Knowing your learning style as well as your students learning styles is important as it allows us to recognize how we best learn. Identifying strengths and weaknesses in our learning enables maximum learning potential.
I have done a number of learning style tests in the past that have been quite basic and give me a rough understanding of what type of learner I am. This test that I undertook was derived from Feder and Solomon's online learning questionnaire. It was a long questionnaire but the advantage was there was only two answers for each question which made it easy to decide which answer best reflected myself. Below are the results shown.
As shown in the results above I have a very high Active and Visual learning style which before the questionnaire I somewhat already knew. This new information however allows me to recognize what I am and what I am not in terms of all learning areas and what processes I can put in place to help me learn more effectively. Feder and Solomon suggest that a balance between learning styles is advised as it allows for maximum efficiency in learning outcomes. As follows are some of the techniques I can implement to help me learn more effectively.
- To better help understand the content I am learning I should not just read through it but as I read go back through and review the content as well as writing down questions or possible applications. Also to write down short summaries in my own words to help better retain the information. (Reflective & Verbal Learning Advancements)
- Try to link the content back to facts or real life relevance will help keep me focused while learning. When undertaking tests I need to focus on reading the whole question and then answer otherwise with my learning style I might be prone to careless mistakes. (Intuitive Learning Advancements)
Gathering this information for your students would be an effective tool as you can plan and customize your learning experience around the vast differences of learning styles throughout your learning cohort. This tool would identify if there would be any specific need for a certain aspect of each lesson and whether students would need specific activities or resources for them to become and/ or stay engage whilst learning at a high level.
