1. Physician know thyself!
Identifying learning needs & using learning styles
Dr Abayomi McEwen
Dr Susi Caesar
11th October 2006

2. To encourage you to become more effective learners
Aim
To encourage you to become more effective learners

3. B the end of this session you will be able to…
Give examples of ways to identify your learning needs
Outline an approach to classifying learning styles
Challenge your current learning methods
Have started thinking about the place of learning styles in your professional development

4. What motivates you to learn?
Pairs exercise

5. Responses from some Registrars re motivation to learn
Interest in topic
Exam
Makes job easier
Competition
Feelings of inadequacy
Wanting to be competent and professional
Curiosity

6. Responses from some Registrars re motivation to learn
Appraisal & Feedback
Driven to teach
Not wanting to look silly (again!)

7. Principles of Motivation
Most of us have in-built urge to attempt to achieve
Needs related to specific goals
Needs & goals unstable relationship
Same needs produce very different behaviour indifferent individuals
All have many needs but only few being acted upon at any one time
Needs related to specific goals
Self image
Group bonding
Security
Extrinsic & intrinsic factors

8. The Motivational Cycle

9. THE LEARNING CYCLE Unconscious competence Mastery Change
Unconscious incompetence
THE LEARNING CYCLE
Driving a car
Learning
Awareness
Conscious incompetence

10. What methods do you use now to identify your learning needs?
Pairs exercise

11. Some Registrar’s responses on identifying learning needs
Curriculum
Mistakes
Gaps (PUNS & DENS)
Change in protocols
Assessments
Medical Media
Lay media
Colleagues & Tutors

12. Identifying Learning Needs
Questionnaires
Tests
Interviews
Case Analysis
Observation
Critical Incident
Self assessment
Patient feedback/complaints

13. Do any of these help us to find out what we don’t know we need to learn?!

14. Johari’s Window Learning needs known to both Blind spot
Known to self
(Registrar knows)
Unknown to self
(Registrar does not know)
Known to others
(Trainer
knows)
Learning needs known to both
Blind spot
Unknown to others
does not
know)
Learning need hidden from Trainer
No idea what learning needs are

15. Using Johari’s Window UNKNOWN HIDDEN BLIND OPEN TELL Known to self
(Registrar knows)
Unknown to self
(Registrar does not know)
Known to others
(Trainer
knows)
Unknown to others
does not
know)
UNKNOWN
HIDDEN
BLIND
OPEN
TELL
ASK/LISTEN

16. Reaching the blind spot!
PEP CD
Testing/Evaluation
Topics avoided
Feedback
Scanning the journals
Some answers given by Trainer/Registrar group

17. The experiential Learning Cycle after Kolb

18. Planning the next steps Reviewing the experience
The Learning Cycle
Having an experience
Planning the next steps
Reviewing the experience
Concluding
from the
experience
Honey & Mumford, 1992 30

19. Discuss the effective features of a recent learning experience

20. Registrars’ response on experience of an effective learning activity
Relevant
Addressed a need (exam)
Appropriate time & place
Sufficient time – not rushed
Safe & supportive environment
Positive Feedback
Self esteem maintained
Rewarded by pleasing teacher/family

21. Registrars’ response on experience of an effective learning activity
Experiential learning when appropriate
Teacher has skills & ability to teach subject
Teacher personality/teaching style
Varied stimulus

22. Learning Styles What sort of learning suits you best?
Did you choose (consciously or unconsciously) that learning opportunity to suit your style?
Have you done an assessment of your learning style?

23. Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory
Converger
Diverger
Assimilator
Accomodator

24. Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory
Converger
Problem solver
Hypothetical deductive reasoning (general to specific
Diverger
Views situations from many perspectives
Relied heavily on brainstorming & generation of ideas
DEDUCTIVE
We might begin with thinking up a theory about our topic of interest.
We then narrow that down into more specific hypotheses that we can test.
We narrow down even further when we collect observations to address the hypotheses.
This ultimately leads us to be able to test the hypotheses with specific data
-- a confirmation (or not) of our original theories.

25. Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory
Assimilator
Inductive reasoning
Create theoretical models
Accommodator
Carrying out plans & experiments
Adapts to immediate specific circumstances
Inductive
we begin with specific observations and measures
begin to detect patterns and regularities,
formulate some tentative hypotheses that we can explore,
finally end up developing some general conclusions or theories.

26. VARK Preferences NOT Strengths
Visual
Aural
Reading/Writing
Kinaesthetic
Visual (V): This preference includes the depiction of information in charts, graphs, flow charts, and all the symbolic arrows, circles, hierarchies and other devices that instructors use to represent what could have been presented in words.
Aural (A): This perceptual mode describes a preference for information that is "heard." People with this modality report that they learn best from lectures, tutorials, tapes, and talking to other colleagues.
Read/write (R): This preference is for information displayed as words.
Kinesthetic (K): By definition, this modality refers to the "perceptual preference related to the use of experience and practice (simulated or real)." Although such an experience may invoke other modalities, the key is that the student is connected to reality, "either through experience, example, practice or simulation"
(VARK inventory developed in 1987 by Neil Fleming, Lincoln University, New Zealand)

27. VARK Visual preference Charts Graphs
All symbolic arrows, circles etc that teachers use to replace words

28. VARK Aural/Auditory preference information that is "heard." Lectures
Tutorials
Tapes
group discussion
Speaking
web chat
talking things through

29. VARK Read/Write preference Words
many academics have a strong preference for this modality
text-based input and output
reading and writing in all its forms.

30. VARK Kinesthetic (perceptual) preference
related to the use of experience and practice (simulated or real)
the student is connected to reality, "either through experience, example, practice or simulation”
other modalities may be invoked

31. The Revision Guide to VARK
Draw a mindmap, a diagram, cartoon or a picture
Listen to a tape in the car or before going to sleep
Rewrite notes in brief with key words highlighted
Make a model, touch key points, learn by doing
Visual
Auditory
Reading / Writing
Kinaesthetic

32. Preferred Style & the Learning Cycle
Activist
Experiencing
The
Pragmatist
The
Reflector
Planning & applying
Reviewing
Concluding
The
Theorist
Honey & Mumford, 1992 40

33. Activist Preference Gets home, throws the instructions away and starts making it at once
Likes
New experiences
Engross in short term activities
Like to generate ideas
Loves limelight
To be thrown in at the deep end
To be involved with other people
To have a go
Dislikes
Passive learning
Standing back
Too much data
Working alone
To be asked what has been learnt
Theory
Repetition
Precise instructions
Detail

34. Reflector Preference Reads the instructions, works out how to do it and then sleeps on it
Likes
Link with problem and subject
To be shown techniques
Practice with feedback
Role model
Application to own role
Immediate transferability
Reality
Practical issues
Dislikes
Learning that is not related to needs
Unrealistic trainers
Lack of clarity
Inertia
Bureaucracy
No real benefit to training

35. Theorist Preference Reads the instructions and works out how to do it before starting, checks it out occasionally perhaps involving others
Likes
Theory
To be methodical
To question
To be stretched
Structure and clarity
Analysis & Logic
Ideas and concepts
Participate in complex situations
Dislikes
To be thrown into something
Emotions and feelings
Unstructured activities
Lack of policy
Lack of depth
Lack of validity
Mixing

36. Pragmatist Preference Methodically works through the instructions with little discussion
Likes
Observing
Thinking about it
Investigation
Reviewing
Reports
Safe environment to share ideas
Not to be rushed
Dislikes
Limelight
Action without planning
Short notice
Lack of information
Rigid rules
Time pressure
Short Cuts

37. What question do you ask?
What if?
Why?
What?
How?

38. ACTIVISTS – What if? Evaluator / mediator needed
Let them teach themselves and others
Self discovery
Likes variety, things that are new, challenging, (competitive, in the limelight)

39. REFLECTORS – Why? Need a motivator Create a reason
Simulation / discussion
Preparation and discussion time, time to think, assimilate

40. THEORISTS – What? Need a teacher Give facts
Structured information, challenging
Opportunities for questions to probe and explore logic and assumptions

41. PRAGMATISTS – How? Need a coach Let them try it Facilitation
Make links between subject matter and problem area, practice techniques with feedback

42. The IKEA link to Honey and Mumford
Activists – Intuitive
Gets home, throws the instructions away and starts building it at once
Reflectors – Imaginative
Reads the instructions and works out how to do it, then sleeps on it!
Theorists – Analytical
Reads the instructions and works out how to do it before starting, perhaps checking it out
Pragmatists – Practical
Methodically works through using the instructions with little help

43. Can you put your leaning style preferences in a hierarchical list?

44. How can we apply this to ourselves?
Imagine the learning need is to insert an IUCD
Discuss possible objectives that might go in your PDP if your preferred style is:
Activist
Reflector
Theorist
Pragmatist

45. Going back to earlier exercise about recent effective learning?
Did the teacher use teaching methods that matched your preferred learning styles?

46. Which system/style? All of us can and do use all styles…
best learners are balanced and can learn from most types of experience
(this improves with age!)
Strong preferences should be heeded if the learning need is important
Least preferred styles can be consciously strengthened

47. So what? Depending on your learning style preferences:
You will have enjoyed different parts of this lecture
You will find this knowledge more or less useful
You will be inspired to learn more effectively

48. To encourage you to become more effective learners
Aim
To encourage you to become more effective learners

49. B the end of this session you will be able to…
Give examples of ways to identify your learning needs
Outline an approach to classifying learning styles
Challenge your current learning methods
Have started thinking about the place of learning styles in your professional development

50. Communication holds the key to effective learning…