1. Learner Preferences & Styles
aura
Engaged Excellence in Research & Teaching Practices
Learner Preferences & Styles
Teaching Course 1, Session 3, Day One,

2. Session Learning Objectives
In this session, you will:
Discover different learning styles and preferences, and explore its significance on course design and delivery
Compare two learning metaphors, and consider the impact on your role as an educator
Judge the effectiveness of a learning design that adopts an iterative process as an ongoing experiment of refinement and improvement

3. Group Activity 1: Different Training Methods
Review the trainer scenarios provided, and:
Identify examples of the different educational approaches
Share your insights about the usefulness/limitations of these methods with the group

4. Trainer Scenario: Educator A
Trainer A prefers to provide their participants with a set of comprehensive facts and definitions in their workshops using presentations to support the learning of new ideas and theories.
Typically, they stand at the front of the classroom and demonstrate how to use the information sources. They also offer guidance on how to resolve problems participants might encounter (for e.g. problems you might encounter when locating research in an e-database).
The workshop participants usually take notes during their sessions. When they apply practical skills they use the guided learning materials supplied by Trainer A. Participants demonstrate their learning by individually completing written tests contained within the learning materials.

5. Trainer Scenario Continued: Educator A
Trainer A prefers to provide their participants with a set of comprehensive facts and definitions in their workshops using presentations to support the learning of new ideas and theories. Typically, they stand at the front of the classroom and demonstrate how to use the information sources. They also offer guidance on how to resolve problems participants might encounter (for e.g. problems you might encounter when locating research in an e-database). The workshop participants usually take notes during their sessions. When they apply practical skills they use the guided learning materials supplied by Trainer A. Participants demonstrate their learning by individually completing written tests contained within the learning materials.

6. Trainer Scenario: Educator B
Trainer B uses a mixture of definitions and problem-solving activities in their workshops. At the beginning of the session, they encourage the participants to share their prior experiences and knowledge in groups. Trainer B feels comfortable with participants putting forward their own ideas and strategies for locating information in a database (for example). Trainer B prefers not to use guided materials, instead he/she sets a problem and encourages participants to work independently, or in small groups, to solve the problem while they walk around the room offering support and assessing their ability / skills. At the end of the session, Trainer B asks participants to critically reflect on the learning experience and comment on how the theory can be applied to their work.

7. Trainer Scenario Continued: Educator B
Trainer B uses a mixture of definitions and problem-solving activities in their workshops. At the beginning of the session, they encourage the participants to share their prior experiences and knowledge in groups. Trainer B feels comfortable with participants putting forward their own ideas and strategies for locating information in a database (for example). Trainer B prefers not to use guided materials, instead he/she sets a problem and encourages participants to work independently, or in small groups, to solve the problem while they walk around the room offering support and assessing their ability / skills. At the end of the session, Trainer B asks participants to critically reflect on the learning experience and comment on how the theory can be applied to their work.

8. Metaphorical Mapping, Sfard (1998)
Acquisition Metaphor
Participation Metaphor
Individual enrichment
Goal of learning
Community building
Acquisition of something
Learning
Becoming a participant
Recipient (consumer),
(re-)constructor
Student
Peripheral participant, apprentice
Provider, facilitator, mediator
Teacher
Expert participant, preserver of practice / discourse
Property, possession, commodity (individual, public)
Knowledge, concept
Aspect of: practice, discourse, activity
Having, possessing
Knowing
Belonging, participating, communicating
Sfard, Anna. "On Two Metaphors for Learning and the Dangers of Choosing Just One." Educational Researcher 27, no. 2 (1998): 4-13

9. Learning Style & Preferences
Learning theory
Learning style

10. Activity 2: Learning how to Drive a Car
Reflect on your learning experience and write down:
1 x less or unsuccessful methods, tools, learning approaches
1 x successful methods, tools, learning approaches
Disk Depot, Wikimedia 10

11. Learning how to Drive a Car: Continued
Hearing / listening
Moving/Trying
Seeing/Reading
hearing & trying
hearing & seeing
hearing,
seeing
& trying
seeing
& trying

12. Learning how to Drive a Car: Continued
Hearing /Listening
Moving/Trying
Seeing/Reading
hearing & seeing
hearing & trying
hearing,
seeing
& trying
seeing & trying

13. Preference & Style
Nationaal Archief, Flickr

14. Learning patterns
US National Archives, Flickr

15. Structure
verbeeldingskr8, Flickr

16. Flexible
verbeeldingskr8, Flickr

17. Independent
Shaun Mitchem, Wikimedia

18. Social
Danilobu, Wikimedia

19. Hear, See, Move
SixSigma, Wikimedia

20. Are we doing a disservice?
Assessing learning styles
Various Instrument available:
Personality Type Indicator Myers - Briggs
Learning Styles Inventory Dunn & Dunn
More exist.... Look online
US National Archives, Flickr

21. Session Learning Outcomes
You should now be able to:
Discover different learning styles and preferences, and explore its significance on course design and delivery
Compare two learning metaphors, and consider the impact on your role as an educator
Judge the effectiveness of a learning design that adopts an iterative process as an ongoing experiment of refinement and improvement 21

22. The content is authored by:
Siobhan Duvigneau,
AURA Programme Manager,
Institute of Development Studies,
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- Non-commercial ShareAlike 3.0