Learning Style Inventory
My results: learning style inventory
When I learned that my predominant learning styles were those of a visual learner and a social learner, I was not surprised. The theory of multiple learning styles of Howard Gardner resonates what I have known intuitively for a long time: different people are innately talented at different things. "Unlike the established understanding of intelligence -- people are born with a uniform cognitive capacity that can be easily measured by short-answer tests," the theory of multiple intelligence suggests that there are different intelligence profiles of which "each person has a unique combination…no two individuals have them in the same exact configuration -- similar to our fingerprints" (Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, 2013, PBS). Of course, it is certainly possible to learn how to do things without an innate talent. For example, even though my strongest talent does not lie in the sphere of logical analysis, I can learn how to do math problems with hard work. But some of my friends can 'ace' a math test without studying, simply by using their innate problem-solving abilities. Rather than focusing on generalized intelligence, learning style theory suggests that everyone learns differently and has a constellation of different strengths and weaknesses. The theory remains extremely controversial in the academy and many clinical and research psychologists dispute Gardner's theory. However, anecdotally, "it has met with a strongly positive response from many educators. It has been embraced by a range of educational theorists and, significantly, applied...
Visual learners remember images better than words and use 'mind maps' to remember things and understand problems. In contrast, the aural learning style is gifted at music. To learn in a more conventional, non-musical classroom setting, remembering things by creating a song or rhythm is helpful; so is creating acronyms or mnemonic devices. The verbal learning style is less sound-oriented than word-oriented and also exhibits a strong preference for word-oriented learning techniques such as mnemonics and rhymes.
But the verbal learning style is more likely to flourish in a conventional classroom setting than the aural style, given that the learner exhibiting this style tends to favor word-based games rather than music. "The verbal style involves both the written and spoken word. If you use this style, you find it easy to express yourself, both in writing and verbally. You love reading and writing" and using a variety of different kinds of words (Overview of learning styles, 2013, Learning Styles Online). Kinesthetic learners, in contrast, like a 'hands-on' method of learning things. They like to feel something to be able to do it, rather than learn about it in a theoretical manner beforehand with diagrams or words. If you are a kinesthetic learner, "touch, action, movement and hands-on work in your learning activities" are important (Overview of learning styles, 2013, Learning Styles Online). They tend to excel in crafts…
