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my home pageLearning Styles and Personality
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A learning style is an individual's preferred way of learning. When an instructor's style matches a student's learning style, that student typically experiences greater satisfaction and a more positive attitude toward the course. However, there is considerable disagreement as to what degree learning styles actually affect a student's ability to do well. Another area of controversy is in regard to what the different learning styles are or what they should be called. There is no currently existing overall, holistic theory of learning styles; rather there are bits and pieces. In fact, what some call learning styles, others have labeled as cognitive controls, cognitive styles, or personality. For the sake of simplicity, we will use the term "learning styles." If we assume that individual learning styles do exist and can be measured, there is disagreement about what the instructor should do about it!
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There are three basic approaches to learning styles and instruction:
Although the third method is clearly the most practical, there are times when the first approach is more important. When? To help a learner who is having difficulty in the course by assessing that person's style and then revising some of the instruction to meet that style. This can be particularly helpful in reassuring students who believe they are slow or stupid, when intelligence is not the real issue.
A major mismatch between instructor style and learners' styles can lead to trouble. For example, suppose that learners prefer independent work and reading, but the instructor prefers group projects. Never rely totally on any one method, but try to vary them. If a student does not seem to be learning, consider whether his/her learning style might be at odds with your teaching style. Remain flexible and be able to change planned learning activities if students are having trouble in a given area.
Another instance in which identifying learning styles is useful is when students can be made aware of each other's styles. This can help in group work and collaborative learning.
It is not always possible to take learning styles into account even if you know what they are. For example, the approach offered by the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey offers perhaps the broadest definition of learning styles. The PEPS measures both social (i.e., individual vs. group) and perceptual/ environmental preferences (e.g., bright light vs. low light, noise vs. quiet, warm vs. cold). For example, some learners are "early birds" while others are "night owls." In synchronous distance learning, learners who are not alert in the early morning are at a disadvantage for sessions held at that time. Some like to have snacks while learning while others find this a distraction. Some like to sit on comfortable soft furniture and others on hard furniture. Trying to apply all these different preferences could be at the very least impractical if not impossible!
Consider also the additional problems involved in a distance learning situation. Current levels of technology do not allow us to meet some learning styles. For example, what if a student has a haptic learning style (preferring touch)? Videoconferencing does not allow learners at the distant site to touch and handle objects. An interesting development in this area is a computer mouse that provides sensory feedback to its owner and mimics the sense of touch. This technology is being used in medical and engineering programs.
In addition to learning styles, personality can also affect how an individual learns. Trait theory sees personality as made up of little pieces or traits. Anxiety, for example, has a clear effect on an individual's ability to do well on tests. Some researchers have noted the effect of extraversion and introversion on student preference for online learning versus the classroom.
This site explores some of the different learning styles and personality traits, and suggests some possible implications for learning.