H.GARDENER’S STYLES OF LEARNING
VISUAL
LEARNERS, AUDITORY LEARNERS, KINESTHETIC LEARNERS
INTRODUCTION
Howard Gardner was born in Scranton Pennyslvania USA
in 1943. He entered Harvard in 1961.In the year of April 2005 he served as adjunct
professor at Harvard University. He believes all children can learn if their
style of learning is addressed. Gardner is best known in educational circles
for theory of multiple intelligences. Gardener has also authored Leading Minds,
Changing Minds and Extraordinary Minds.
A Learning style is a student’s consistent way of
responding to and using stimuli in the context of learning. A learning style is
the way in which an individual learner tries to learn. It includes how the
approach learning experience. The importance of learning styles is because
there can be a discrepancy between the way the brain learns and the way
students are taught.
LEARNING
STYLE
Learning
is relatively permanent change in behaviour, which reflects a gain of
knowledge, understanding or skill achieved through experience, which include
study instruction, observation or practice.
“Learning
style is the way individuals concentrate or absorb and retain new or difficult
materials or skills”. – Dunn and Dunn.
GARDNER’S MULTIPLE
INTELLIGENCE THEORY
Howard Gardner initially formulated a
list of seven intelligences. His listing was provisional. The first two have
been typically valued in schools; the next three are usually associated with
the arts; and the final two are what Howard Gardner called 'personal
intelligences'.
Linguistic intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written
language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to
accomplish certain goals. This intelligence includes the ability to effectively
use language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically; and language as a
means to remember information. Writers, poets, lawyers and speakers are among
those that Howard Gardner sees as having high linguistic intelligence.
Logical-mathematical intelligence consists of the capacity to analyze
problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate issues
scientifically. In Howard Gardner's words, it entails the ability to detect
patterns, reason deductively and think logically. This intelligence is most
often associated with scientific and mathematical thinking.
Musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition, and
appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and
compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. According to Howard Gardner
musical intelligence runs in an almost structural parallel to linguistic
intelligence.
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails the potential of using one's
whole body or parts of the body to solve problems. It is the ability to use
mental abilities to coordinate bodily movements. Howard Gardner sees mental and
physical activity as related.
Spatial intelligence involves the potential to recognize and use the patterns
of wide space and more confined areas.
Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to
understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. It allows
people to work effectively with others. Educators, salespeople, religious and
political leaders and counselors all need a well-developed interpersonal
intelligence.
Intrapersonal intelligence entails the capacity to understand oneself,
to appreciate one's feelings, fears and motivations. In Howard Gardner's view
it involves having an effective working model of ourselves, and to be able to
use such information to regulate our lives.
VAK LEARNING STYLE
Visual Learner (Sight – Seeing and Reading)
Auditory Learner (Sound - Listening and Speaking)
Kinesthetic Learners (Touch or Motion- Moving and Doing)
VISUAL LEARNERS
Creating graphic organizers - Students
create graphic organizers such as diagrams, webs, and concept maps by selecting
symbols to represent ideas and information. To show the relationships between
ideas, students link the symbols and add words to further clarify meaning. By representing information spatially
and with images, students are able to focus on meaning, reorganize and group
similar ideas easily, make better use of their visual memory.
CHARACTERISTICS
ð Visual learning style involves the use
of seen or observed things, including pictures, diagrams, demonstrations,
displays, handouts, films etc.
ð These learners need to see the
teacher’s body language and facial expressions to fully understand the content
of a lesson.
ð They tend to prefer sitting at the
front of the classroom to avoid visual obstructions.
ð They may think in pictures and learn
best from visual displays, including diagrams, illustrated textbooks, overhead
transparencies, video, flipcharts and hand-outs
ð During a lecture or classroom
discussion, visual learners often prefer to take detailed notes to absorb the
information.
AUDITORY LEARNER’S
Auditory learning style
in which a person learns through listening. An auditory learner depends on
hearing and speaking as a main way of learning. Auditory learners must be able
to hear what is being said in order to understand and may have difficulty with
instructions that are written. They also use their listening and repeating
skills to sort through the information that is sent to them.
Characteristics
Auditory
learners may have a knack for ascertaining the true meaning of someone's words
by listening to audible signals like changes in tone. When memorizing a phone
number, an auditory learner will say it out loud and then remember how it
sounded to recall it.
Auditory
learners are good at writing responses to lectures they’ve heard. They’re also
good at oral exams, effectively by listening to information delivered orally,
in lectures, speeches, and oral sessions.
Proponents
claim that when an auditory/verbal learner reads, it is almost impossible for
the learner to comprehend anything without sound in the background. In these situations,
listening to music or having different sounds in the background (TV, people
talking, etc.) will help learners work better.
Auditory
learners are good at storytelling. They solve problems by talking them through.
Speech patterns include phrases “I hear you that click it are ringing a bell”,
and other sound or voice-oriented information. These learners will move their
lips or talk to themselves to help accomplish tasks.
Recommended
techniques
Proponents say that
teachers should use these techniques to instruct auditory learner’s verbal
direction, group discussions, verbal reinforcement, group activities, reading
aloud, and putting information into a rhythmic pattern such as a rap, poem, or
song.
Proponents recommend techniques like these to
auditory learners:
- Record class notes and then listen to the recording, rather than reading notes.
- Remember details by trying to "hear" previous discussions.
- Participate in class discussions.
- Ask questions and volunteer in class.
- Read assignments out loud.
- Study by reading out your notes
- Whisper new information when alone.
An auditory learner may benefit by using the
speech recognition tool available on many PCs
Kinesthetic learner’s
Kinesthetic learning is a learning style in which learning takes place by the student actually carrying out a physical activity, rather than listening to a lecture or merely watching a demonstration. It is also referred to as tactile learning. People with a kinesthetic learning style are also commonly known as do-ers.
Characteristics
v Kinesthetic learning involves physical experience-touching, feeling, holding, doing practical hands-on experiences.
v The word ‘kinesthetic ‘describes the sense of using mucular movement-physical sense. In other words it involves the simulation of nerves in the bodys muscles, joints and tendons.
v Kinesthesia and kinesthesis are root words, derived from the Greek ‘kineo’ meaning move and aesthesis, meaning sensation.
v Kinesthetic
learners learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the
physical, world around them.
v Kinesthetic
style is also referred to as ‘physical’ or ‘tactile’ or touchy-feely.
Importance
of VAK Learning Style
The VAK learning
style is important because it allows people to understand better how they can
improve performance in a wide range of situations.
·
Use of this information will lead to
clear learning plans for individuals or groups.
·
This information can be linked to
targets with goals and objectives.
·
Students individual needs can be met.
·
It cans enpower students to be more
effective and independent learners.
Conclusion
No one person uses one style exclusively but they do have
prefered learning styles. The most effective teaching methods involve a
combination of all three sensory components. Though individuals may prefer to
use a particular learning method, it is important to understand that learning
styles are situational, and no single style is dominant in every circumstance.
It is therefore important to attempt to cater for all styles during lessons to
enable the most efficient learning to take place.
QUESTIONS
1.
What is
learning style?
2.
What
are the characteristics of visual learners?
3.
Explain
the VAK model?
REFERENCES
Advanced Educational Psychology – S.K.Mangal
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm
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