Personal Learning Style
When reading about personality types, intelligence types, and learning styles, I
learned quite a few things. My cousin, a senior in high school, was learning about this at
the same time, and made me do a bunch of different personality and learning style
quizzes and assessments. I didn’t know there were eight different types of intelligences. It
seems weird that this is known and yet there is kind of a generalized way of teaching in
most public schools. Sure they try to do a little of everything, with P.E., art, music, etc
but it is mainly based on lectures. It seems a little unaccommodating that out of
Visual/Spatial, Verbal/Linguistic, Musical/Rhythm, Logic/Math, Body/Kinesthetic,
Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalistic, they really only focus on a few, and even
less as kids grow older.
My highest tally of intelligence type using the Multiple Intelligence survey is
Verbal/Linguistic, which is word smart, and establishes study groups to talk about
information, creates stories or skits, reads as much as possible, outline and summary of
each chapter. My second highest is Naturalistic, which is environment smart, and studies
outside, relates information to environment, chooses nature-related topics, collects own
study data and organize/label information. After those two, I found it interesting that
three tied at eleven. Those three were Visual/Spatial, Musical/Rhythm, and Intrapersonal.
Visual/Spatial is picture smart, and uses visuals such as timelines, charts, etc. Uses color
association, mapping or webbing main points, also creates mental or visual picture when
working. Musical/Rhythm is music smart, and listens to music while studying, writes
songs about chapters, puts information studies to music from favorite song. Intrapersonal
is self-smart, and studies quietly by themselves, allows time for reflection/meditation,
studies in short time blocks, works at own pace.
If you would have asked me which types would have been most like me I would have
said these three.
There are three learning styles: Visual, Auditory, and Tactile. When I took the
LEAD questionnaire, my highest was actually a tie at ten between Visual and Auditory.
Visual is eye smart, and thinks in pictures. They enjoy demonstrations and reading than
listening to lectures, avid note-taker, needs visual references i.e. charts, graphs, etc.
Auditory is ear smart, and prefers verbal instructions, rather listen than read, tapes
lectures, recites information out loud, enjoys talking. This seems right to me. I would
never describe myself as a Tactile learner, especially if I had a choice of either of the
other two. Tactile is action smart, and prefers hands-on learning, takes notes, learns best
by doing, touching, manipulating, best while moving/in action.
I think gathering all this information is useful to students because it can help them
to make better learning accommodations for themselves. Not everyone can learn from
note-cards, or sitting at a desk and reading. It’s good to learn which types of learning
styles and patterns reflect you and will benefit you in the future.