Learning with Style
January 3, 2005

PowerPoint presentation in three formats:

Brain Dominance
The triune brain
:

Reptilian brain - responsible for survival [flight or fight], monitoring motor functions [breathing, balance and instincts], territoriality, hierarchies and rote behaviour. This part of the brain is the oldest in evolutionary terms and is programmed for survival. Under stress, the reptilian brain dominates. A student under stress or anxiety will not learn anything.

Limbic brain - the middle brain controlling emotions, maintenance functions, and is the site for long term memory. This part of the brain runs our emotions, immune system, sleeping, and governs our sexuality. It routes information to where it is processed in the neo-cortex. The limbic brain validates new knowledge. Emotions are more important to the brain than cognitive understanding. The limbic area holds all three parts of the brain in balance, and links long-term memory with emotion.

Neocortex - divided into two separate halves - the left and right hemispheres. The two hemispheres are joined by the corpus-callosum. The neo-cortex is the most recently evolved. It is the part of the brain used in problem solving, discerning relationships and patterns of meaning. It is said that humans never really cognitively learn or understand something - until they can create a personal metaphor or model.

Two ways of knowing:

Left Brain

Right Brain

intellect

intuition

convergent

divergent

digital

analogic

secondary

primary

abstract

concrete

directed

free

propositional

imaginative

analytic

relational

lineal

nonlineal

rational

intuitive

sequential

multiple

analytic

holistic

objective

subjective

successive

simultaneous

Another way of looking at it: 

Left Brain

Right Brain

reasoning

mystical

logical

musical

mathematical

creative

verbal

visual-pictorial

dominates right brain

submissive to the left brain

pattern user

pattern seeker

 Ned Herman has done some very sophisticated work analyzing brain function and learning, drawing and cognition. His model looks like this: 

Herman WholeBrain GIF

Learning and thinking process is enhanced when both side of the brain participate in a balanced manner. So, strengthen your less dominate hemisphere of the brain.

For further Information:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~charles57/Creative/Brain/herrmann.htm
(triune brain theory)

http://brain.web-us.com/brain/braindominance.htm
(Take a test - free)

http://www.teacher.co.nz/bookrevi.htm
(Analytic and holistic learning)

mhttp://www.bdainternationalconference.org/2001/presentations/thu_s7_d_7.htm
(application to dyslexic students)

http://www.salesbrain.net/articles/Russell%20Martin%20Food%20for%20the%20Brain%20White%20Paper.htm
(Integrates brain theory and learning styles)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0684847930/002-4846904-1231227?v=glance
(book review of Right-Brained Children in a Left-brained World Unlocking the potential of your ADD Child)


Theories of Intelligence

What Exactly is Intelligence?

Thorndike, Binet, Terman, and other pioneers in the early 20th Century devised intelligence tests based on verbal and mathematical aptitude.

L. L. Thurstone was one of these pioneers who believed there was a general factor of intelligence, but thought it wasn't important. In 1938 he postulated seven major primary abilities:

  1. Verbal Comprehension: vocabulary, reading, comprehension, verbal analogies, etc.
  2. Word fluency: the ability to quickly generate and manipulate a large number of words with specific characteristics, as in anagrams or rhyming tests
  3. Number: the ability to quickly and accurately carry out mathematical operations
  4. Space: spatial visualizations as well as ability to mentally transform spatial figures
  5. Associative Memory: rote memory
  6. Perceptual Speed: quickness in perceiving visual details, anomalies, similarities, etc.
  7. Reasoning: skill in a variety of inductive, deductive, and arithmetic reasoning tasks  

Comparative psychologists divide learners into field-dependent and field-independent learners. This concept has been applied to human learning theory.
As educators we try to get people to think abstractly as field independent people, although frequently when the enter our school or class they are likely to be field-dependent thinkers.


Jean Piaget's (1896-1980) Stages of Cognitive Development

Sensory-motor (Infancy)

Pre Operational (2-7 years) Egocentric, nonlogical, nonreversible thought that uses and develops symbols, language, memory, and imagination

Concrete Operational (7-11 years). Characterized by 7 types of conservation: number, length, liquid, mass, weight, area, volume. Intelligence is demonstrated through logical and systematic manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects. Operational thinking develops (mental actions that are reversible).

Formal Operational (Adolescence and adulthood). In this stage, intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts. Only 35% of high school graduates in industrialized countries attain formal operational thought; many people do not think formally during adulthood. 

For further Information:

http://www.dmu.ac.uk/~jamesa/learning/piaget.htm
(theory based introduction to Piaget's theories)

http://www.psy.pdx.edu/PsiCafe/KeyTheorists/Piaget.htm
(a biography based introduction to Piaget's theories)

http://otec.uoregon.edu/brain_science. htm
(combines Piaget and brain theory)

http://www.sar.bolton.ac.uk/ltl/PMG/psych_thinking_1.htm
(compares Piaget's to other theories e.g., Tversky, DeBono and Sternberg


Robert Sternberg's (1949 - 20xx) Theory of Triarchic Intelligence:

Sternberg's theory is based on Aristotle's premise that intelligence is composed

  1. theoretical intelligence
  2. practical intelligence and
  3. productive intelligence
Sternberg's  aspects of the mind include:
  1. analytical, (or componential)
  2. practical, (or contextual) and
  3. creative  (or experiential).

On the practical side, here are some of Sternberg's principles of  training:

  1. Training of intellectual performance must be socioculturally relevant to the individual
  2. A training program should provide links between the training and real-world behavior.
  3. A training program should provide explicit instruction in strategies for coping with novel tasks/situations
  4. A training program should provide expilicit instruction in both executive and non-executive information processing and interactions between the two.
  5. Training programs should actively encourage individuals to manifest their differences in strategies and styles.

For further Information:

http://www.uwsp.edu/education/lwilson/learning/sternb1.htm
(an elementary  description of  Sternberg's Triarchic  Theory)

http://tip.psychology.org/stern.html
(a brief overview and  application of  Sternberg's  Triarchic Theory to training)

http://www.wilderdom.com/personality/L2-2SternbergTriarchicTheory.html
(a brief but  rather comprehensive overview ot the Triarchic Theory of Intelligence)

http://academics.tjhsst.edu/psych/oldPsych/sternberg/
(history,  theory, and application to the triangle of  love: intimacy, romance and  decision/commitment)


Howard Gardner's (1943-20xx) Theory of Multiple Intelligences 

In Frames of the Mind, (1983) Howard Gardner describes his initial list of intelligences. He believes there are more that will be discovered and measured. His initial list included:

For further Information:

http://www.salesbrain.net/articles/Russell%20Martin%20Food%20for%20the%20Brain%20White%20Paper.htm
(Integrates learning styles and multiple intelligences)

J. P. Guilford's Structure of the Intellect

J.P. Guilford, the statistician, developed a Structure of Intellect (SI) theory, where intelligence is viewed as comprising operations, contents, and products. There are 5 kinds of operations (cognition, memory, divergent production, convergent production, evaluation), 6 kinds of products (units, classes, relations, systems, transformations, and implications), and 5 kinds of contents (visual, auditory, symbolic, semantic, behavioral). Since each of these dimensions is independent, there are theoretically 150 different components of intelligence.

Guilford's Model  

For further Information:

http://tip.psychology.org/guilford.html
(Describes Guilford's Structure of Intelligence Theory)

http://iq-test.learninginfo.org/iq02.htm
(measuring IQ and measuring Intelligence)

http://www.wilderdom.com/personality/L1-5KeyPlayers.html#10Guilford
(Compares Guilford's model with other theorists such as Thurstone, Cattell, Gardner, Sternberg, etc.)


Ceci's Bioecological Theory of Intelligence:

In A Biological Treatise on Intellectual Development Stephen Ceci argues that traditional conceptions of intelligence ignore the role of society in shaping intelligence and underestimate the intelligence of non-Western societies. He puts forth a "bio-ecological" framework of individual differences in intellectual development that is intended to address some of the major deficiencies of extant theories of intelligence. The focus is on alternative interpretations of phenomena that emerge when implicit assumptions of intelligence researchers are challenged. He brings the Nature vs. Nurture debate into the measurement of intelligence.

Here's an example of the measurement of spacial intelligence in a laboratory compared with the same measure using video games in which the child is an expert as a result of practice:

Spacial Intelligence graph

Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives

At the turn of the century, Benjamine Bloom published his Taxonomy of Educational Objectives in the cognitive, emotional and kinesthetic domains. The cognitive domain is especially well known, and includes from the lowest to the highest domain:

6. Evaluation
5. Synthesis
4. Analysis
3. Application
2. Comprehension
1. Knowledge

Categories in the Cognitive Domain: (with Outcome-Illustrating Verbs):

  1. Knowledge of terminology; specific facts; ways and means of dealing with specifics (conventions, trends and sequences, classifications and categories, criteria, methodology); universals and abstractions in a field (principles and generalizations, theories and structures):
    Knowledge is (here) defined as the remembering (recalling) of appropriate, previously learned information.
  2. Comprehension: Grasping (understanding) the meaning of informational materials.
  3. Application: The use of previously learned information in new and concrete situations to solve problems that have single or best answers.
  4. Analysis: The breaking down of informational materials into their component parts, examining (and trying to understand the organizational structure of) such information to develop divergent conclusions by identifying motives or causes, making inferences, and/or finding evidence to support generalizations.
  5. Synthesis: Creatively or divergently applying prior knowledge and skills to produce a new or original whole.
  6. Evaluation: Judging the value of material based on personal values/opinions, resulting in an end product, with a given purpose, without real right or wrong answers.


For further Information:

http://faculty.washington.edu/krumme/guides/bloom.html
(Introduction and links to many sites dealing with Bloom's Taxonomy)

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/bloom.html

(Examples of how Bloom's  taxonomy is used in  teaching)

http://www.luc.edu/schools/education/c487/sess4/bloom.htm
(How to write behavioral objectives.)


Learning Styles

There are many approaches to learning styles.  We'll discuss a few and then take a survey to determine our own learning style preferences using an instrument (The Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire) developed by Felder and Soloman. 

In the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming, studies on how individuals prefer to get new information into their heads have been conducted with ever more interest during the last century. There are literally hundreds of different theories of learning and categorizations of Learning styles, these categories could be broken down into several main categories:

Some theoriest add read-write to these three style preferences.

For further Information:

http://www.tech.purdue.edu/downloads/sot_mcnelly/learners.pdf
(A PowerPoint Presentation about Learning Styles)

http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm#is%20Multiple%20Intelligence
(Multiple Intelligence and Learning Styles)

http://www.chaminade.org/inspire/learnstl.htm
(Learning Styles Activities Chart)

http://www.support4learning.org.uk/education/lstyles.htm
(Learning Style Resources for teachers)

http://tip.psychology.org/theories.html
(Database of learning styles and theories)
 
http://www2.gsu.edu/~dschjb/wwwmbti.html

(Using the Myers Briggs to determine learning style and maximize learning)

http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp
(The VARK learning style web page: Visual-Auditory-Read/write-Kinesthetic)

http://www.metamath.com/lsweb/dvclearn.htm
(The DVC Learning Style Survey for college students)

Personality Style
Learning style is largely dependent on personalitry style. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most well known  and broadly used personality inventories. Many practitioners use it in diagnosing learning styles.

For further Information:

http://www2.gsu.edu/~dschjb/wwwmbti.html
(GSU's Master teaching program's methodology using the MBTI to determine learning style)

http://www.richland.cc.il.us/staff/sblahnik/misites.html
(A general site that covers the MBTI, learning styles, brain anatomy, and related topics)

http://www.gyrus.nu/Pedagogical_Resources/LearningStyles.html
(A Gyrus Online site that recommends the following personality style and learning style sites:

A Summary of Learning Styles: This article, "Reaching the Second Tier," provides an excellent summary of the most popular and practical learning styles that are appropriate for all disciplines and particularly for the sciences.

Learning Style Resources: An excellent annotated bibliography of online information, self-scoring quizzes, and teaching tips. There are links to a wide variety of excellent learning style models.

Keirsey Temperament Sorter: This is a popular personality test, not a learning styles inventory. But it can help students reflect on the way they interact with the world and what they value. The sorter distinguishes between four types: Artisan, Guardian, Rational or Idealist. After completing the inventory, one receives a short description of their type.

Learning Styles and Strategies: This follow-up to the article "Reaching the Second Tier" offers specific strategies for students. You may want to send the URL to your students.

Assessing Learning Styles with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: The 126 item Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), form G, is a highly reliable method for assessing student learning styles. The MBTI provides data on four sets of preferences. These preferences result in 16 learning styles, or types. A type is the combination of the four preferences. It is suggested that the MBTI instrument be administered in the first or second class period by the counseling center at your school. It takes about 45 minutes to complete the instrument. The counseling center should be able to score the MBTI and share the data with the students. Students enjoy learning about themselves and find the MBTI data informative. For a good Myers-Briggs self-test, see: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

Sensory Modality Learning Styles: This chart helps a learner identify his or her preferred sensory modality. Adapted from Colin Rose (1987).

Active Learning and Learning Modalities: Provides a test that tells the taker’s preferences: Visual, Aural, Read/write and Kinesthetic. Offers study strategies for each preference.

How Your Learning Style Affects Your Use Of Mnemonics: A student’s preferred sensory modality (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) may affects the type of mnemonics that will be most effective for them. This site has numerous tips on improving memory.

Learning Style Preferences: Very brief description of Kolb Learning Styles, including diagram and the Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

Characteristics of Quadrants in Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory: A one-page chart that serves as a quick reference to characteristics of each of the 4 Kolb Learning Styles.

Learning Styles and the 4MAT System: A short description of the 4Mat system which is based on Kolb Learning Styles. The styles have been renamed in more descriptive, less theoretical terms.

Felder's Index of Learning Styles: The Index of Learning Styles is an instrument used to assess preferences on four dimensions (active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global). The online version is automatically scored. Based on their learning preferences, students are given tips on how to improve their learning.

Theory Of Multiple Intelligences As Information Processing: Based on the Theory of Multiple Intelligences, this site describes seven styles of processing information, relates them to cultural influences, and outlines practical tips for improving each area of "intelligence" or information processing. © 1995 ­ 1999. Elaine Winters. Also see Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner, 1983.)