This is are first guest lecturer in our course in working in digital media. We had Geraldine Gray who is a lecturer in ITB talking to us about peoples different learning styles which is very important in assessing how I learn and how others learn. Every day we have to deal with different people who have different ways of learning information and it’s very important to learn the different styles of learning to get your points across and make yourself understood. In teaching especially you have to accomadate the different ways in which people learn.
The main styles of learning break down into:
- Audio learners
- Visual Learners
- Kinaesthetic learners.
Audio learners absorb information best through hearing the information, either through lectures, working in groups with others, talking aloud to themselves and through having music in the background which they work. Audio learners are good at speaking on their feet , working with different languages and remembering names of people they meet.
Visual learners learn best from seeing information written down in front of them. I find this works the best for me while studying. I read lecture notes and then write them down in my own style. This helps me absorb the information (it is also part of kinaesthetic learning which i’ll move onto). Visual learners break down into two other groups.
Visual linguistic: They learn best from the written word
Visual Spatial: Learn best from diagrams, charts, demonstration and videos.
Visual learners are good at remembering details and colours and remembering faces.
The last Learning style is Kinaesthetic, which is basically learning by doing. I also find this style suits me. Typically this involves practical work going on field trips and working in small groups. Though we tend to loose interest when there is little to happening around us. (ho many times do I check my email while i’m trying to do something, or make tea.)
We also looked at the emotional types most people show. We used the Myers Briggs test to explore this. There are 4 different scales that make up a individuals personality.
Extraversion – Introversion
Sensing – Intuition
Judging – Perceptive
Thinking – Feeling
There are 16 different types of personality based on the Briggs Myers test. I found out that I fall into the INTP side which makes me more Introspective, intuitive, thinking and perceiving.
We also looked at Kolbs four step learning cycle, which is the plan that lectures should follow when planning. These are the 4 steps they should follow:
- A new experience for Students
- Reviewing the experience
- Concluding the experience
- Planning the next steps
