Evaluating Learning Styles

• research: evaluating learning styles   * hypothesis: presentation of material should match learner’s style     * rejected - no evidence to prove this   * learners have style preferences, but outcomes are the same regardless of style
• why are learning styles so popular?   * people like to fit a type - identity   * people want to be seen as individuals     * not like everyone else, just like a set of people     * ‘i’d learn better if this was tailored to me’
• individual differences and assessment   * people have study preferences     * predict the choices students make when choices are given   * desirable differences   * need to distinguish preferences from aptitudes (academic ability to learn)   * we have differences in prior knowledge that can make using different methods more / less effective
• related research   * aptitude-by-treatment interactions     * hypothesis: high aptitude students do better in loosely structured activities than low aptitude students (not conclusive results)   * personality-by-treatment interactions     * hypothesis: students w an internal locus of control benefit more from less structured lessons than those w external loc       * not clear why / which aspects of the lesson
• alternatives to iq   * multiple intelligences - howard gardner     * studied savants     * instead of general intelligence, we have different strengths and weaknesses   * robert sternburg - triarchic theory     * analytical: academic, problem solving     * practical: everyday tasks     * creative: generating new ideas

\