Personalised Learning

LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES

Created by ODL Pedagogy Centre based on literature by R.M. FELDER B.A. SOLOMAN Website : http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
Learning Styles and Strategies Page 1 of 21

Personalised Learning

Objective
At the end of this session you will be able to:
Know that you can determine your learning style Know what are the major learning styles Tune your learning style to your advantage as a personalised learner

Learning Styles and Strategies

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Personalised Learning

Check your Learning Style

Visit the following website:
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

What type of learner are you?

Active and Reflective Learners Sensing and Intuitive Learners Visual and Verbal Learners Sequential and Global Learners

How can you be a better learner by knowing your learning style?

Learning Styles and Strategies

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Personalised Learning

ACTIVE AND REFLECTIVE LEARNERS

Active Learners
Retain information by application and discussion Will normally say:
Lets try it out and see how it works

Reflective Learners
Think quietly about information first Will normally say:
Lets think it through first

Prefer group work Hard for learners to only listen to lectures without doing anything
Learning Styles and Strategies

Prefer working alone Hard for learners to only listen to lectures without doing anything

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Personalised Learning

HOW CAN LEARNERS HELP THEMSELVES

Active Learners
Study to compensate for little or no class time for discussion and problem solving Study in a group and take turns to explain different topics Work together to guess and prepare for the next test Retain information better if there are ways to do something with it
Learning Styles and Strategies

Reflective Learners
Study to compensate little or no class time for thinking about new information Dont only read and memorize the material Stop periodically to review and think possible questions and application Writing short summaries and class notes will help to retain information
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Personalised Learning

SENSING AND INTUITIVE LEARNERS

Sensing Learners
Tend to like learning facts Like solving problems by established methods Dislike complications Patient, good in memorizing and hands-on work More practical and careful Dislike courses that have no connection to real world

Intuitive Learners
Prefer discovering possibilities and relationships Like innovation Dislike repetition Better at grasping new concepts and comfortable with mathematical formulations Tend to work faster Dislike courses that involve memorization and routine calculation
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Learning Styles and Strategies

Personalised Learning

HOW CAN LEARNERS HELP THEMSELVES

Sensing Learners
Remember and understand information well if can see the connection to the real world Face difficulties with abstract and theoretical material Ask for specific examples of concepts and its applications Find information through course text, references and brainstorm for more specifics
Learning Styles and Strategies

Intuitive Learners
Bored with primary memorization and rote substitution in formulas Ask for interpretations and theories or personally find the connection Prone to do careless mistakes on test due to impatient for details and repetitive task Take time to read the entire questions and check results
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Personalised Learning

VISUAL AND VERBAL LEARNERS

Visual Learners
Remember best of what they see; visual and demos Learn more when information is presented in both visual and verbal Most people are visual learners Do not get much in classes due to very little visual presentation

Verbal Learners
Get more out of words; written and spoken Learn more when information is presented in both visual and verbal Gets more of written materials in classes, but less effective compared to visual presentation

Learning Styles and Strategies

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Personalised Learning

HOW CAN LEARNERS HELP THEMSELVES

Visual Learners
Try to find visual representation of material that is predominantly verbal Ask and search for reference books, videotapes and CD-ROM that displays the materials Prepare concept map with key points and draw boxes and lines to show connections Color-code notes with highlighters
Learning Styles and Strategies

Verbal Learners
Write summaries or outlines of course material in your own words Work in groups and hear classmates explanation Learn even more when you do the explanation

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Personalised Learning

SEQUENTIAL AND GLOBAL LEARNERS

Sequential Learners
Tend to gain understanding in linear steps, each step following logically from the previous one Tend to follow logical stepwise paths in finding solutions May have difficulties to understand the material but can do something with it as topics are logically connected
Learning Styles and Strategies

Global Learners
Tend to learn in large jumps, absorbing material randomly and then suddenly getting it May be able to solve complex problem quickly Can put things together in novel ways once they see the big picture May have difficulties to explain about how they did it
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Personalised Learning

HOW CAN LEARNERS HELP THEMSELVES

Sequential Learners
Most college courses are taught in sequential manner May have difficulty if instructor jumps around from topic to topic and skip steps Ask instructor to fill the skipped steps or fill them yourself by consulting references Take time to outline the lecture material in logical order Relating each topic studied with things you already know, strengthens global thinking skills
Learning Styles and Strategies

Global Learners
Skim through the entire chapter to get an overview More productive to immerse yourself in individual subjects for large blocks Try to relate the subject to things you already know, by asking instructor or consulting references Be motivated and dont lose faith in yourself Once you get the understanding how it connects to other topics, you will able to apply it effectively
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Personalised Learning

Conclusion
Determine your learning style to become a better personalised learner Adopt group learning techniques Communicate often

Learning Styles and Strategies

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