Learning Styles &
Multiple Intelligences

Learning Styles: 

• Do you learn best by using your senses (a sensory learner) or using your intuition (intuitive learner)?

• Are you a visual or verbal learner?

• Do you learn best by doing (an active learner) or by thinking about things (a reflective learner)?

• Do you prefer learning in logical steps (a sequential learner) or do you learn best once you understand the big picture (a global learner)?

Every student has a unique learning style and every teacher and subject has a unique teaching style. If these styles are not in sync the student may have difficulty learning. Most college students are sensory, visual, active, and global learners. Most teaching is done using intuitive, verbal, reflective and sequential strategies. To help you in this course as well as in any other courses you may take, you might want to discover what your personal learning style is and how you can adjust your study techniques to make the best use of the teaching strategies you will encounter in your career as a student. There is a learning style assessment you can take in a few minutes on-line. Your results will be calculated instantly by the computer and you will be able to read about strategies you can use to help yourself learn better. Click on "Descriptions of the learning styles" to review suggestions for making learning easier.

Here's another learning style self-assessment form (you'll have to print and calculate this one yourself)

Once you know your preferred learning style, you can select appropriate learning strategies that will work best for you. Here are some simple examples:

The sensory learner should: connect abstract material to real world experiences ask for concrete examples and practical applications of theories	The intuitive learner should: read the entire section before arriving at conclusions proof read your work (you have the tendency to do "stream of consciousness" writing which can result in poor grammar, spelling and other careless errors) look for unusual concepts, irony and innuendo (you tend to enjoy these)
The visual learner should: add diagrams and sketches to you note taking list and bullet point key points, color code or box them in use "mind mapping" (concept maps) to create a schematic of interrelated ideas	The verbal learner should: write summaries in your own words use a "study buddy" to talk it out with explain material to a listener (classmate, friend, family member) record your writing and reading and listen to it
The active learner should: study in groups explain material to others personalize note taking, connect concepts to your own life experiences	The reflective learner should: reorganize class notes (summaries) so it makes sense to you create you own questions or applications for study material
The global learner should: skim material before studying/reading (read highlights, bold text, titles) study in large blocks of time rather than brief daily periods (hours not minutes) (you have a tendency to get sidetracked) use multiple sources (e.g. the Internet) to review material (thus getting alternative perspectives so as to see the bigger picture)	The sequential learner should: outline lecture material put notes in a logical order relate new information to current knowledge

My personal learning style happens to be intuitive, visual, reflective and fairly balanced between sequential and global. You will likely find me using more of these kinds of strategies in classroom presentation.

Multiple intelligences is another way to determine your learning strengths and weaknesses. Theorists have identified at least eight different intelligences. Learn about these intelligences and take this on- line self-assessment to learn where your own strengths lie and how to use them to your advantage as a student.

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