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Learning Style PreferencesLearning Style Preferences

王立非

philipw@126.com

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Outline:Outline:

Definition of learning styleDefinition of learning styleValue of learning styleValue of learning styleTypes of learning stylesTypes of learning styles

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Ellis (1985)Ellis (1985)

Strategy: methodStrategy: methodStyle: mannerStyle: manner

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Learning Style Learning Style PreferencesPreferences

The learners’ typical The learners’ typical preferences for approaching preferences for approaching learning. learning.

While style preferences are While style preferences are relatively stable, style-relatively stable, style-stretching is possible.stretching is possible.

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Values of Learning Style Values of Learning Style

Strategy is closely related with Strategy is closely related with style.style.Style affects learning outcome.Style affects learning outcome.

(Wang Lifei 1998)(Wang Lifei 1998)

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Cognitive Cognitive Executive Executive Affective Affective

Six Aspects:Six Aspects:

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Social Social Physiological Physiological behavioralbehavioral

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Types of Learning Style

visual visual –– relying relying more on the sense more on the sense of sight and learn of sight and learn best through visual best through visual means (e.g., books, means (e.g., books, video, charts, video, charts, pictures). pictures).

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auditoryauditory –– preferring listening preferring listening and speaking and speaking activities (e.g., activities (e.g., discussions, discussions, debates, debates, audiotapes, role-audiotapes, role-plays, lectures). plays, lectures).

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hands-onhands-on –– benefiting benefiting from doing projects, from doing projects, working with objects working with objects and moving around.and moving around.

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extrovertedextroverted –– enjoying a wide enjoying a wide

range of social, interactive range of social, interactive learning tasks (e.g., games, learning tasks (e.g., games, conversations, debates, role-conversations, debates, role-plays, simulations).plays, simulations).

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introvertedintroverted –– preferring more preferring more

independent work (e.g., independent work (e.g., studying or reading by studying or reading by oneself or learning with the oneself or learning with the computer) or enjoying computer) or enjoying working with, say, one other working with, say, one other person.person.

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abstract-intuitiveabstract-intuitive –– future- future-oriented, enjoying abstract oriented, enjoying abstract thinking, and happy thinking, and happy speculating about speculating about possibilities. possibilities.

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concrete-sequentialconcrete-sequential –– present-oriented, preferring present-oriented, preferring one-step-at-a-time activities one-step-at-a-time activities and wanting to know where and wanting to know where they are going in their they are going in their learning at every moment.learning at every moment.

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keeping all options openkeeping all options open –– enjoying discovery learning enjoying discovery learning where information is picked where information is picked up naturally and where up naturally and where learning doesn’t involve a learning doesn’t involve a concern for deadlines or concern for deadlines or rules. rules.

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closure-orientedclosure-oriented –– focusing focusing

carefully on all learning tasks carefully on all learning tasks and seek clarity, meeting and seek clarity, meeting deadlines, planning ahead for deadlines, planning ahead for assignments and staying assignments and staying organized, and wanting organized, and wanting explicit directions and explicit directions and decisions.decisions.

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more particular more particular ––

focusing more on details focusing more on details and remembering specific and remembering specific information about a topic information about a topic well. well.

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more globalmore global – –

enjoying getting the main enjoying getting the main idea and comfortable idea and comfortable communicating even communicating even without knowing all the without knowing all the words or concepts.words or concepts.

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more synthesizing more synthesizing –– summarizing material well summarizing material well and noticing similarities and noticing similarities quickly. quickly.

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more analytic more analytic ––

pulling ideas apart, doing pulling ideas apart, doing well on logical analysis and well on logical analysis and contrast tasks, and tending contrast tasks, and tending to focus on grammar rules.to focus on grammar rules.

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more field-independentmore field-independent – – able to keep a sense of the able to keep a sense of the whole while handling all the whole while handling all the individual parts as well individual parts as well without being distractedwithout being distracted

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more field-dependent – more field-dependent – needs context in order to needs context in order to focus and understand focus and understand something; takes each something; takes each language part one at a time language part one at a time and may have difficulty and may have difficulty handling all of the parts at handling all of the parts at one time. one time.

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Field Field dependencdependencee

Field Field independencindependencee

1) Personal 1) Personal orientationorientation

1) Impersonal 1) Impersonal orientationorientation

2) Holistic2) Holistic 2) Analytic2) Analytic3) 3) DependentDependent

3) 3) IndependentIndependent

4) Socially 4) Socially sensitivesensitive

4) Not socially 4) Not socially awareaware

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more reflectivemore reflective – – processes material at a low processes material at a low speed with high accuracy; speed with high accuracy; avoids risks and guessing avoids risks and guessing

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more impulsivemore impulsive – – processes material at a processes material at a high speed with low high speed with low accuracy; often takes risks accuracy; often takes risks and guesses and guesses

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Summary Table of Selected Summary Table of Selected Learning Style PreferencesLearning Style Preferences

visual visual auditory auditory hands on hands on

extrovertedextroverted introverted introverted

abstract-intuitive abstract-intuitive concrete-sequential concrete-sequential

open open closure-oriented closure-oriented

global global particular particular

synthesizing synthesizing analyticanalytic

field-dependent field-dependent field-independentfield-independent

reflective reflective impulsiveimpulsive

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A A Learning Style Survey: Learning Style Survey: Assessing Your Own Learning StylesAssessing Your Own Learning Styles by Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, & Julie C. Chi by Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, & Julie C. Chi

(2001) – downloadable from the CARLA website at:(2001) – downloadable from the CARLA website at:

http://carla.acad.umn.edu/profiles/http://carla.acad.umn.edu/profiles/CohenPapers/Style_Survey.htmlCohenPapers/Style_Survey.html

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The teacher is more The teacher is more analytic, reflective, and analytic, reflective, and auditory, while the learner auditory, while the learner is more global, impulsive, is more global, impulsive, and visual.and visual.

Teacher-Learner Style Teacher-Learner Style Conflicts in the ClassroomConflicts in the Classroom

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The teacher is more open-The teacher is more open-oriented, while the learner oriented, while the learner is more closure-oriented.is more closure-oriented.

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The teacher is more The teacher is more concrete-sequential, concrete-sequential, while the learner is more while the learner is more random-intuitive.random-intuitive.

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The teacher is more The teacher is more concrete-sequential, visual, concrete-sequential, visual, and reflective, while the and reflective, while the learner is more random-learner is more random-intuitive, auditory, and intuitive, auditory, and impulsive.impulsive.

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The teacher is more The teacher is more extroverted and hands-on, extroverted and hands-on, while the learner is more while the learner is more introverted and visual. introverted and visual.

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Ways to avoid or resolve such Ways to avoid or resolve such conflicts:conflicts:

Assess students' and Assess students' and teachers' styles and use this teachers' styles and use this information in information in understanding classroom understanding classroom activities.activities.

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Ways to avoid or resolve such Ways to avoid or resolve such conflicts:conflicts:

Change the teacher's Change the teacher's instructional style.instructional style.

Stretching students’ style.Stretching students’ style.

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Ways to avoid or resolve such Ways to avoid or resolve such conflicts:conflicts:

Change the way group work is Change the way group work is done in the classroom.done in the classroom.

Change the curriculum.Change the curriculum. Change the way style conflicts Change the way style conflicts

are viewed.are viewed.

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Thank You!Thank You!