Types Of Learning Styles example essay topic

When I was in second grade I had the worst time learning how to tell time. In fact, to this day I still have a little trouble. Clearly, I didn't have trouble reading a digital clock, but when it came to reading the hand of a clock I failed miserably and usually was reduced to tears. At the time I couldn't understand why I was having so much trouble. I was in the top reading group in my class, and one of the chosen few in the Intervale Elementary School gifted and talented program. At that point in my academic career, I had never failed at something before and I quickly became very frustrated.

Regardless, I eventually figured it out, but it took a very long time. I also had a lot of trouble learning multiplication and division. I specifically remember getting so frustrated I couldn't figure out my math homework, I ripped it up. I soon realized at an early age that I had trouble learning certain things and in subjects like math and science, concepts took me longer to learn. The problems continued, as I got older. When I reached middle school and high school, it was clear that I was far from a math and science student, yet excelled in English, history, and the arts.

In fact, when I was a sophomore in high school my chemistry teacher advised me to never take physics or calculus and instead suggested statistics and environmental studies because I would have "trouble understanding the concepts and principals". By the time I had graduated high school, I knew that I was a right-brained learner. Luckily for me, my mother was a teacher who strongly believed in the notion of different learning styles as well as different intelligences, therefore my mother was able to help me when my teachers could not. She understood the concept that not everybody learns the same way and she in turn helped me adapt and integrate my styles with my teacher's style. It was difficult but eventually I was able to catch on. Interestingly I found myself integrating my styles further when I went to college.

I found it difficult that in college many of my classes were based on lectures. It took me a while to adjust, but now I am able to sit through and understand a three-hour lecture where just 3 years ago I had problem paying attention in a one-hour class. It was until this class, where I was able to physically see the classification of a right-brained learner. Characteristics like use visualization, accident prone, creative, like humor, rely on images for thinking and remembering, need touching, and need to have goals set for them, are all things that describe me and my learning preferences. After reviewing the lists, I took a test to assess my brain dominance. Interestingly, the test stated that I was an integrated learner.

This came as a surprise because I had always considered myself a right-brained learner. However, after further examination of the test, I felt that this was not an accurate test to decipher brain dominance. The questions were much too vague. For example, I prefer to take multiple-choice tests, I prefer to take essay tests, and I don't have a preference for essay tests or multiple-choice tests, were a series of statements where I had to choose which was most like me. I choose essay tests, but it is easy to see how a person taking the test would be likely to answer both. However, a point brought up in class was the notion that schools tend to focus their teaching strategies to fit a left-brained learner and as a result right-brained learners are forced to integrate and utilize both styles.

This is a valid point to look at and consider, but I also feel that the statements in the brain dominance test could be reworded to make for a better survey. After I decided I was a right-brain dominant, I dug deeper into my learning style. I looked at Herman Witkin's modes of perception. Essentially, Witkin and associates developed the notion of field-dependent (global) and field-independent (analytic) people. In other words, a common analogy used to describe the distinction between the two styles is that field-dependent people see the forest while field-independent people see the trees (Witkin, Moore, Goodenough & Cox 1977).

As I read the lists of key characteristics, I noticed that the field-dependent style shared similar characteristics with that of a dominant right brain. For example, characteristics included wanting to see the whole picture before examining the parts, make connections; look for patterns and relationships, and socially aware; interested in people. The same relationship can be made with the field-independent style and left-brained learner. As I looked at ways teachers can accommodate students dominate in field-dependent style I saw that the suggestions, like cooperative learning and other interactive strategies, were styles of teaching I enjoyed and excelled at as a younger student. For example, I was more receptive to a teacher when they emphasized the main concept, therefore I could see the overall picture and then be able to concentrate on details. It makes sense that right-brained and left-brained people would have different learning styles; it is just interesting to see how they matched up.

Further investigation on my personal learning style brought me to specific student style traits. These traits, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic are the three channels that learning occurs through. The best-known models of learning styles (the best known is from Dunn and Dunn at St. John's University, and variations on their work) deal with the environment in which we study best, and the shape of the information, as in auditory, visual, or tactile kinesthetic. This model describes environmental preferences, and how information is taken in, but not what the learner does with the information, cognitively.

It is said that students learn best when learning through their favored style (Handout 5). To see how this applied to my personal style I looked at important characteristics of the visual style. Characteristics included remembering best what they see, putting information into visual forms, and often writing things down or drawing pictures to help understand and remember. After comparing visual style to auditory and kinesthetic it was clear that I was a visual learner. Although I already knew that based on my earlier experiences in school. In fact, my visual style can be seen in my everyday life.

For example, I have a lot of difficulty listening and comprehending lyrics of songs. I need to physically read the words or else I cannot understand them. The same applies when people read something out loud, such as Trivia Pursuit questions; I need to read the card to understand the question. Interestingly, I can listen to lectures in class and understand them. The fact that I am able to understand lectures show that as a student I needed to integrate other styles to succeed academically. To be sure, however, I took the modality checklist to assess what type of modality, or sensory channel I prefer.

After reading the statements and checking off the ones that are most like myself, the test showed that I favor visual modality (although, both auditory and kinesthetic styles were a close second and third). Again, while my test showed that I employed a visual style, I still felt that the questions were much too vague. Similar to the brain dominance test, the statements were too obvious. As I was taking the test, I could tell exactly what they were testing for, which in my mind, makes for a faulty test. On the other hand, in terms of a quick assessment this test could be used initially and serve as a guide. Finally, I assessed the type of personality I was based on Carl Jung's Psychological Types (1971).

According to Jung, a person's attitude is influenced by their behavior. As a result people tend to look at certain situations differently based on their comfort level. One aspect of this theory is a preference for introversion or extra version. Depending on an individual's comfort level, a person behaves extroverted, energized by their actions with the outside world, or introverted, energized by time for reflection, depending on the situation. However, people tend to choose one over the other (Jung 1971).

Prior to looking at the characteristics of introverted and extroverted people, I did not know what I was and felt that I might be both. After looking at the test I came up with the same conclusion, I was both. Jung was right it depends on the situation. However, this was only a tiny portion of his theory, I'm sure that there is more to it and this list is simply a general example. Taking these tests showed me the progression of learning styles and gave me a quick history lesson of learning styles. It was interesting to assess my own learning styles as researchers did.

In other words, researchers started with the distinction of right and left brained learners and, through the years, have narrowed down specific characteristics. Educators have been trying for a long time to come up with a model that adequately describes the differences in how people learn and still new research and models are coming out all of the time. The assessment allowed me to see how I will handle my children when I become a teacher. I can see how I had trouble in school, and being I bright student I can only imagine what other students felt. On the other hand, I can see how different learning styles and traits can coincide in the classroom. For example, when I volunteered at Washington Carver Elementary School the students participated in tasks that applied to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning.

Specifically, in the math lesson of the day the students worked in groups on their math worksheet, they then each read a problem out loud and showed how it was performed with magnets on the board. That activity applies to all types of learning styles and reinforces that the children, no matter what type of style, will understand and comprehend the material. That is how I want my class to be. I think a lot of the problem to date with schools having a left-brained bias is that teachers do not realize that they can creatively employ different teaching styles and reach each learning style if they can creatively come up with a good lesson. All it requires is a little investigating.

Luckily, as the years go on teachers are being taught that there are different learning styles and intelligences and they are therefore becoming aware that their lessons need to reflect the disparity. Being aware is key and assessing my own learning style is the first step to applying it to my teaching. Eastern New Mexico University. "Modality Strengths". "Modality Checklist". Handout 5.

"Student Style Traits: Auditory, Visual, Kinesthetic". Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Jung, C.G. (1971). "Psychological Types". In The Portable Jung, edited by J. Campbell.

New York: The Viking Press. Shaun, A., Siegel, L, & Siegel, J. "Self Administered Inventory of Learning Strengths". Witkin, H.A., C.A. Moore, D.R. Goodenough, and P.W. Cox. (Winter 1977). "Field - Dependent and Field - Independent Cognitive Styles and Their Educational Implications". Review of Educational Research.

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