Ep. 85: The Seven Styles of Learning

May 15, 2023 Peter Jans

Intro

Hello and Welcome to the podcast "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

Today's episode is what the podcast is all about which is learning, and we delve into the “seven styles of learning.”

The "seven styles of learning" is a model developed by educational theorist Neil Fleming in 1987 and according to the model, there are seven different ways that people learn and process information. While this model tends to pigeonhole and oversimplify the complex nature of learning, it is generally true that most people use a combination of different styles all to varying degrees depending on the situation and the type of material being learned.

With that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr_Ganesh_Chavan_Learning-copy-copy.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

Learning styles refer to a range of theories that aim to account for differences in individuals' learning.[1] Although there is ample evidence that individuals express personal preferences for how they prefer to receive information,[2]: 108 few studies have found any validity in using learning styles in education.[3]: 267 Many theories share the proposition that humans can be classified according to their "style" of learning, but differ in how the proposed styles should be defined, categorized and assessed.[1]: 8 A common concept is that individuals differ in how they learn.[3]: 266

The idea of individualized learning styles became popular in the 1970s,[4] and has greatly influenced education despite the criticism that the idea has received from some researchers.[2]: 107–108 Proponents recommend that teachers run a needs analysis to assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student's learning style.[5] Critics claim that there is no consistent evidence that better student outcomes result from identifying an individual student's learning style and teaching for specific learning styles.[2][6]: 33 Since 2012, learning styles have often been referred to as a "neuromyth" in education.[7][8] There is evidence of empirical and pedagogical problems related to forcing learning tasks to "correspond to differences in a one-to-one fashion".[9] Studies contradict the widespread "meshing hypothesis" that a student will learn best if taught in a method deemed appropriate for the student's learning style.[2] However, a 2020 systematic review suggested that a majority (89%) of educators around the world continue to believe that the meshing hypothesis is correct.[10]

Studies further show that teachers cannot assess the learning style of their students accurately.[11] In one study, students were asked to take an inventory on their learning style. After nearly 400 students completed the inventory, 70% didn't use study habits that matched their preferred learning method.[12] This study also indicated that students who used study methods that matched their preferred learning style performed no better on tests than students who did not.[12]

Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_styles]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Octagon_Model_of_Informal_Learning.png

Mnemonic

The Seven Styles of Learning – SSLAP Vice-Versa

(Picture standing face to face with your teacher who is teaching you the seven styles of learning and if you get one wrong the teacher gets to slaps you, however for everyone you get right you get to slap the teacher!)

1. Solitary

2. Social

3. Logical

4. Aural

5. Physical

6. Verbal

7. Visual

Five Fun Facts

1. Most people benefit from a range of learning styles, which can also improve their adaptability.

2. Before Neil Fleming developed his seven styles of learning there was a Howard Gardner from Harvard University who developed his ground-breaking theory of multiple intelligences in 1983. With his theory he proposes a list of eight different types of intelligences rather than just one general ability.

Those intelligences are:

Verbal intelligence
Logical intelligence
Visual intelligence
Kinesthetic intelligence
Musical intelligence
Interpersonal intelligence
Intrapersonal intelligence
Naturalistic intelligence

3. Different parts of the brain are responsible for each learning style. For example:

Solitary: Is the frontal and parietal lobes
Social: Is the frontal and temporal lobes
Logical: Is the parietal lobes
Aural: Is the temporal lobes
Physical: Is the cerebellum
Verbal: Is the temporal lobes
Visual: Is the occipital lobes

4. The Characteristics of each different learning style is as follows:

Solitary:

• Private, independent and concerned with goals and outcomes

Social:

• Empathetic personality with a sensitivity to moods and feelings and enjoys the company of others

Logical:

• Excels at strategy games like chess and enjoys classifying information and understanding how things work

Aural:

• Good at repeating information, learning languages and retaining song lyrics

Physical:

• Constantly fiddles with hands, doodles and may be disruptive in class

Verbal:

• Naturally good at public speaking, writing and loves to read

Visual:

• Has good spatial awareness and sense of direction and likes colouring, drawing and is very detail orientated

5. The most recent addition to Gardner’s theory of the seven different learning styles is number eight which is Naturalistic learning. These individuals are more in tune with nature and use elements and patterns in the natural world to create products and solve problems.

Gardner and his colleagues have also considered two additional intelligences which are existential and pedagogical.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Learning_curve.svg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. Few studies have found any validity in using learning styles in education?

True / False

Q.2. Which learning style is the most common?

Q.3. Which learning style is least common?

Brain Teasers:

Bonus Q. How do you make 7 an even number?

Bonus Q. Why can’t you ever argue with a 90-degree angle?

Mnemonic Recap

The Seven Styles of Learning – SSLAP Vice-Versa