The model and questionnaire quickly became very popular among students and educators, and both remain widely used today. In the interactive class, we were given worksheets that help us determine what learning style we relate to the most and the benefits that learning style has in an organization. Jennifer Hurley- Jennifer is currently a Backhaul Specialist for Target Corporation in their Logistics department at their distribution center in Topeka. Please take a moment to answer the questions, or send an email with any thoughts you have about this topic to: mcginnessn middlesex. These reflections are then assimilated absorbed and translated into abstract concepts with implications for action, which the person can actively test and experiment with, which in turn enable the creation of new experiences. Dependent thinking style is originates in a need for security and self-protection: dependent people typically feel that they have very little control over their lives.
We all learn in different ways. To develop a balanced style, it would take practice in learning in opposing ways. How do we think and behave? These people use other people's analysis, and prefer to take a practical, experiential approach. Note that you should only use styles inventories as a general guide to your styles - not as an absolute answer. Jackson's model suggests that learning styles are influenced by a variety of factors including experience, personal choice, and biology.
A brief introduction of each member, plus the highlights from their completed inventory are below. There are various styles to learning; based on the work produced by Kolb, Peter Honey and Alan Mumford developed and identified four learning styles which include Pragmatist, Reflector, Activist and Theorist. Conversely, learning by abstract conceptualization happens when one learns by thinking about what is happening and analyzing it. Simply, people who have a clear learning style preference, for whatever reason, will tend to learn more effectively if learning is orientated according to their preference. People with an Assimilating learning style are less focused on people and more interested in ideas and abstract concepts.
Some of those pages have information about additional Learning Styles Inventory tools based upon different types of learning styles models. The Accommodating learning style is 'hands-on', and relies on intuition rather than logic. This learning style is prevalent and useful in roles requiring action and initiative. The flexibility score also shows which learning style types the individual uses in addition to their dominant learning style type. Information is gathered and stored for use by students, teachers, and tutors together, creating a learning partnership.
They prefer technical tasks, and are less concerned with people and interpersonal aspects. See also , which assist in understanding and using Kolb's learning styles concepts. Characteristics converger active experimentation abstract conceptualization is imaginative and innovative - good at thinking up practical applications of ideas and using to solve problems accommodator active experimentation concrete experience tends to be good at coming up with how best to apply ideas in a given situation - excellent manager of a project assimilator reflective observation abstract conceptualization is imaginative and innovative - good at creating theoretical models by means of diverger reflective observation concrete experience is good at applying models to real situations - actually doing things instead of merely reading about and studying them An individual may exhibit a strong preference for one of the four styles — Accommodating, Converging, Diverging and Assimilating but most people have elemnts of all four. Our online learning styles inventory has 70 questions and provides a graphical results page. Kolb diagrams updated May 2006 See also the section for help with understanding how Kolb's theory correlates with other personality models and psychometrics personality testing. The quadrant with the largest percentage of the kite would be the individuals preferred approach to the learning process.
Despite this, and this is my personal view, not the view of the 'anti-Learning Styles lobby' , many teachers and educators continue to find value and benefit by using Learning Styles theory in one way or another, and as often applies in such situations, there is likely to be usage which is appropriate, and other usage which is not. Kolb uses different words to describe the stages of the learning cycle and four learning styles. As ever when two sides of a debate argue, there is a risk of babies being thrown out with bathwater, so to speak. People with the Diverging style prefer to work in groups, to listen with an open mind and to receive personal feedback. Matrix View It's often easier to see the construction of Kolb's learning styles in terms of a two-by-two matrix. In 1987, he developed a questionnaire based on his model that was designed to help people learn more about their individual style.
Over 1 million people have done this test! The Assimilating learning preference is for a concise, logical approach. If you don't agree, leave the yes and no fields blank. This type tends to forget about the people or the feelings and focuses more on the ideas and concepts of things. Immediate or concrete experiences lead to observations and reflections. This information can help individuals improve their ability to move freely around the learning cycle and improve their learning effectiveness. They excel at understanding wide-ranging information and organising it a clear logical format. Learning Preferences Software Today, new technology can provide this service via an interactive multimedia interface.
People with a Converging learning style are more attracted to technical tasks and problems than social or interpersonal issues. A number of studies have found that students taught according to their identified learning style do no better than students who are not matched to their style. People with a Converging learning style can solve problems and will use their learning to find solutions to practical issues. People with an Accommodating learning style will tend to rely on others for information than carry out their own analysis. For example, Kolb says that his experiential learning theory, and therefore the learning styles model within it, builds on Carl Jung's assertion that learning styles result from people's preferred ways of adapting in the world. The results and any recommendations are then presented to the individual in a comprehensive, confidential report.