Learning Styles

This section will discuss HOW students learn.  Identifying how a particular student learns may drastically improve the quality of your tutoring sessions.  Once you have determined the students learning style preferences, the next step is to use this information to become a better tutor.  For example, an auditory-social learner may find it effective to discuss textbook readings with you, and may feel more comfortable in a small group tutoring situation.  A visual-independent learner may find it more effective to study alone and write an outline or prepare charts summarizing the chapter for you to review.  A student, who is very visual instead of auditory, may want to use the dry erase board and draw lots of pictures or diagrams to demonstrate a point. 

Awareness of weaknesses or preferences in YOUR learning style can also improve your tutoring experience.  If you are a very visual person, but are working with a very auditory person, you may have difficulty communicating the material in an effective way for the students.  While we are going to begin taking learning styles into consideration when making tutoring assignments this fall, it may seldom be possible to match students and tutors who have exactly the same learning styles.  For that reason, you need to be aware of your personal learning style and how it effects your communication with your students.

The learning styles inventory below should be administered by you to your student at the very beginning of the semester so the information can be used to structure your future tutoring sessions.  There are many different learning style inventories, and many different learning style theories.  For the purposes of our tutoring program, we will use the following categories to describe our students learning styles:

1.       Auditory vs. Visual Learners

This score indicates the sensory mode you prefer when processing information. Auditory learners tend to learn more effectively through listening, while visual learners process information by seeing it in print or other visual modes including film, picture, or diagram. If you have a higher score on auditory than visual, you tend to be an auditory learner. That is, you tend to learn more easily by hearing than by reading. A higher score in visual suggests strengths with visual modes of learning.

2.      Applied or Conceptual Learners

This score describes the types of learning tasks and learning situations you prefer and find most easy to handle. If you are an applied learner, you prefer tasks that involve real objects and situations. Practical, real-life learning situations are ideal for you. If you are a conceptual learner, you prefer to work with language and ideas; for you, practical applications are not necessary for understanding.

3.      Spatial or Non-spatial Learners

This score reveals your ability to work with spatial relationships. Spatial learners are able to visualize or "mentally see" how things work or how they are positioned in space. Their strengths may include drawing, assembling things, or repairing. Non-spatial learners lack skills in positioning things in space; instead, they tend to rely on verbal or language skills.

4.      Social or Independent Learners

This score reveals your preferred level of interaction with other people in the learning process. If you are a social learner, you prefer to work with others -- both peers and instructors -- closely and directly. You tend to be people-oriented and enjoy personal interaction. If you are an independent learner, you prefer to work and study alone; you tend to be self-directed or self-motivated, and you are often goal oriented.

5.      Creative or Pragmatic Learners

This score describes the approach you prefer to take toward learning tasks. Creative learners are imaginative and innovative. They prefer to learn through discovery or experimentation; they are comfortable taking risks and following hunches. Pragmatic learners are practical, logical, and systematic; they seek order and are comfortable following rules.

Now that you understand a little more about the different learning styles, here is an inventory that you can take yourself and give to your students that will help you determine your individual learning styles. 

Learning Style Inventory - 1Learning Style Inventory - 1Learning Style Inventory - 1 

Auditory vs. Visual 
Learning StylesAuditory vs. Visual 
Learning StylesAuditory vs. Visual 
Learning Styles

1)      I would prefer to

a)      follow a set of oral directions.

b)      follow a set of written instructions.

2)      I would prefer to

a)      attend a lecture given by a famous psychologist

b)      read an article written by a famous psychologist.

3)      I am better at

a)      remembering names

b)      remembering faces

4)      It easier to learn new information

a)      using languages

b)      using images (pictures)

5)      I prefer classes in which the instructor

a)      lectures and answers questions

b)      uses films and videos.

6)      To obtain information about current events, I would prefer to

a)      listen to news reports on radio

b)      read the newspaper

7)      To learn how to fix a fax machine, I would prefer to

a)      go to a demonstration

b)      consult a manual.

Now total the number of A's and B's. 

More A's = More Auditory Learner

More B's = More Visual Learner

 

Learning Style Inventory - 2 Learning Style Inventory - 2 Learning Style Inventory - 2

Applied vs. Conceptual 
Learning StylesApplied vs. Conceptual 
Learning StylesApplied vs. Conceptual 
Learning Styles

1)      I prefer to

a)      learn facts and details

b)      construct theories and ideas

2)      I would prefer a job involving

a)      following specific instructions

b)      reading, writing, and analyzing

3)      I prefer to

a)      solve math problems using a formula

b)      discover why the formula works

4)      I would prefer to write a term paper

a)      explaining how a process works

b)      explaining a theory

5)      I prefer tasks that require

a)      careful, detailed following of instructions

b)      reasoning and critical analysis

6)      For a course in Criminal Justice, I would prefer to

a)      discover how and when a law can be used

b)      learn how and why it became law

7)      To learn more about the operation of a high speed computer printer, I would prefer to

a)      work with several types of printers

b)      understand the principles on which they operate

Now total the number of A's and B's. 

More A's = More Applied Learner

More B's = More Conceptual Learner

 

Learning Style Inventory - 3Learning Style Inventory - 3Learning Style Inventory - 3

Spatial vs. Verbal 
Learning StylesSpatial vs. Verbal 
Learning StylesSpatial vs. Verbal 
Learning Styles

1)      To solve a math problem, I would prefer to

a)      draw or visualize the problem

b)      study a sample problem and use it as a model

2)      To remember things best, I

a)      create a mental picture

b)      write it down

3)      Assembling a bicycle from a diagram would be

a)      Easy

b)      Challenging

4)      I prefer classes in which I

a)      handle equipment or work with models

b)      participate in a class discussion

5)      To understand and remember how a machine works, I would

a)      use a diagram

b)      write notes

6)      I enjoy

a)      drawing or working with my hands

b)      speaking, writing, and listening

7)      If you were trying to locate an office on an unfamiliar university campus, would you prefer a student to?

a)      draw you a map.

b)      tell you how to find the office.

Now total the number of A's and B's. 

More A's = More Spacial Learner

More B's = More Verbal Learner

 

Learning Style Inventory - 4 Learning Style Inventory - 4 Learning Style Inventory - 4

Social vs. Independent 
Learning StylesSocial vs. Independent 
Learning StylesSocial vs. Independent 
Learning Styles

1)      For a grade in Biology Lab, I would prefer to

a)      work with a lab partner

b)      work alone

2)      When faced with a difficult personal problem, I prefer to

a)      discuss it with others

b)      resolve it myself

3)      Many instructors could improve their classes by

a)      including more discussion and group activities

b)      allowing students to work on their own more frequently

4)      When listening to a lecturer or speaker, I respond more to

a)      the person presenting the ideas

b)      the ideas themselves

5)      When working on a team project, I prefer

a)      to work with several team members

b)      to divide up tasks and complete those assigned to me

c)      frequently try to shop, run errands, and work with friends

d)      seldom try to shop, run errands, and work with friends

6)      A job in a busy office is

a)      more appealing than working alone

b)      less appealing that working alone

Now total the number of A's and B's. 

More A's = More Social Learner

More B's = More Independent Learner

 

Learning Style Inventory - 5Learning Style Inventory - 5Learning Style Inventory - 5

Creative vs. Creative vs. Creative vs. Pragmatic
Learning Styles

1)      To make decisions, I rely on

a)      my experiences and "gut" feelings

b)      facts and objective data

2)      To complete a task, I

a)      can use whatever is available to get the job done

b)      must have everything I need at hand

3)      I prefer to express my ideas and feelings through

a)      music, song, or poetry

b)      direct, concise language

4)      I prefer instructors who

a)      allow their students to select what and how to learn

b)      make their expectations clear and explicit

5)      I tend to

a)      challenge and question what I hear and read

b)      accept what I hear and read

6)      I prefer

a)      essay exams

b)      objective exams

7)      In completing an assignment, I prefer to

a)      figure out my own approach

b)      be told exactly what to do

Now total the number of A's and B's. 

More A's = More Creative Learner
More B's = More Pragmatic Learner