The Perfect Learner-an Expert Debate on Learning Styles
The Perfect Learner
An Expert Debate on Learning Styles
In reading “The Perfect Learner an Expert Debate on Learning Styles” by Martin Delahoussave, I found the debate to be insightful and informative. The researcher made some good points about learning styles and how we should utilize them. According to my reading of learning styles, I discovered that models focus on the process of learning, that is, how students absorb and think about information. The learning styles theory addresses the differences in the process of learning and the different ways students feel and think as they solve problems, construct or create, and interact in groups. Most educators agree that the student’s strengths and abilities should be addressed, but disagree on how to put the theory into practice. Some call for some type of assessment of each student’s learning style and then an appropriate teaching method for the individual. Others believe that students should be assessed and equated with teachers having similar learning styles. Still others alert us that current tests are technically inadequate and using them may actually harm students, because they may result in improper labeling of the student’s learning styles. According to Kolb, “Few if any, individual-difference tests can measure an individual with complete accuracy.” (Kolb p. 30) Salton states that “Unless you know how strong a commitment people have to that strategy, style knowledge can be misleading.” (Salton p. 31) The above statements from the researcher prove that we should be careful when using their tests to determine student’s learning styles. Curry states, “That some tests have “design flaws” and learning styles should be linked to environment.” (Curry p. 31) The debate makes us aware of the different learning styles tests that can be used to discover the way a student learns. The comment that caught my attention was “The way the individual is measured is not critical. The important part is we
An Expert Debate on Learning Styles
In reading “The Perfect Learner an Expert Debate on Learning Styles” by Martin Delahoussave, I found the debate to be insightful and informative. The researcher made some good points about learning styles and how we should utilize them. According to my reading of learning styles, I discovered that models focus on the process of learning, that is, how students absorb and think about information. The learning styles theory addresses the differences in the process of learning and the different ways students feel and think as they solve problems, construct or create, and interact in groups. Most educators agree that the student’s strengths and abilities should be addressed, but disagree on how to put the theory into practice. Some call for some type of assessment of each student’s learning style and then an appropriate teaching method for the individual. Others believe that students should be assessed and equated with teachers having similar learning styles. Still others alert us that current tests are technically inadequate and using them may actually harm students, because they may result in improper labeling of the student’s learning styles. According to Kolb, “Few if any, individual-difference tests can measure an individual with complete accuracy.” (Kolb p. 30) Salton states that “Unless you know how strong a commitment people have to that strategy, style knowledge can be misleading.” (Salton p. 31) The above statements from the researcher prove that we should be careful when using their tests to determine student’s learning styles. Curry states, “That some tests have “design flaws” and learning styles should be linked to environment.” (Curry p. 31) The debate makes us aware of the different learning styles tests that can be used to discover the way a student learns. The comment that caught my attention was “The way the individual is measured is not critical. The important part is we
References: 1. Lever-Duffy, J., McDonald, J. B., Mizell, A. P. (2005). Teaching and Learning with Technology (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2. Delahoussaye, Martin, “The Perfect Learner an Expert Debate on Learning Styles”, Training Vol.39 Iss 5; May 2002: p. 28 (9 pages)