Results from Felder and Solomons Learning style questionnaire
After completing Felder and Solomon's learning style questionnaire I have discovered that i am primarily an active, intuitive, visual and global learner.
As an active learner i would do best in a class that allows time for discussion or problem-solving activities. If my class does not reflect this then I should try to compensate when studying. Studying in a group where members take turns explaining different topics and do activities together would benefit me greatly. Also, as an active learner i will always retain information better if i can find a way to do something with it.
As an intuitive learner I find interpretations or theories that link the facts together useful, if the lecture or teacher does not provide them then i will try to find the connections myself. As an intutive klearner though i may bhe prone to careless mistakes on tests because i am impatient with details and don't like repetition. To improve this i should take time to read the entire question before I start answering and be sure to check my results.
I am heavily on the visual learner side of things, and so I should try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow charts, or any other visual representation of my course materials that are predominantly verbal. This will prove difficult as most courses at UNI are heavily verbal and involve a lot of reading. Felder states that visual learners should ask their lecturer if any videotapes or CD-ROM displays of the course material are available. A helpful tip for visual learners is to prepare a concept map by listing key
points, enclosing them in boxes or circles, and drawing lines with arrows between the concepts to show connections. Also colour-coding my notes with a highlighter so that everything relating to one topic is the same colour may be very helpful.
As a global learner i need to know the big picture of a subject before mastering the details of it. I find it difficult if my teacher plunges directly into new topics without bothering to
explain how they relate to what I already know. This was particularly true during my grade 11 maths B class at high school. Now that i know i am a global learner before I begin to study a section or a chapter in my textbook, I'll skim through the entire chapter to get
an overview. I should also try relating the subject to things I already know.
In a traditional classroom of 25 students, how would you support the range of learning styles each lesson?
In a class of 25 students there is bound to be a diverse range of learning styles. To support the students in this class i would have them complete a learning styles questionnaire so i could gain a better understanding of the spread of learning styles in the class. Once i knew the proportion of students who learned a particular way i would tailor each lesson to suit all students. I would use lots of graphs and charts for my visual learners and explain everything about the class first off to give a better overview for my global learners. I would verbally explain and use worksheets and individual activities for my intuitive and verbal learners. I would teach in a sequential manner and relate the topics to the real world to appeal to my sequential and sensing learners.
With your current knowledge of ICT, how could your design and digital pedagogy support your learners better?
By providing access to a broad range of resources relating to the topic which appeal to all learning styles. I would try to find videos, power points, charts, sound clips and articles for the current topic so all the students can learn in there own unique way.
What sorts of profiling questions would you be asking about your learners to ensure you cater for everyone's preferences?
1. Would you prefer to hear from someone how to do an activity or do the activity while hearing an explanation?
2. Do you understand a concept better after reading all the material? or after being given a short overview of the whole concept?
3. Do you like to see how particular concepts and theories relate to the real world? or just to the particular subject matter?
How does ICT support differences in learning styles?
ICT supports different learning styles because it allows access to all different kinds of resources online. From video clips and journal articles, to charts and sound clips. Catering for all learning styles.
