Lesson 1.1: The Three Learning Styles
By the time students enter higher education, most have a pretty good idea how they learn best, though they may not have thought about it specifically. Perhaps you do, too.
For example, is it easier for you to learn by reading the instructions or by studying charts and graphs (visual learning)? Do you do better by hearing someone explain something or by listening to a video presentation (auditory, also known as aural, learning)? Or, does it help you to actually “get your hands on” whatever the task is, whether writing a paper, fixing the sink, or organizing a softball game (kinesthetic learning)?
These three learning styles, as they are called, are some of the most common ways we comprehend information, whether learning in a classroom, a kitchen, or on the job. We will be covering two additional well-known learning theories, the “Brain Dominance Theory” and “Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences,” as well. But for starters, complete the following exercise.
UNIT 1, EXERCISE 1.1
Take the Learning Style Inventory to capture your “best practices” when it comes to the basic three learning styles. This inventory and others you will take throughout the course will become part of your take-home mid-term and take-home final. When you complete the “Learning Styles Inventory”:
- Download the inventory.
- Download the article What’s Your Learning Style.
- Based on your inventory results, annotate by highlighting, underling, circling, or some other annotation device, ideas about how to maximize your learning style and strengthen others from the lists of multiple styles and preferences. Annotate for at least FIVE helpful perspectives and/or strategies per each of the three learning styles. Save this in your notebook for help with your portfolio’s written response for this unit. Your instructor may require you to hand it in for scoring.
