Core Skills for Social Scientists. Week One. Learning styles and Getting the most out of Lectures

Learning Typologies 1 What is a typology? based on cognitive psychology Honey & Mumford (1986) – behaviourist applied psychologist personality types – similar to DISC model in HR – assumption relationship between individual learner, learning needs and personality type

Learning Typologies 2 Four types Activist: Reflector Theorists Pragmatist

Learning Typologies 3 3 Types Auditory Visual Kinesthetic

Auditory Learners benefit most from traditional teaching techniques. Ie traditional lecture style succeed when directions are read aloud, speeches are required, or information is presented verbally. may have difficulty with reading and writing tasks. often do better talking work through with a co- student or a lecturer may benefit from using a tape recorder to listen over what was said in the lecture.

Visual Learners "Show me and I'll understand." benefit from diagrams, charts, pictures, films, and written directions. will value to-do lists, powerpoint slides and written notes or handouts. two subchannels - linguistic and spatial. like to learn through written language, such as reading and writing tasks. like to write down directions and pay better attention to lectures if they watch them. Often have difficulty with written language and do better with charts, demonstrations, videos, and other visual materials. easily visualize faces and places by using their imagination

Kinesthetic Learners touching, feeling, experiencing the material at hand most successful when totally engaged with the learning activity. acquire information fastest when participating in a practical lab, drama presentation, field trip, dance, or other active activity. two subchannels - kinesthetic (movement) and tactile (touch) tend to lose concentration if there is little or no external stimulation or movement. When reading scan the material first then focus in on the details (get the big picture first). use color highlighters and take notes by drawing pictures, diagrams, or doodling.

When you.. Visual Auditory Kinesthetic & Tactile Spell Do you try to see the word? Do you sound out the word or use a phonetic approach? Do you write the word down to find if it feels right? Talk Do you sparingly but dislike listening for too long? Do you favor words such as see, picture, and imagine? Do you enjoy listening but are impatient to talk? Do you use words such as hear, tune, and think? Do you gesture and use expressive movements? Do you use words such as feel, touch, and hold? Concentrate Do you become distracted by untidiness or movement? Do you become distracted by sounds or noises? Do you become distracted by activity around you? Meet someone again Do you forget names but remember faces or remember where you met? Do you forget faces but remember names or remember what you talked about? Do you remember best what you did together? Contact people on business Do you prefer direct, face-to-face, personal meetings? Do you prefer the telephone? Do you talk with them while walking or participating in an activity? Read Do you like descriptive scenes or pause to imagine the actions? Do you enjoy dialog and conversation or hear the characters talk? Do you prefer action stories or are not a keen reader? Do something new at work Do you like to see demonstrations, diagrams, slides, or posters? Do you prefer verbal instructions or talking about it with someone else? Do you prefer to jump right in and try it? Put something together Do you look at the directions and the picture? Do you ignore the directions and figure it out as you go along? Need help with a computer application Do you seek out pictures or diagrams? Do you call the help desk, ask a neighbor, or growl at the computer? Do you keep trying to do it or try it on another computer?  

Making Effective Lecture Notes to keep a record of the topics and themes that were presented in the lecture to define an area of knowledge or a particular research question or sociological problem aid to memory and concentration To flag up areas that we need to improve our understanding of.

Can I use my friend's notes? there is no substitute for your own notes your own participation and engagement with the lecture enhances comprehension and ability to memorise the material While taking notes you may also think of other relevant theories or perspectives your friend’s lecture notes will be a poor substitute for your own.

Making Useable notes. notes of the main ideas or questions theories that can be applied to those ideas or questions. important quotes or definitions of key sociological concepts use a system of abbreviations, symbols or acronyms

Abbreviations, Symbols and Acronyms e.g. for example; > greater than; i.e. that is; < less than; c.f. compare with; = equal to;  not equal to; re concerning; . ‘. Therefore; C. Century  increases  decreases

Shorthand Devise your own Shorthand- for example ‘government’ can become 'govt', ‘Marxist’ can become ‘Mxst’, ‘functionalist’ can become 'funcst‘ ‘Durkheim’ can become ‘Drkm’.

Organising lecture notes. rank the information hierarchically. use spider diagrams also use coloured highlighters or underlining to emphasize key points. be consistent. Your notes will be much easier to use if you stick to the same system.

Problems in the lecture. aim to sit as near to the front of the lecture hall If you get left behind, do not try to catch up--leave a space in your notes with a mark in the margin to indicate that something is missing Read something relevant after the lecture Keep a record of theories, perspectives concepts and definitions, After the lecture, look through your notes If you are struggling ASK FOR HELP!

Next Week Understanding academic writing Critical/analytical thinking Brainstorming ideas