Learning and Individual

Differences
• The psychology of individual differences is concerned
with the systematic study of intelligence and abilities
associated with personality of learner, learning styles
and needs and interests of learner.
• Learning is most effective when differences in learner’s
language, cultural, and social behavior are taken into
account.
• Although basic principles of learning, motivation and
effective instructions may apply to all learners, it is
necessary to pay attention to
• language,
• intelligence,
• ethnic group, race,
• belief and
• socioeconomic status
of the students which can influence learning.
• When learners see that their individual
differences in abilities, background, and
cultures are valued and respected, then
the motivation for learning enhances.
• A teacher should be sensitive to
– individual differences keep in mind multiple
intelligences and different cultures,
– be sensitive to student’s cultural attitudes,
– respond to them in a sensitive way, and
– view students positively regardless of their
cultural backgrounds
 Activity One
languag
Think of the an incident that made you e,
realize that a student having problem
intellige
in class is due to his background nce,
Group Activity
ethnic
group,
race,

Belief
 Nature of Individual Differences
• Inter-personal differences
– differences among the people
• Intra-personal differences
– differences within an individual
• Inter-group differences
– differences among the groups
• Intra-group differences
– differences within a group
 Factors Effecting Individual
Differences
Individual differences in learning are the function of heredity
and environment.
• Heredity (What occurs naturally as a function of the
genes) involves intelligence, physical traits, mental
traits and abilities.
• Environment (What is learned and communicated in
different cultures or other social groups) includes:

– Family (Parenting style, sibling rivalry, Joint/Nuclear family),

– Socio-economic status (Family income, Parent’s education,
Parent’s occupation, Social status),
– Culture (Nationality, Ethnicity, Race),
– Previous knowledge, experience, and gender differences.
1. Demonstrate their knowledge of the following individual
differences in their teaching:
– Multiple Intelligence
– Learning styles
– Personality differences
2. Know the concept of individual differences
3. Know the concept of multiple intelligences.
4. Apply their knowledge of multiple intelligences to
involving students in projects which would be according
to students’ abilities.
5. Prepare students for different professions following the
multiple intelligence theory
6. Know the importance of learning styles in teaching
7. Assign work to their students according to their learning
styles
8. Know Jung’s and Myer and Briggs personality types
Multiple Intelligences
 Sternberg’s Theory of
Intelligence (2000)
According to him, intelligence comes into three
forms that are analytical, creative, and practical.
• Analytical ability: The ability to analyze,
evaluate, judge, compare, and contrast
• conventional schooling
• Creative ability: The ability to create, design,
invent, and originate
• not on the top in class
• Practical ability: the ability to use, apply,
manipulate, and implement
• social skills
 Gardeners Theory of Multiple
Intelligence
1. Verbal skills--------authors, journalists, speaker
2. Mathematical skills------scientists, engineers, accountants
3. Spatial ability---------three dimensional thinking, architects,
sailors
4. Bodily-kinesthetic skills----manipulate objects, surgeons,
dancers, athletes
5. Musical skills------sensitivity to pitch, melody, composers,
sensitive listeners
6. Intrapersonal-------understand oneself, psychologists,
theologians
7. Interpersonal-------interact with others
8. Naturalistic skills-----understand nature and human made
systems, farmers, ecologists, landscapers
• Intelligence is often defined as our intellectual potential; something we are
born with, something that can be measured and a capacity that is difficult to
change. In recent years, however, other views of intelligence have emerged.
One such conception is the theory of multiple intelligences proposed by
Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner.
• This theory suggests that traditional psychometric views of intelligence are
too limited. Gardner first outlined his theory in his 1983 book Frames of
Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, where he suggested that all
people have different kinds of "intelligences."1 Gardner proposed that there
are eight intelligences, and has suggested the possible addition of a ninth
known as “existentialist intelligence”2.
• In order to capture the full range of abilities and talents that people possess,
Gardner suggests that people do not have just one intellectual capacity, but
have many different intelligences including musical, interpersonal, spatial-
visual and linguistic intelligences3
• Gardner’s theory has come under criticism from both psychologists and
educators. These critics argue that Gardner’s definition of intelligence is too
broad, and that his eight different "intelligences" simply represent talents,
personality traits and abilities. Gardner’s theory also suffers from a lack of
supporting empirical research4.
• Despite this, the theory of multiple intelligences enjoys considerable
popularity with educators. Many teachers utilize multiple intelligences in
their teaching philosophy and work to integrate Gardner’s theory into the
classroom.
Visual-Spatial Intelligence
Strengths: Visual and Spatial Judgment
• People who are strong in visual-spatial intelligence are
good a visualizing things. These individuals are often
good with directions as well as maps, charts, videos and
pictures.
Characteristics of Visual-Spatial Intelligence
• Enjoys reading and writing
• Good at putting puzzles together
• Good at interpreting pictures, graphs and charts
• Enjoys drawing, painting and the visual arts
• Recognizes patterns easily
Potential Career Choices
• Architect
• Artist
• Engineer
 Linguistic-
Verbal Intelligence
Strengths: Words, Language and Writing
• People who are strong in linguistic-verbal intelligence are able to
use words well, both when writing and speaking. These individuals
are typically very good at writing stories, memorizing information
and reading.

Characteristics of Linguistic-Verbal Intelligence

• Good at remembering written and spoken information
• Enjoys reading and writing
• Good at debating or giving persuasive speeches
• Able to explain things well
• Often uses humor when telling stories

Potential Career Choices

• Writer / Journalist
• Lawyer
• Teacher
Logical - Mathematical
Intelligence
Strengths: Analyzing Problems and Mathematical Operations
• People who are strong in logical-mathematical intelligence are good
at reasoning, recognizing patterns and logically analyze problems.
These individuals tend to think conceptually about numbers,
relationships and patterns.

Characteristics of Logical-Mathematical Intelligence

• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Enjoys thinking about abstract ideas
• Likes conducting scientific experiments
• Good and solving complex computations

Potential Career Choices

• Scientist
• Mathematician
• Computer programmer
• Engineer
• Accountant
 Bodily-
Kinesthetic Intelligence
Strengths: Physical Movement, Motor Control
• Those who have high bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are
said to be good at body movement, performing actions
and physical control. People who are strong in this area
tend to have excellent hand-eye coordination and
dexterity.
Characteristics of Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
• Good at dancing and sports
• Enjoy creating things with their hands
• Excellent physical coordination
• Tends to remember by doing, rather than hearing or
seeing
Potential Career Choices
• Dancer
• Builder
• Sculptor
• Actor
Musical Intelligence
Strengths: Rhythm and Music
• People who have strong musical intelligence are good
and thinking in patterns, rhythms and sounds. They have
a strong appreciation for music and are often good at
musical composition and performance.
Characteristics of Musical Intelligence
• Enjoy singing and playing musical instruments
• Recognizes musical patterns and tones easily
• Good at remembering songs and melodies
• Rich understanding of musical structure, rhythm and
notes
Potential Career Choices
• Musician
• Composer
• Singer
• Music Teacher
• Conductor
Interpersonal Intelligence
Strengths: Understanding and Relating to Other People
• Those who have strong interpersonal intelligence are good
understanding and interacting with other people. These individuals
are skilled at assessing the emotions, motivations, desires and
intentions of those around them.

Characteristics of Interpersonal Intelligence

• Good at communicating verbally
• Skilled nonverbal communicators
• See situations from different perspectives
• Create positive relationships with others
• Good at resolving conflict in groups

Potential Career Choices

• Psychologist
• Philosopher
• Counselor
• Sales person
• Politician
Intrapersonal Intelligence
Strengths: Introspection and Self-Reflection
• Individuals who are strong in intrapersonal intelligence are
good at being aware of their own emotional states, feelings
and motivations. They tend to enjoy self-reflection and
analysis, including day-dreaming, exploring relationships
with others and assessing their personal strengths.
Characteristics of Intrapersonal Intelligence
• Good at analyzing their strengths and weaknesses
• Enjoys analyzing theories and ideas
• Excellent self-awareness
• Clearly understands the basis for their own motivations and
feelings
Potential Career Choices
• Philosopher
• Writer
• Theorist
• Scientist
Naturalistic Intelligence
Strengths: Finding Patters and Relationships to Nature
• Naturalistic is the most recent addition to Gardner’s theory 5 and
has been met with more resistance than his original seven
intelligences. According to Gardner, individuals who are high in this
type of intelligence are more in tune with nature and are often
interesting in nurturing, exploring the environment and learning
about other species. These individuals are said to be highly aware
of even subtle changes to their environments.
Characteristics of Naturalistic Intelligence
• Interested in subjects such as botany, biology and zoology
• Good at categorizing and cataloguing information easily
• May enjoy camping, gardening, hiking and exploring the outdoors
• Doesn’t enjoy learning unfamiliar topics that have no connection to
nature
Potential Career Choices
– Biologist
– Conservationist
– Gardener
– Farmer
 Activity

Group activity
Handouts related to assessment
of self on MI
 Learning styles

are various approaches or ways of

learning
• The concept of learning style is important
in education because it incorporates all
those human attributes which help to
determine and characterize a person’s
preferred approaches to learning.
• Style is the manner of doing some thing.
• Cognitive styles involve those
characteristic patterns of perceiving and
thinking which an individual exhibits in
problem solving.
• These patterns are sometimes referred to
as learning or thinking styles.
 Activity
• http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ils
web.html
• http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/
felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
 Active learner

1-3, you are fairly well balanced on the two dimensions of that scale.
5-7, you have a moderate preference for one dimension of the scale and will learn more easily in a
teaching environment which favors that dimension.
9-11, you have a very strong preference for one dimension of the scale. You may have real
difficulty learning in an environment which does not support that preference.
 Witkin (1977)
Field Dependent
• tend to perceive a pattern as a
whole, not separating one
element from the total visual
field.
• They have difficulty focusing
on one aspect of situation,
picking out important detail,
analyzing a pattern into
different parts, or monitoring
their use of strategies to solve
problems.
• They tend to work well in
groups, have a good memory
for social information, and
prefer subjects such as
literature and history.
Field Independent
• are more likely to monitor their
• information processing.
• They perceive a separate part
of a total pattern and able to
analyze a pattern according to
its components.
•
They are not as attuned to
social relationship
• They do well in mathematics
and science, where their
analytical abilities pay off.
• Have self-sufficiency, are
assertive, and encourage
impendence of thoughts.
 Kagan (1994)
Impulsive Reflective
• Students work very • Work slowly but make
quickly but make many fewer errors.
mistakes • Pause and reflect on
• Decision making is • The nature of a question
based on hunches and the accuracy of the
• Trial and error method answer.
gets them through • They have an analytical
• Success rate is 50% style of problem solving
and make few error
Students can learn to be more reflective if they are taught specific strategies,
such as self-instruction and scanning strategies.
 Surface Styles Deep Processing
• approach focus on • see learning material or
memorizing the learning activities as a means for
material without understanding some
understanding them. underlying concept or
• These students tend to meanings.
be motivated by rewards • These students tend to
and grades, external learn for the sake of
standards and the desire learning and less
to be evaluated positively concerned about how
by others. their performance is
• Individuals have evaluated
tendencies to approach • motivation plays a role
learning situations in
characteristic ways.
 Activity
Group Activity
Reflect upon the different learning styles in
class
Identify the groups using different leaning
styles
Concrete Experience - CE (feeling) ---V---Abstract Conceptualization - AC (thinking)
Active Experimentation - AE (doing)-----V----- Reflective Observation - RO (watching)
 Personality

To be discussed in next session