Self-assessment, reflection, and strategy of learning styles Andragogy and learning styles have been studied to improve the learning and teaching techniques
Self-assessment, reflection, and strategy of learning styles
Marc Mougeotte
University of Phoenix
Managerial Communication / COM 515
Doctor Olga Benítez Garay
August 14, 2007
Self-assessment, reflection, and strategy of learning styles
Andragogy and learning styles have been studied to improve the learning and teaching techniques. "Andragogy is the art and science of helping adults learn" (Knowles, 1970, ¶ 1). This paper used Felder-Silverman model (2002) to determine the author's preferences and create strategies to improve performance through approaches to learning. The test results are consistent with engineering faculty studies (Felder & Spurlin, 2005), the author background. It will be shown how the student can manage the preferences to create a benefit to the learning style. The availability of learning style researches is a valuable tool; it limits, when provided at an early stage of the student life, the lose of professional, drop out of the field of study, change of carrier, and instructor frustration during the intellectual development (Felder, 2002).
Felder and Silverman (2002) developed the Index of Learning Styles (ILS, version 2); a self-scoring questionnaire for assessing preferences on four dimensions. The Felder-Silverman model use the ILS to show the student preferential learning style. Also, it provides a valuable tool for instructor to present the class material in a way that fits the audience's learning style. "A Learning Styles and Strategies guide" (Felder & Soloman, 2002, para. 1, 5, 9, 12), provides the definitions of the four dimensions of the ILS, and strategies to understand and improve the student learning style. The author took the ILS on August 8, 2007. The scores are assessed using studies from engineering faculties.
The ILS results are consistent with the author's perception of his learning style. In addition, they are consistent with the conclusion (Felder, 2002), that graduated professionals, shift from active to reflective, sensing to intuitive and sequential to global. The visual score is the only dimension that is unchanged, in this case, because the author has 15 years of involvement with project development and implementation, and contract negotiation.
The actual fast-paced environment develops a reflex to act accordingly. Nevertheless, a thorough analysis is needed to accomplish the vision of doing the job right the first time; the acknowledgment ...
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The ILS results are consistent with the author's perception of his learning style. In addition, they are consistent with the conclusion (Felder, 2002), that graduated professionals, shift from active to reflective, sensing to intuitive and sequential to global. The visual score is the only dimension that is unchanged, in this case, because the author has 15 years of involvement with project development and implementation, and contract negotiation.
The actual fast-paced environment develops a reflex to act accordingly. Nevertheless, a thorough analysis is needed to accomplish the vision of doing the job right the first time; the acknowledgment of this vision has balanced the active-reflective dimension - scored one toward reflective. Performing continuously at the same working area would strongly shift the preference toward the active dimension. Combined with the next dimension preference, such activity equals boredom.
The habit of doing projects without any initial knowledge on the matter, has favored the intuitive dimension - scored three - over sensing. This dimension correlates to the creativity of the author. By accomplishing long term projects the sensing dimension would be activated, then creating equilibrium of the dimensions.
The author scored seven toward the visual dimension. The author's only source of verbal learning is with consultants and suppliers, since on the job instructions are mostly provided by email or brief verbal communication. This dimension is omnipresent. The author has noted that even during verbal communication, his mind reproduces visualization of the subject, which can be retrieved later on. The high score in this dimension confirms the fact that an extensive body of research has established that most people learn most effectively with one of the three modalities: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic and tactile. Then, tending to miss or ignore information presented in either of the other two (Felder & Silverman, 1988).
The processing of information in block and out of sequence is the author modus operandi. This approach to learning allows the acquisition of larger amounts of information in a short period of time. The need to transfer the acquired knowledge has created a balance in the sequential-global dimension - scored one toward global; this balance provides a technical advantage in the long run.
The author's needs for an active, visual and sequential teaching methodology, resulted in a tendency to skip class to create the correct intellectual development; including research through reading, graph and diagram analysis, then discussing the findings with other students (Felder & Silverman, 1988). This approach can be replicated, not by skipping work, but by creating or looking for specific situations; situations that will force the use of a given dimension and using the sense opposite to the strong one. The use of such methodology will create overall balanced dimensions and increase the critical thinking of the individual.
Working experience makes professional engineers move toward the right hand side of the graph (Felder & Silverman, 1988). This shift may be due to lack of continuous intellectual development, effective knowledge transfer, or inadequate training techniques. The individual will create a balance by looking for continuous in job training, creating effective processes to transfer knowledge, assisting at convention or attending a new degree to increase the learning approach and achieve continuous professional growth.
The ILS results of the author (Felder, 2002), combined with the findings of the studies (Felder & Spurlin, 2005), from various engineering departments, show that engineering students tend to shift their learning styles toward the right hand side of the graph at the professional level. Nevertheless, the experience, environment, and goals of each individual will format the ever-adapting learning style, even when a given preference is strongly shifting toward a dimension. The environment is crucial to the learning process. It will create the opportunities for the professionals to climb to a new knowledge level. Through the identification and mastering of the learning styles, the individual will continuously grow with the surrounding knowledge.
References
Felder R., (2002). Home page. Felder: Home Page. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from
http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/RMF.html
Felder R., (2002). Learning styles. Felder: Learning Styles. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles.html
Felder R.M. & Silverman L. K., (2002). Index of learning Styles. Felder & Silverman: Learning Styles Scales. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
Felder R. and Silverman L., (1988). Learning and teaching styles in engineering education. Felder & Silverman: Learning and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/LS-1988.pdf
Felder R. M. & Soloman B., (2002). Learning styles and strategies. Felder & Soloman: Learning Styles and Strategies. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm
Felder R. and Spurlin J., (2005). Applications, reliability, and validity of the index of learning styles. Felder & Spurlin: Applications, Reliability, and Validity of the Index of Learning Styles. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/ILSValidation(IJEE).pdf
Knowles M., (1970). Andragogy in action: Applying modern principles of adult education. Knowles: Andragogy in action: Applying Modern Principles of Adult Education. Retrieved August 8, 2007, from http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/library/literacy/glossary/cjJ227/vao1613.htm
Self-assessment 7
Self-assessment 7
