Learning Styles In America

Introduction Learning Styles are usually categorized as cognitive styles, personality types, or learning styles. Students preferentially take in and process information in different ways: by seeing and hearing, reflecting and acting, reasoning logically and intuitively, analyzing and visualizing, steadily and in fits and starts. Teaching methods also vary. Some instructors lecture, others demonstrate or lead students to self-discovery; some focus on principles and others on applications; some emphasize memory and others understanding. I have learnt that if a mismatch occurs between a student’s learning style and a teachers teaching style then boredom often occurs, sometime accompanied by frustration at not understanding, leading to poor grades, drop out and low self esteem. I feel as a teacher you should try to incorporate a variety of different teaching styles into your lessons to help engage all students and enable them to learn more effectively.
Learning styles deal with receiving and processing information within a learning environment. There are many learning style models, the most relevant to this study is the Kolb’s model described by Zywono and Waalen (2002). Kolb’s (1984) Learning Style Inventory describes the method a person learns and deals with ideas and day to day situations. The model describes the Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory, which states that there are at least seven different methods of learning.
I have chosen five leaning styles and will be talking about them in greater depth below. I will then decide which learning style best suits myself and devise an action plan, incorporating this style into my day to day studying and learning, thus enabling me to achieve the best results whilst learning.

Body/Kinesthetic – relates to physical movement and knowledge / wisdom of the body, including the brains motor cortex, which control bodily motion. Body/kinesthetic intelligence is awakened through physical movement as well as the expression