EFFECTIVE LEARNING AND LEARNING STYLES From what you have read so far in this document, it should be clear that the best learning occurs wh...
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EFFECTIVE LEARNING AND LEARNING STYLES From what you have read so far in this document, it should be clear that the best learning occurs when students are engaged in active learning – when they are doing things instead of sitting passively and listening. A classic study by the National Training Board found that students retained only 5% of the information they received in lecture, twenty-four hours later. Retention rates increased to 75-90% when active learning involving peer teaching was used instead of lectures. Other active learning methods (e.g., demonstration and discussion) also resulted in higher retention rates (30% and 50%, respectively).
In another study of the effectiveness of lectures (McLeish 1968; cited in Fink 2003), students were tested on their understanding of facts, theory, and application after hearing a lecture that was specially designed to be effective. Despite being able to use their own lecture notes and a printed summary of the lecture, average student recall after the lecture was only 42%.
A week later recall had dropped to only 20%. In a recent review of the effectiveness of active learning, Prince (2004) found extensive, widespread support for active learning approaches, especially when activities were designed around important learning outcomes and promoted thoughtful engagement. Many instructors recognize that active learning results in significant improvements in student knowledge retention, conceptual understanding, engagement, and attitudes about learning. A commonly used approach in active learning is cooperative learning. An enormous body of research confirms the effectiveness of cooperative learning. Compared with more traditional individualized and competitive models of learning, students who learn in Wirth & Perkins -
Learning to Learn 21 cooperative groups exhibit markedly improved individual achievement, metacognitive thought, willingness to assume difficult tasks, persistence, motivation, and transfer of learning to new situations, (e.g., Johnson et al. 1991; Prince 2004). Cooperative learning also improves relationships between students and between students and faculty, and it generally improves selfesteem and attitudes toward learning. A large body of research indicates that people have different learning styles (see Felder 1993; and references therein). A learning style is a student’s way of “responding to and using stimuli in the context of learning” (Clark 2004).
That is, people tend to focus on different types of information, they tend to operate on that information differently, and they achieve understanding at different rates. Importantly, no single learning style is better or worse than the others. They are simply different. Although the effects of learning styles on learning have been difficult to quantify, new evidence suggests that the various “styles” of learning can be mapped both to the learning cycle and to the different functional regions of the brain. Many instructors teach (inadvertently?) in ways that are most akin to their own styles of learning. Once aware of your learning style, you can improve learning by translating material from other modes into a mode that best fits you. The many “dimensions” of learning style are complex and are not entirely understood at present. As a result, there are several different models in common use. One learning style indicator currently enjoying considerable popularity is the VARK (Visual, Aural, Reading, Kinesthetic) guide to learning style, developed by N. Fleming in 1987 (http://www.vark-learn.com). The VARK questionnaire profiles user preferences for absorbing and communicating information in a learning context. In this sense it is not a learning style indicator because it focuses on only one dimension of learning. This questionnaire not only provides insight into one’s learning preferences, but also provides strategies for using those preferences to enhance learning. Interestingly, research suggests that one’s preferred learning style can change with age and experiences. Complete the VARK questionnaire (http://www.vark-learn.com) to determine your own learning preferences and find strategies for enhancing your learning. In yet another model, H. Gardner (1993) proposed that there are multiple intelligences (verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical musical/rhythmic, visual/spatial, body/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist),
but that we use only one or two of these for most Table 5. Learning style dimensions (modified from Felder, 1993). Elements of Learning Learning Style Dimensions Type of Information Sensory (sights, sounds, physical sensations) or intuitive (memories, ideas, insights) Modality of Sensory Information Visual (pictures, diagrams, graphs, demonstrations) or verbal (sounds, written and spoken word, formulas) Organization of Information Inductive (underlying principles are inferred from facts) or deductive (consequences are deduced from principles) Preferred Method for Processing Information Active (through engagement in physical activity or discussion) or reflective (through introspection) Method of Progressing Toward Understanding Sequential (logical, incremental steps) or global (holistic, large jumps) 22 Wirth & Perkins -
Learning to Learn effective learning. To find your preferences, take the multiple intelligences inventory at: http://ps.uvm.edu/pss162.learning_styles.html. Finally, Felder and Silverman (1988) and Felder (1993) have synthesized the findings of several of the previous studies into a learning style model that is particularly relevant to science education (Table 5). In summary, there are many different ways of modeling the ways of learning. No one model provides a complete description of learning, and no single learning style is superior to another. However, it is important to be aware of your own learning style preferences so that you can make the necessary adjustments to maximize your learning. If you have good, caring, instructors you will encounter unfamiliar pedagogies (e.g., active learning, cooperative learning, just-in-time learning, student-centered learning, case studies, writing to learn, group learning, assessment as learning, problem-based learning, service learning, online learning) in your courses. These have largely been designed to teach to a wide variety of learning styles and to facilitate learning the content and skills encompassed within “significant learning.” Some of these new instructional approaches may seem foreign at first, but keep an open mind and try to understand the objectives of each pedagogical approach. If you have questions about classroom methods, ask your instructor. Most teachers are happy to discuss instructional practices with their students.
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