions from
learners
• make use of critical thinking activities
• explain language rules carefully
• need to feel they are experts in their fields
• take time to prepare lessons carefully

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Radical Reformers
 are risk-takers and adventurous
 are curious and creative
 may be competitive
 can be strong-willed
 value uniqueness and change
 are persuasive and inspiring
 need real-life experiences to learn
They may need to learn to fit in while maintaining their
individuality.
Radical Reformer Teachers
 often look for new and unusual ways to present material
 may deviate from a course book or syllabus when
possible
 enjoy competitive classroom activities
 like being in leadership positions
 notice uniqueness in learners
 try to be inspiring teachers
 make use of real-life experiences in the classroom
 enjoy a challenge
Flexible Friends
 are ‘people people’
 are creative and imaginative
 are sensitive and compassionate
 are spontaneous
 are flexible
 are enthusiastic and idealistic
 make decisions with their hearts
They may need to learn to concentrate less on personal
relationships.
Flexible Friend Teachers
 show personal interest in learners
 make use of personalised and imaginative activities
 place value on sharing feelings and emotions
 show compassion in the classroom
 enjoy working with other colleagues
 express enthusiasm and idealism
 strive for harmony in class and with colleagues
A complete profile
 Which of my senses do I use to perceive information?
 How do I store and recall information?
 Do I prefer abstract ideas or concrete situations?
 Do I use emotions or logic to understand?
 Do I organise systematically or non-systematically?
What makes activities appeal to
different learner types?
 Use different sensory channels
 Make use of different cognitive processing
 Accept different forms of organisation
 Help learners make use of strengths
 Create possibility to discover new strategies
 Accept how students learn
 Give feeling of progress

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Activities VAK Activities
What have I changed?
 Put learners in pairs.
 Have them look at each other.
 Ask them to stand back-to-back and change
something about their appearance.
 Have them look at each other again and find
out what has been changed.
 Extension: first in pairs, then walk about to
music, find each other – what has they
other changed.
The Statue
 Call learners up one by one.
 The first makes a pose as a statue.
 The second adds to the statue.
 This continues until several learners have created a final
statue.
 Have them sit down and recall what happened.
 Extension: Write out the sequence of what happened.
Can you describe the drawing? Global / Analytic Activities

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What would you do if ...?
 Send two people out of the room and choose a topic.
 Bring the two people back in and have them ask the
others ‘What would you do if this happened to you?‘
 Based on the answers they get, they should try to guess
what happened.
************************************************
it began to rain ice cream?
You had to come to work in your pajamas?
The Yes-No Hotseat
 Ask for a volunteer to think of an activity.
 Have the others ask questions to try and guess what the
activity is.
 The person answering is not allowed to say ‘Yes or No‘
but must find alternative ways to answer.
 If the person says ‘Yes or No‘ they tell the group the
activity and another volunteer is chosen.
The envelope game
 Brainstorm jobs.
 Hand out envelopes and small pieces of paper to each of the
learners.
 Have them write their names on their envelopes.
 They then pass their envelopes to the person on their right
who writes a job on a piece of paper they think the person is
suited for and puts it in the envelope.
 The envelopes are passed around till they come back to their
owners who take out the jobs and look at them.
 The learners discusses the jobs they feel they are suited for
and why.
Mind organisation activities
Can you sell it?
 Brainstorm persuasive language.
 Discuss USPs.
 Divide the group into buyers and sellers.
 Tell the buyers that they can buy a total of three different
products.
 Tell the sellers to look around the classroom and find an
object they can sell.
 Give them a time limit and then debrief to find out who
was successful and why.
My personal mindmap
Marjorie
UB
o
1975
voice
Opera
Camarata
1981
NLP
Santa
Cruz
adult ed
Graz
University
methodology
business
Englishteacher
training

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This activity is
from page 87 of
Spotlight on
Learning Styles
Activities
 What have I changed?
 The statue
 Can you describe the drawing?
 What would you do if …?
 The ‘yes-no’ hotseat
 The envelope game
 Can you sell it?
 Personal mindmaps
Where do learning styles fit in?
 A way to raise awareness
 Learners take an active part
 Can increase motivation
 Learner-centred
 Help learners develop successful strategies
Time for Reflection
 Work in small groups
 Discuss which activities you personally enjoyed most
 Compare the activities with your styles
 Discuss which activities will work in your classroom
 Ideas for adapting the activities
Any questions?
Thank you for your
attention.
marjorie.rosenberg@tele2.at

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Acknowledgements
Photos used
by Sandy Millan, @dfogarty and @val360 for
www.eltpics.com (crowd-sourced, Creative Commons
licensed photo resource by and for teachers)
Activities taken from
Spotlight on Learning Styles, Marjorie Rosenberg,
Delta Publishing 2013