Running head: LEARNING STYLES 1

Learning Styles: Implications for Teaching and Learning

Jennifer Dulek

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions

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Learning Styles: Implications for Teaching and Learning

People learn in a variety of ways (Gappi, 2013), and this variety is reflected in the

number of learning style assessments and inventories available today. Each assessment is aimed

at identifying how the person completing it prefers to learn, and upon completion, assessments

often formally or informally suggest that the user identify specific strategies or techniques that

support learning in the user’s particular style (Fritz, 2002). This information can be useful in a

classroom setting, as it empowers the student to engage actively and adapt his or her approach to

enhance learning (Fritz, 2002), and may inform the instructor’s selection and adaption of

teaching methods and techniques (Gappi, 2013; Fritz, 2002).

As both a student and instructor, it is important that I recognize my own learning style so

that I can both enhance my own learning and maintain awareness of how my own learning

preferences may impact the choices I make in my teaching. In addition, it is important that I

recognize and understand the variety of learning styles that my students may utilize so that I can

be attentive to their learning needs as individuals and as a collective whole as I pursue a learner-

centered approach (Kolb & Kolb, 2005). This can have a significant impact on student outcomes

and engagement (Fritz, 2002), and is especially important when teaching with technology and

when working with students in younger generations (Dede, 2005). To better understand my own

learning style and preferences, and to begin my exploration of the learning styles that my

students may possess, I completed the Hayes Inventory of Learning Styles and determined that I

am a visual learner. Visual learners learn by reading or seeing pictures (Mayer & Massa, 2003).

Consistent with Mayer and Massa’s (2003) description of visual learners, I can often remember

things by picturing them in my head, and I tend to draw or create my own images to express

knowledge. I learn best if I have something to look at or read, which often requires that I watch
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videos or follow handouts as I engage with lectures and multimedia presentations. I learn best

by taking notes and referring to maps or drawings.

Students who prefer to learn visually may benefit from a demonstration teaching style

(Gill, 2014). The demonstrator or personal model style involves role modeling and coaching in

order to help students develop and apply knowledge (Gill, 2014). The teacher may use

presentations or demonstrations to cover information. Through these modalities, a visual learner

can see the information and its application. Teachers who create educational opportunities for

students who are visual learners may consider designing teaching materials using colors and

diagrams whenever possible. They should be sure to provide handouts or write things on the

board so that visual learners have something to look at, write on, and otherwise refer to during

learning activities. In addition, instructors of visual learners should encourage their students to

take notes. While this may seem like a simple suggestion, classrooms that include an abundance

of lectures and other auditory input and/or kinesthetic and interactive learning activities may

cause visual learners to neglect to create the visual cues they need to process and recall

information. Cues and reminders to write down important information may encourage visual

learners to provide themselves with the input they need to support their own learning.

While it is useful for instructors to understand the needs of a specific learning style such

as the teaching strategies associated with visual learners described above, it is also critical that

instructors recognize the need to make adjustments to their teaching to accommodate a number

of different learning styles (Fritz, 2002). Not only do students typically demonstrate preference

for more than one learning style depending on factors such as topic, environment, and activity

type (Kolb & Kolb, 2005), but classrooms will generally include students of varying styles and

preferences, requiring an instructor to vary teaching approaches accordingly. Instructors can do

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this by utilizing a number of different modalities during instruction and assessment. This may

include providing lessons that include verbal, visual, and hands-on components whenever

possible. Instructors should provide learning experiences that students can personalize and use

assessment techniques that involve a variety of learning styles rather than focusing solely on tests

and papers (Dede, 2005).

In addition to these approaches, it is useful for instructors to engage students in

assessment of their own learning styles and preferences. Frtiz (2002) contends that instructors

should utilize learning style inventories to empower students to identify and actively engage their

own strategies to take responsibility for their own learning. Due to the dynamic and ever-

changing nature of instruction and practice, especially in healthcare settings, students benefit

from learning how to vary their own approaches to learning situations so that they can become

self-directed, active learners (Fritz, 2002). Fritz (2002) describes several ways in which students

can take the knowledge they have gained regarding their learning style and apply it to various

academic situations, such as choosing to study alone or with a group and deciding whether to

focus on one project versus multi-task on several at once. These decisions may be informed by

individual learning style as students identify what works for them as individual learners.

Information regarding individuals’ learning styles and preferences, as well as what this

means for student and instructor, can be beneficial to both teaching and learning. It can

empower instructors to attend to individual learning styles while also ensuring a balance in

instructional and assessment methods to meet the needs of the class as a whole. It may also

empower students to make informed decisions and choices about their own study habits and

learning activities, creating active and engaged students who become responsible, lifelong

learners.
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References

Dede, C. (2005). Planning for neomillennial learning styles. Educause Quarterly, 1, 7-12.

Fritz, M. (2002). Using learning styles inventories to promote active learning. Journal of

College Reading and Learning, 32(2), 183-188.

Gappi, L.L. (2013). Relationships between learning style preferences and academic

performance of students. International Journal of Educational Research and

Technology, 4(2), 70-76.

Gill, E. (2014). Effective teaching styles for 21st-century classrooms. In Concordia online

education: Teaching strategies. Retrieved from http://education.cu-

portland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/5-types-of-classroom-teaching-styles/

Kolb, A.Y., & Kolb, D.A. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential

learning in higher education. Management Learning & Education, 4(2), 193-212.

Mayer, R.E., & Massa, L.J. (2003). Three facets of visual and verbal learners: Cognitive ability,

cognitive style, and learning preference. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95(4), 833-

846.