Publications

Learning with Style

Learning is a transaction. It involves a relation of some knowledge source (i.e., a teacher, computer program, book, etc.) and a learner. In order to be successful, there must be a common denominator between the source and the recipient. The degree of this alignment will determine both the amount learned and the ease with which the learning occurs.

Learning with Style Booklets

The "Learning and the..." booklets help the learner adjust to structure of the knowledge source. Every source has a "style" that has been imbedded into the material by its designer—usually unconsciously. The booklet contains a tool that a learner can use to identify the probable "style" of the source within minutes.

An instructor also has a "style." This style may or may not be aligned with the material that is being taught. The booklet also has a tool for quickly estimating the dominant style of the instructor. This can be useful in helping the learner interact effectively in the classroom and in any submitted work (e.g., papers, projects, etc.)

The booklets then offer specific strategies, techniques and methods for "bending" the learner's style to better fit the material and/or the instructor. The result is more learning with less frustration.

There is an individual booklet for each of the four basic learning styles. The booklets are brief (about 8 pages) and are written in an "easy to understand" language.

The series also contains a "Teaching with Style" booklet. The booklet assumes that the instructor knows the learning styles of the students. It provides a way of consolidating the entire class into a single profile. This consolidated profile can be used as a template for adjusting the course material and the instructor's behavior to best fit the class. The better the alignment, the more will be learned, retained and used.

 

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