Learning style can be a negative or positive influence on learning if each pupil’s learning style is not taken into consideration. Many theorists as well as Howard Gardner believe that each individual has their own or multiple intelligences. With different characteristics and interests, each individual will need a different way to be taught information that interests them in a way so they can learn the information in an effective way. If only one learning style is practiced in a class, not every pupil will understand the information being taught. To ensure every pupil has a chance of learning, different learning style must be practiced. A visual learner will not understand fully what they are told. A video or demonstration will help the visual learner further understand.
Emotion and motivation intertwine with each other to having an influence on learning. If a pupil feels sad, they may not be focused on what is being taught. The pupil’s emotion can then cause low self esteem or confidence which will prevent them from asking questions, giving feedback, or self reflection. Not giving feedback or asking questions will affect heir learning in negative way. Lack of feedback also will prevent the pupil from receiving support from a tutor because the tutor is unaware of their emotions to be able to offer support.
Motivation can be an influence on learning derived from self confidence and or emotions. Motivation is up help by positive emotions and thinking by the pupil to want to learn. Learning is not possible without motivation. Loosing motivation can affect the pupil by loss of focus, poor time management with handing in assignments or sleep that will affect the learning negatively, or prevent further opportunities for learning. Each variable has a high influence of learning. Without time management skills to ensure the pupil is at their best and ready to learn, support from tutors to ensure their motivation and emotions are positive, and resources available, learning styles are considered, opportunities for learning are available, effective learning would not be capable of achieving.
Comparison
Kolb learning cycle was created in 1984. This learning style was created to reflect to learn for new situations. Gardner’s multiple intelligence theories was created in 1983 to be able to teach every person by using their own learning style. Kolb’s learning cycle showed that by having experience, you can learn something from that experience by reflecting and evaluating the experience. Gardner’s multiple intelligence theories were that people have different intelligences from one another and to teach a person with their own intelligence will help them learn.
Kolb’s learning cycle shows that every person learns the same way but by having a practical experience that needs to be evaluated. Gardner’s accepts that there are many different types of learning styles because there are different types of intelligence that doesn’t relate to everyone. Kolb’s learning style consists of having an experience, reflect on the experience, and conclude learning from the experience, then planning or trying out what you have learned. This cycle is formally known as a concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation.
Gardner’s theory consists of finding out what intelligence you have, and to be taught in the way that interests you. The different learning styles are visual (good with art and design), linguistic (good with words), logical (good with numbers and maths), bodily (Good at action, movement and sports), musical (good with music, tone and rhythm), interpersonal (good at communicating with others), intrapersonal (good at self-reflection), and naturalistic (good at appreciating the world and nature). Gardner’s theories are using for teaching anything while Kolb’s learning cycle is useful for learning through reflection only.
Analysis
Kolb’s learning cycle is helpful to find out if a person enjoyed an experience they had and only answers the question of would I have this experience again? What would I do differently? Why was it a good or bad experience? Kolb’s learning cycle links theory to practice by using reflection. Concrete experience allows a person to partake in a practicle situation. Reflective observation helps the person answer questions they would not normally do. This will help the person in the next step, abstract conceptualization by realizing they do not want to keep participating in that experience or what they would change next time. Active experimentation is trying out the new idea the person came up with and the cycle starts again. This cycle allows for experiences to reach the full potential by the person removing every error to withstand their requests or requirements which makes this learning style become personal.
The Gardner’s multiple intelligence theories starts out personal by a person choosing what intelligence they have. This can easily be done by picking the interest of that person. Gardner’s theories show ways of how that person is effectively taught. This learning style is showing that to learn, the learning style has to be interesting to the student for its full effectiveness of being taught. This learning style can relate to different people and does not classify every person of being taught in practical ways like Kolb’s learning cycle.
This learning style can teach a person anything because it’s just changing the way the person is taught the knowledge. Kolb’s learning style changes the style and the knowledge being taught only falls under one category. Gardner’s theories put together the person of certain intelligence’s strengths, characteristics, and career potentials. These categories help a person decide which intelligence he or she possesses. Gardner’s learning theories allow a teacher to adapt to the students learning style to achieve the full potential of the student. A class of people with varied intelligences could be easily taught information by participating in a few different activities to ensure everyone in the class is taught in their own learning style.
Evaluation
The learning style that relates to my own learning is Gardner’s multiple intelligence theories. Gardner’s theories are personal and easy to find out which intelligence I obtain. By finding out which intelligence I obtain, this helps me to find my own way of teaching myself something so that I understand it. This learning style can help me learn to my full potential because I will be able to understand why something is unclear and how to make it clear. This leaning style also can relate to many different people at one time by using different activities to teach every intelligence. Reflecting back can also be intelligence that a person can have which is being able to use a learning style like Kolb’s to learn how to do something differently.
Kolb’s learning cycle only helps one individual at a time on reflecting on their own thoughts. This is one on one learning or individual learning. I would not like to use this learning style because I like to use group interaction. Gardner’s theories allows for an individual to have different intelligences and multiple ones. This is a good learning style for me because I like to learn in different ways. For different things being taught, there are different ways I would like to learn such as history, visual learning would fit my learning style best. Learning how to address a patient at a hospital, practical learning would fit my learning style best. Gardner’s theories allow for anything to be taught in different ways to fit the needs of anyone. Kolb’s cycle only allows for the cycle to be followed in order but it is not necessary to follow the same order of the cycle for learning to be effective.
I do reflect to learn because it helps me know what I like and what I dislike. I can understand why I did or did not like what happened and change it. I do not use Kolb’s learning cycle because I do not follow the cycle in order. This capability and fixation or reflecting could also be intrapersonal intelligence. Gardner’s multiple intelligence theories that most relates to my learning style is linguistic verbal intelligence because I can easily remember written and spoken information. I enjoy debating and thinking of supporting points that would argue my case and I often tell stories with humor. This learning style fits my strengths and characteristics best. Being taught by written or spoken information would help me learn because that is the learning style that interests me the most because I would find it easier to learn.
