Dani Davis

Article review

February 7, 2004

 

Citation

 

AR3: Blackmore, J. (1996).  Learning Styles

http://www.cyg.net/~jblackmo/diglib/styl-a.html

 

Introduction

 

This article details many different facets of how people learn best.  The author, Jessica Blackmore has researched different learning theories.  First, the article points out that keeping all learners, whether adult or child “actively involved” in the learning process is vital to student achievement and growth.  Children as a group and adults as a group have very different learning styles and motivations for learning, as well as different learning obstacles.  Next, Blackmore dissects two learning theories, in order to intelligently discuss the different leaning techniques of men and women. Individual learning needs of people.  The article also covers the learning styles and preferences of individual learners.  Ultimately, it is made clear that everyone learns differently, and every adult learner has learned and employs the techniques which work best for them.  The article concludes with a section that talks about the implications of this information on instruction.

 

Summary

 

Adult Learning Styles

 

There are several differences between the leaning styles of children and those of adults.  Most of these differences are related to the fact that adults tend to be “self-directed” learners, and children do not. 

 

Knowles theory of adult learning is known as, “andragogy.”  This theory is based on the following assumptions:

 

Ÿ         “adults are autonomous and self-directed

Ÿ         adults are goal oriented

Ÿ         adults are relevancy oriented (problem centered)--they need to know why they are learning something

Ÿ         adults are practical and problem-solvers adults have accumulated life experiences”

 

According to Kearsley’s summarization of Knowles’s theory, “instruction for adults needs to focus more on the process and less on the content being taught.”  Instruction for children should focus on learning “content,” whereas, instruction for adults should focus on learning a new “process” or acquiring a new skill. 

 

Most times, the instructor serves as the “resource” and “facilitator” within an adult learning environment, rather than the one person who imparts knowledge to the others who are involved.  Through role playing, self reflective writing, class discussions, case studies and other teaching strategies, an adult learner tends to learn more from going through the process of completing the assigned tasks, than they do from the instructors themselves.

 

Motivation of Adult Learners

 

The article points out the fact that there are stark differences in what motivates children to learn content material, and what drives the adult learner to learn new processes, which will help them to improve their knowledge and skills.  Most children are motivated by a need to please others, and thereby receive a reward.  Adults on the other hand, are motivated by other needs, such as:

 

Ÿ         “to make or maintain social relationships

Ÿ          to meet external expectations--the boss says you have to upgrade skill X to keep your job

Ÿ         learn to better serve others -- managers often learn basic First Aid to protect their employees

Ÿ          professional advancement

Ÿ          escape or stimulation

Ÿ         pure interest”

 

Teachers should be aware of the reasons why students are taking their classes and design their instruction according to those needs.  Students who are taking an enrichment class in pottery to escape the pressures of their daily lives should not be expected to complete large projects at home.  However, the college art student who is taking a pottery course as part of the coursework in earning an art degree would be expect to do large projects outside of class.

 

Adult Learning barriers

 

Adults have barriers in their lives that do not exist in the lives of children.  These Barriers include:

 

·        “many other responsibilities (families, careers, social commitments)

·        lack of time

·        lack of money

·        lack of child care

·        scheduling problems

·        transportation problems

·        insufficient confidence

·        having to learn, if told by boss, but not interested or ready”

 

An instructor should be aware of these barriers and be willing to accommodate the students as much as possible.  This may mean changing expectations, due dates, and/or class requirements.  Each situation should be handled on a case by case basis.

 

Learning Styles of Men verses Women

 

Not only are there differences in how adults and children learn, but there are also differences between how men and women approach learning.  In 1968, William Perry conducted a study of male learning styles.  Likewise, Belenky et al. conducted a similar study on women in 1986.  The results, shown in the table below illustrate the differences found between the learning styles of men and women.

 

Differences in Learning Styles

 

Men

Women

Male students see the world as black/white, right/wrong--they are convinced there IS one right answer

Silence: women students feel mindless and voiceless, subject to whims of external authority

Male students see there is diversity of opinion, but feel that authorities that describe diversity are poorly

Received knowledge: women students feel they can receive knowledge, but not create it

Male students begin to feel that diversity is temporary. They feel that maybe the "right" answer just hasn't been found yet

Subjective knowledge: truth and knowledge are private and subjectively known or intuited

Male students understand that diversity is a legitimate state, but they would still prefer to know what is "right"

Procedural knowledge: women students are invested in learning and applying objective procedures for obtaining and communicating knowledge

Male students see that everyone has a right to his or her own opinion

Constructed knowledge: women students view knowledge as contextual and can create knowledge found objectively or subjectively

Finally the male student develops a personal commitment to the relativistic world

 

 

Ÿ          Taken directly from “Learning Styles,” by Jessica Blackmore.

 

Based upon the results of these two studies, Men appear to believe that there is only one right answer to any given problem and they set out to find it,  whereas women receive knowledge from others and then “create knowledge,” in order to “construct” their own answer to any given problem.  Women passively take in information before “applying” it to proven procedures, which will help them to construct a viable solution to the given situation.  On the other hand, men do not construct a solution, but actively pursue knowledge of the “right” solution.

 

Learning Style Preferences

 

Learning theories were developed to explain how humans acquire, adapt and construct information in order to explain phenomenon and make sense of the world.  Although there are many different learning style theories, Blackmore chose to focus on only two, Kolbe’s theory of learning styles and Gardner’s multiple intelligences.

 

Kolbe’s theory of learning styles is a “continuum” taking the subject from the “concrete” experience of actually being a variable in the experiment and developing theories oneself to the “active experimentation” experience of applying theories that were developed by others to a given scenario.  The increments in Kolbe’s learning style theories are listed below:

 

1.  “concrete experience: being involved in a new experience

2.  Reflective observation: watching others or developing observations about own experience

3.  Abstract conceptualization: creating theories to explain observations

4.  Active experimentation: using theories to solve problems and make decisions “

 

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory divides learners into groups based upon the modalities through which they best learn.  A learner is often a member of more than just one group.  Gardner’s intelligence groups are as follows:

 

Ÿ         “plays with words (Vernal/Linguistic)

Ÿ         plays with questions (Logical/Mathematical)

Ÿ         plays with pictures (Visual/Spatial)

Ÿ         plays with music (Music/Rhythmic)

Ÿ         plays with moving (Body/Kinesthetic)

Ÿ         plays with socializing (Interpersonal)

Ÿ         plays alone (Intrapersonal) “

 

Implications to Adult learning

 

Based on the information presented above, instructors should not lecture adult learners, as is the best practice for teaching children content, but rather they should be the facilitator in an environment that is conducive to learn from oneself and others. 

 

Also, instructors should incorporate as many different types of learning experience into their courses as possible.  Give student the opportunity to receive the same information in many different formats.  This enables the learner to gain knowledge using the leaning style which best suits their individual needs.  For, as Blackmore states, “Perhaps the most important thing an instructor can do is be aware that there are diverse learning styles in the student population!”

 

 

My Reaction

 

It is very true that adults learn differently from children.  For adults are more apt to be self-directed and they can also see the long-term reward for learning that takes place today.  Where children are concerned there needs to be positive reinforcements and rewards every step of the way through the learning process.

 

I do not necessarily agree with the gender generalizations.  Although they may be true in some instances, they do not apply across the board.  Men often search for more the one solution to a problem.  That is the reasons why existing products are constantly undergoing changes and improvements.  The women do not always digest other people’s explanations in a passive manner before figuring out a solution to the problems the face.  Women who fought for basic human rights in this country, like Rosa Parks, did not sit by peacefully waiting for others to tell them how to solve the problem.  Instead the actively took steps to fix it.

 

With Adults, I too agree that instruction should be more direct toward learning a process to complete a task rather than learning concepts and context.  As an adult, it is time to take the concepts and contexts learned as a child, and apply it to a given scenario in order to experiment, reflect and arrive at a workable solution to a given problem.

 

I try to incorporate multiple intelligences into my teaching strategies through the use of modeling and Manipulatives in Math class, to visual and auditory stimuli in Reading/Language Arts.  Many of my students are visually impaired or physically impaired, so I give them many different option and adaptation to help them compensate for their disability.  In this case, as well as with general education students, teaching to multiple intelligences benefits adults and children alike.  It is important to remember the no one person learns exactly in exactly the same manner as anyone else.