1. Reaching Them All:Reaching Them All:
Using Learning Styles toUsing Learning Styles to
Teach More EffectivelyTeach More Effectively
CARLOS F. CAMARGO, PH.D.
OHANA FOUNDATION
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What Do You Know?
Using the paper provided by the
facilitator, identify what you
already know about learning styles
by creating one of the following:
• Essay
• Outline
• Concept map
An example of a mind map is in your
manual in Appendix A on page 26.
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Discussion
o What are some key areas you
identified about Learning Styles?
o What did you think of this
technique?
• Do you think you would find it more
difficult to assess an outline or a
concept map compared to an essay?
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Objectives
o Identify three main learning styles in
the Sarasin model
o Determine your personal learning style
o Define characteristics of each style
o Develop strategies for reaching each
style
o Select appropriate teaching methods
to meet the course outcomes of a
given course
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What is a Learning Style?
o “A certain pattern of behavior and/or
performance according to which the
individual approaches a learning
experience, a way in which the
individual takes in new information and
develops new skills, and the process
by which the individual retains new
information or new skills.”
-Sarasin, 1999
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Influences on Learning Styles
o Environment
o Personality
o Biology/genetics
• 3/5 is genetically determined (Dunn,
1990)
o Developmental
• May change learning styles as
student matures (Kolb, 1984)
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Do Labels Matter?
o Each author has his/her own
theory and label for how students
learn
o Research is ongoing, particularly
with adult learners
o Focus is on what faculty can do
to improve student learning
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Sarasin-1999
o Auditory
• Learns best by hearing information
o Visual
• Learns best by seeing information in
some kind of visual form
o Tactile/Kinesthetic
• Learns best by being physically and
actively involved in learning
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What Does it Mean?
o Ohana TEFL encourages students to
learn their style according to the
Sarasin model:
• Auditory, Visual, Kinesthetic
o Each student learns differently
o Instructors need to try and reach as
many students as possible
o Certain methods can reach more than
one type of students
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What’s My Style?
o Complete the learning style quiz
provided to you by the facilitator
o Select the best answer to the
question, realizing that
occasionally no answer will
match completely
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Activity
o Break into groups by your
learning style
o Answer the questions on the
sheet provided by the facilitator
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Auditory Learner Descriptors
o Abstract sequential
o Reflective
o Independent
o Achievement-oriented
o Memory-oriented
o Competitive
o Skill-oriented
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Auditory Learners in the
Classroom
o Learn best by hearing
• Lectures and/or audiotapes
o Distract easily
• Noise or music
o Talk to self aloud
o Participate in class discussions
• Need time to consider ideas before
speaking
o Tape and then listens to lectures later
o Use mnemonic devices
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Visual Learner Descriptors
o Abstract random
o Global
o Concrete
o Active
o Affective
o Field-sensitive
o Concept-oriented
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Visual Learners in the Classroom
o Like graphics, pictures, diagrams
o Find verbal instructions difficult as
mind sometimes wanders
o Likes to read, generally a good speller
o Doodles frequently, usually organized
o Has good handwriting
o Notices details
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Kinesthetic Learner Descriptors
o Dependent and independent
o Creative
o Behavioral
o Needs interaction
o Physical by nature
o Sensory
o Active
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Kinesthetic Learners in the
Classroom
o Likes motion and physical
application of information
o May prefer other activities other
than reading – could be poor speller
o Uses hands while speaking
o Works through problems physically –
translates brain to body quickly
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Activity
o Review the student descriptions on the
sheet the facilitator provided
o Identify each student’s learning style
o Form a group of 3 with the people on
either side of you and share your
results
o Identify any areas of disagreement and
come to a group conclusion
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What Difference Does My
Style Make?
Your learning style affects the way
you structure:
• Quizzes/tests
• Presentations
• Lectures
• Demonstrations
• Lab time
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Current Research Shows
o “A relationship between learning styles
and teaching styles is a factor in the
success of postsecondary students.”
(Sarasin, 1999)
o James Anderson (1985) says that the
interaction among teaching styles and
learning styles and the classroom
environment is primary to the structure
and process of learning.
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How Can I Use This in Class?
o Design activities that meet all
types of learning styles
o Change activities often
• Every 15-20 minutes of class time
o Use activation to gain attention
o Be aware of your learning method
when planning your class
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Auditory Activation Activities
o Verbal questioning
o Focusing using directive
questions
o Verbal sharing or interaction
• Has this ever happened to you? What
do you think about this?
o Reword directions, expectations
and important points
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Auditory Instructional Activities
o Lecture
o Discussion
o Activities that involve memory
o Verbal sorting
o Individual work
• Students will keep a running commentary
in their heads while working. Also appeals
to their competitive nature
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Auditory Assessment Techniques
o Allow students to give oral
presentation
o Question and answer session
o Include questions on tests that appeal
to their concrete, ordered nature
• Multiple choice
• Ranking
o Allow them to conduct and present an
original research project
• Concentrates on independent nature
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Visual Activation Activities
o Add visual aids to instructions
o Focusing using writing as a response
o Include visual stimuli in explanation
o Use graphics, charts, diagrams to gain
attention
o Provide a “big-picture” view
• Appeals to their holistic method of learning
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Visual Instructional Activities
o Visual formats
• PowerPoint appeals to both visual and
auditory
o Models and demonstrations
o Videos
o Mind (concept) maps
o Field trips
• Appeals to their holistic view of the
concept
o Group work
• Appeals to their social nature
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Visual Assessment Techniques
o Problem-based learning
o Case study
o Projects
o Tests that include essay or short-
answer questions
o Mind maps
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Kinesthetic Activation Activities
o Questioning based on physical
interactions with objects
o Focus techniques that involve
object interaction or manipulation
o Discuss materials to be used in
the upcoming lesson, allow
students to get hands-on view
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Kinesthetic Instructional
Activities
o Internships/Co-op
o Field trips
o Experiential learning/labs
o Group work that involves
movement
o Simulations and demonstrations
o Active learning
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Kinesthetic Assessment
Techniques
o Role-play
o Demonstration of concept to
others
o Build a replica
o Design/conduct a simulation
o Create a lab environment and
experiments
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Activity Design
o Review the course outcomes
provided by the facilitator
o Select one outcome and design
an activity for each type of
learner that includes:
• Activation
• Instruction
• Assessment
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In Closing
o Answer the following questions:
• What still confuses you about
learning styles?
• What are you going to do differently
as a result of this session?
Good activation activity which you can later point
About 5 minutes to debrief/discuss
You can assess an outline or concept map in much the same way. Identify before beginning the grading process what main points you are looking for in the response and check from there. It is often easier to assess an outline or concept map since there is less reading and the connections that the student makes (at least in a concept map) are more readily visible.
Term is often used interchangeably with cognitive style but not a true synonym. Cognitive style is simply information processing while learning style is context, processing, retention and regurgitation.
Environment can affect all learners…if you learned to learn in a quiet place, then you are going to want to learn in relative quiet all the time.
Your personality can also effect your learning style, as can your age. The way you learned to learn and if you are an introvert/extrovert can be big factors in determining what style you prefer, not just for taking in info, but for giving it back to the instructor.
Genetics can be the base of your learning styles, where it starts but it most likely won’t be where it ends
Refer participants to the handout which contains information about several other learning style theorists and theories. The reason that Ohana TEFL has selected the Sarasin model is because it matches what the students should learn about themselves, which many of our students take as one of their first classes.
This is why participants are here, so that they learn to recognize the basic differences between learning styles and can begin to account for these differences in their instruction
About 10 minutes for this activity
Give the preferences sheet, 1 per group. May want to collect these at the end and make copies for all participants.
Can refer to this activity throughout the rest of the session, noting which items participants identified that matched the research
This activity can be eliminated if necessary
Abstract-sequential is a Gregorc and Butler term, meaning that they like lectures, tapes, individual study since it allows them to be “intellectual, logical, and rational” (see reference in manual for more info)
They are reflective thinkers, often considering what they will say well before speaking. Be sure to give these folks enough time in discussions to formulate their thoughts before moving on to another topic.
Abstract random is another Gregorc/Butler term, where they have a chance to get in touch with their emotions (affective) to more effectively learn. They like a reflection period before a discussion so they have this chance to work through things. They are sensitive to their surroundings and prefer big picture ideas first rather than details from which they have to construct the big picture.
Like both group and individual work as long as they can be physically involved in some way
Take in information using more of their senses than other learning styles do
Behavioral means that they like processes and procedures (like science labs, computer classes)
May be fidgety in class, tapping pencil, moving foot, etc. Some instructors keep stress balls on their desk for this reason and students can take one when they enter class to help with this issue and then return it when they leave.
Correct answers are provided in facilitator notes.
Are quizzes oral or written? Do they contain lots of diagrams and other pictures or are they just text? Do you give handouts for your presentations or do you rely on the students to take notes? Do you lecture and then give the students a chance to practice or is it just lecture and then homework?
Important to note that if we just teach in one way we are doing our students a disservice as we will miss a large number of them. Traditional education is geared toward the auditory learner, of which there are fewer as time goes on. Student centered instruction is much more learner focused, meaning that students will be required to interact with the materials in a more active way, which should appeal to more of the visual/kinesthetic learners in your classroom.
Recent research shows that students of any age and/or learning style can attend to one thing for about 15-20 minutes at a time. After that point, you’ve lost most of your audience, including your auditory learners who can listen longer than other styles. Using a variety of activities throughout the course of the class session will help learners of all styles feel more engaged with the materials. Instructors need to get out of the habit of feeling like they have to cover the material, instead they need to get across that the students need to learn it, whether it is through activities, group projects, reading, lecture, etc.
Use these activities to gain the attention of your audience and get them to focus on what you are about to do. Activation activities should take no longer than 5-10 minutes, similar to the activity in slide 2 of this presentation. It also allows you to determine where your audience is strong (and therefore where you need to spend less time) and where they could use more help.
Notice that there are more activities listed here than just lecture. Lecture definitely appeals to auditory learners, but listening to others (as in a class discussion) or doing other activities (like a pro/con grid, compare/contrast list) will also help them recall information they read better.
Traditional educational assessment methods are geared toward the auditory learner. They like multiple choice tests, where there is one clear answer rather than the more open ended short answer or essay exams.
Oral exams are another way of assessing students.
Use these activities to gain the attention of your audience and get them to focus on what you are about to do. Activation activities should take no longer than 5-10 minutes, similar to the activity in slide 2 of this presentation. It also allows you to determine where your audience is strong (and therefore where you need to spend less time) and where they could use more help.
Visual learners need to have materials covered in a way that they can see, not just hear. Visual learners also tend to be more social and more in touch with their emotions, so group work and group discussions are also helpful to them.
Using case studies or problem-based learning allows the students to focus on the bigger picture and to add details as they go. They like essay questions on tests because it allows them that chance to be reflective and to include the entire concept/idea rather than just a portion of it.
Use these activities to gain the attention of your audience and get them to focus on what you are about to do. Activation activities should take no longer than 5-10 minutes, similar to the activity in slide 2 of this presentation. It also allows you to determine where your audience is strong (and therefore where you need to spend less time) and where they could use more help.
Anything that gets these students physically involved in the learning process will engage them better than a lecture. Active learning techniques such as a jigsaw or a rotating trio activity will appeal to both their need for movement as both of these activities involve participant movement, but also to their need to start with the big picture and then drill down to the details.
More difficult to do sometimes, but we do a disservice to our students when we teach using multiple methods but only test using one. Instructors need to get out of the habit of thinking there is only one way to asses their students and can contact the Effective Teaching and Learning Department for more help in these areas.
Give about 15 minutes for this activity
Be sure to have copies of course outcomes for several classes. This activity often works better if instructors are given a class vastly different from one they teach as it allows them to think “outside of the box” a bit more.
About 5 minutes or less for this. The most important point is for participants to identify one (or more) things they will do differently as a result of the information presented in the session.