Learning styles

Learning Styles Justin Haase American Public University 3/24/13 Introduction Different students have different learning styles. In this essay, I will be examining various learning styles as presented by Learning Style Inventory (Penn State, 2010). and Index of Learning Styles (Felder & Soloman, n. d.). I will discuss the aspects of the various leaning styles different students have, and the study methods most beneficial to the students. I have taken the inventories, and received the results. I will discuss my thoughts on these inventories and how I feel they relate to my own learning style. Learning styles According to the Learning Style Inventory, there are three learning styles. The first learning style is AUDITORY. Students who are auditory learners do best by attending lectures and taking notes. It may also be helpful for the students to tape lectures for additional review. (Penn State, 2010). The second type of learning style is VISUAL. Students who are visual learners benefit from strategies such as the use of flash cards, studying the materials presented, and writing down pertinent information to study as well. (Penn State, 2010) The final style presented is TACTILE. Students who are tactile leaners benefit from study strategies such as writing down important information many times and making study sheets to review. (Penn State, 2010) The Index of Learning Styles also presents three types of learners. The firs type of learner is Visual. These learners tend to picture imagoes in their minds when reading, writing, speaking and studying. (Felder & Soloman, n. d.). The second type of learner is Auditory. These learners retain information best by listening to information. They then tend to repeat what was said to them in their mind during studying and test taking. It is beneficial for this type of learner to tape lectures so they can refer to them later and take study notes (Felder & Soloman, n. d.). The third type of learner is Kinesthetic. These learners tend to like physical activity such as sports. They tend to be very active individuals. This type of learner retains information best through “ hands on” learning techniques. These students can benefit from learning study skills used by Visual learners, as this is the method taught by instructors in most educational situations today. (Felder & Soloman, n. d.). Inventory Results According to both inventories I am a Visual Learner. I agree with these results. I learn best by reading and writing things down. I tend to highlight written material to study from and often take notes for review. I find these study methods to be the most beneficial for me in retaining the information presented. Conclusion The Learning Style Inventory and the Index of Learning Styles presented the idea that there are several types of learners. These include Visual, Auditory, Tactile and and that the different types of learners do best by employing study methods suited to their own learning style. I agree with the material presented by these inventories, and do employ the stated study strategies suggested by my inventory results. References Felder, R. M., & Soloman, B. A. (n. d.). Index of learning styles. Retrieved from http://www. engr. ncsu. edu/learningstyles/ilsweb. html Penn State. (2010). Learning style inventory. Retrieved from http://www. personal. psu. edu/bxb11/LSI/LSI. htm