I'm still a NERD

Well, the results are in and they are just as I suspected.  I am an old fashioned nerd.  Not only am I number and word ‘smart’, but I am also a strong sequential and verbal learner.  Interpretation = I learn well under the old-fashion lecturing style.

As part of my study for week 1 of I took two online questionnaires.  The first was to identify my preferred learning style and the second was to identify my natural abilities or intelligences.  Here are my test results:

Felder and Soloman Learning Styles

 For more information about the Felder and Soloman learning styles see:  
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
To take the take yourself:  http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html

Multiple Intelligences

For more information on multiple intellignces or to take the test: http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/index.htm

Do I agree with these results? Yes, although I think that I am a stronger sequential learner than the test results indicated.  I also believe that as I grow older I am becoming a more flexible learner.   I feel that I am reasonably good at learning using a variety of methods, as long as the teaching session progresses logically.  The test results do not reflect this because I was basing my answers on how I liked to learn the last time I studied – which was almost 10 years ago!

Felder and Soloman Learning Styles

In the traditional classroom of 25 students, I think that it would sometimes be hard to include all the eight learning styles into a single classroom lesson, especially in a lesson of only 40 minutes duration.  I think a better approach would be to employ a couple of methods each lesson but ensure all the different learning styles are used within a week period.  I believe this would use each individual student’s learning style frequently enough to maintain their long-term interest in the subject, while also developing their ability to learn in each of the different styles.

There is also the option of assigning homework in a learning style that was not covered during the lesson.  This would provide additional learning opportunities for those who may have struggled.  For example, getting the students to write up a report about the experiment that was performed in class would allow the verbal learners to make sense of what was primarily a visual lesson.  Homework or assessment could also be flexible in how it is formed.  For example, the students could be allowed to choose whether a task is completed individually or in groups; or students could be allowed to choose between drawing a diagram or writing a paragraph.  This allows the students to tailor the assessment to their preferred learning style.

I think ICT can provide the opportunities for learning that the traditional ‘text on a page’ cannot.  It can make group discussions possible for those individuals who are physically isolated.  It can provide visual learning aids that may not be practical in a classroom.  ICT can also give the learner the ability to choose what information is pursued or ignored.  In the traditional classroom, all the occupants are forced to cover the identical pieces of information as they are presented, whether or not they find it helpful or confusing.

From my current knowledge of ICT, I could imagine designing a web-based page of information that would allow the user to modify it to suit their learning preference.  For example, giving the user the option to open and hide paragraphs of information or diagrams, allowing the order of the different sections of the page to be moved around, or providing links to film clips or other web pages for those who want to view them.

Multiple Intelligences

What I found interesting about my Mulitple Intelligences results was that I was very strong in one area (number smart) but also reasonably strong in four other areas (word, people, myself and musical smart).  I would imagine that this combination would be unique for every individual.  Since there are numerous possible combinations, a teacher could encounter a classroom where no two learners had the same intelligence profile.  This further upholds the idea of variety in lesson plans to be able to reach all the learners.

I find the Multiple Intelligences theory hard to relate to pedagogy.  I think it more relates to the areas in which learners are naturally ‘smart’ rather than the way in which people prefer to learn.  So, school subjects could be allocated to one of the categories.  It is a good tool for identifying those subjects a learner would excel.  It is also a timely reminder that numbers and words are not the only form of intelligence in this world, and that we are all individuals with our own unique combination of intelligences.