LEARNING PREFERENCES: DESCRIPTIONS
SENSOR
Sensors involve themselves fully and without bias in new experiences. They enjoy the here and
now and are happy to be dominated by immediate experiences. They are open minded, not
skeptical, and this tends to make them enthusiastic about anything new. Their philosophy is: "I’ll
try anything once." They tend to act first and consider the consequences later. Their days are
filled with activity. They tackle problems by brainstorming. As soon as the excitement of the
activity dies down, they are busy looking for the next. They tend to thrive on the challenge of
new experiences but are bored with implementation and longer term consolidation. They are
gregarious people, constantly involving themselves with others, but in doing so, they seek to
center activities around themselves.
REFLECTOR
Reflectors tend to stand back to ponder experiences and observe them from many different
perspectives. They collect data, both first hand and from others, and prefer to think about it
thoroughly before coming to any conclusions. The thorough collection of data about experiences
and events are what count, so they tend to postpone reaching definitive conclusions as long as
possible. Their philosophy is to be cautious. They are thoughtful people who like to consider all
possible angles and implications before making a move. They prefer to take a back seat in
meetings and discussions. They enjoy observing other people in action. When they act, it is part
of a larger picture which includes the past as well as the present and includes others' observations
as well as their own.
THINKER
Thinkers adapt and integrate observations into complex but logically sound theories. They think
problems through in a vertical, step-by-step, logical way. They assimilate disparate facts into
coherent theories. They tend to be perfectionists who will not rest easily until things are tidy and
fit into a rational scheme. They like to analyze and synthesize. Their philosophy values
rationality and logic. They frequently ask: "Does it make sense?" "What are the basic
assumptions?" They tend to be detached, analytical and dedicated to objectivity rather than
anything subjective or ambiguous. Their approach to problems is consistently logical. They
rigidly reject anything that does not fit with it. They prefer maximum certainty and feel
uncomfortable with subjective judgments, lateral thinking, and anything said in a joking manner.
ACTOR
Actors are interested in trying out ideas, theories, and techniques to see if they work in practice.
They positively search out new ideas and take the first opportunity to experiment with
applications. They are the people who return from management courses, brimming with new
ideas they want to try out in practice. They like to get on with things and act quickly and
confidently on ideas that attract them. They tend to be impatient with open-ended conversations.
They are essentially practical, down-to-earth people who like to making practical decisions and
solving problems. They respond to challenges as opportunities. Their philosophy is: “There is
always a better way, and if it works, it's good."
NEW Partnership for Children and Families • University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Learning Preference Inventory
Adapted from Adapted from Learning Styles Questionnaire, Peter Honey and Alan Mumford
May be reproduced with permission from original source for training purposes.
Page 1 of 3
LEARNING PREFERENCES: SELF-DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
SENSOR:
Do something you have never done before, at least once a week. Read an unfamiliar newspaper
with views that are different from yours. Change the layout of the furniture in your office. Visit a
part of your organization you have neglected.
Practice "small talk" with strangers. Select people at random from your organization's phone
book and talk to them. At large gatherings, force yourself to initiate and sustain conversations
with everyone present.
Deliberately fragment your day by taking a break and changing activities every half hour. Make
the switch as diverse as possible. If you have been sitting down, stand up; if talking, be quiet and
so on.
Force yourself into the limelight. Volunteer to chair a meeting, represent your group, etc.
Practice thinking out loud on your feet. Identify a problem, and bounce ideas off a colleague.
Give impromptu speeches that last for five minutes.
REFLECTOR:
Practice observing, especially at meetings where the agenda items don't involve you directly.
Study people's behavior. Keep records about who talks, who interrupts, who listens. Notice when
people lean forward and lean back. Notice the details of their non-verbal speech.
Keep a diary and write down details of your day at the evening of each day. Reflect on the day's
events and try to draw any conclusions from them. Write your conclusions down in detail.
Practice reviewing after a meeting. Go back over the sequence of events and note what went well
and what didn't. List lessons learned from this activity.
Give yourself something to research that requires painstaking gathering of details from different
sources. Go to the library and spend time in the reference section. Practice producing highly
polished pieces of writing. Draft watertight policy statements or procedures.
When you have written something, put it aside for a week and force yourself to do a substantial
rewrite. Draw up lists for and against a particular course of action. Slow people down who want
to rush into action.
NEW Partnership for Children and Families • University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Learning Preference Inventory
Adapted from Adapted from Learning Styles Questionnaire, Peter Honey and Alan Mumford
May be reproduced with permission from original source for training purposes.
Page 2 of 3
THINKER:
Read something "heavy" for at least thirty minutes a day. Try philosophy; logic, or the theory of
relativity. Try a textbook on management if these seem too tall an order. Try to summarize what
you read in your own words.
Practice spotting inconsistencies or weaknesses in other people's arguments. Analyze
organizational charts to discover overlaps and conflicts. Take two op-ed pieces of different views
and do a comparative analysis.
Do a detailed analysis of how you spend your time each day for a week. Examine work flow in
and out of your department, or all the people you have had contact with and with what frequency
in the course of your work.
Collect other peoples' theories, hypotheses, and explanations of events. Try to understand the
underlying assumptions of each theory and see if you can group similar theories together.
Practice asking probing questions -refuse to be put off by vague answers.
ACTOR:
Collect techniques - practical ways of doing things. In meetings of any kind, concentrate on
producing action plans. Make it a rule never to leave a meeting without a list of actions you and
others will take between meetings. The actions should be specific and include deadlines and who
is responsible for assuring the action is taken.
Make opportunities to experiment with new techniques. Try them out in practice. Experiment in
routine settings with people whose aid you can enlist -don't take too big of a risk with this. Study
the techniques of others and model yourself after them.
Subject yourself to scrutiny from "expert" people you trust who know your technique. Let them
coach you through the use of the technique. Ask repeatedly for feedback on the use of the
technique.
Tackle a "do-it-yourself" project. Renovate a piece of furniture, build a garden shed, or an
extension on your house. At work, calculate your own statistics, be your own organizational
development consultant, visit with others in search of a practical solution to a work problem.
Learn to type or learn a foreign language.
NEW Partnership for Children and Families • University of Wisconsin - Green Bay
Learning Preference Inventory
Adapted from Adapted from Learning Styles Questionnaire, Peter Honey and Alan Mumford
May be reproduced with permission from original source for training purposes.
Page 3 of 3