QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY

College of Teacher Education

Bachelor of Elementary Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence

Module 8
Learning/Thinking Styles
Competencie 1. Describe the different learning/thinking styles and;
s 2. Identify their own learning/thinking styles

Discussion
All Students Are Created Equally (and Differently)

The term “learning styles” speaks to

the understanding that every student
learns differently. Technically, an
individual’s learning style refers to
the preferential way in which the
student absorbs, processes,
comprehends and retains information.
For example, when learning how to
build a clock, some students understand the process by following
verbal instructions, while others have to physically manipulate the
clock themselves. This notion of individualized learning styles has
gained widespread recognition in education theory and classroom
management strategy. Individual learning styles depend on
cognitive, emotional and environmental factors, as well as one’s
prior experience. In other words: everyone’s different. It is
important for educators to understand the differences in their
students’ learning styles, so that they can implement best
practice strategies into their daily activities, curriculum and
assessments.

One of the most accepted understandings of learning styles is that

student learning styles fall into three categories: Visual
Learners, Auditory Learners and Kinesthetic Learners.
These learning styles are found within educational theorist Neil
Fleming’s VARK model of Student Learning. VARK is an acronym
that refers to the four types of learning styles: Visual, Auditory,
Reading/Writing Preference, and Kinesthetic. (The VARK
model is also referred to as the VAK model, eliminating
Reading/Writing as a category of preferential learning.) The
VARK model acknowledges that students have different
approaches to how they process information, referred to as
“preferred learning modes.”
Having a particular learning/thinking style simply denotes a
tendency to behave in a certain manner. Your style is usually
described as a personality dimension which influences your
attitudes values and social interactions.

Students’ preferred learning modes have significant influence on

QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Elementary Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence

their behavior and learning. Students’ preferred learning modes

should be matched with appropriate learning strategies.
Information that is accessed through students’ use of their
modality preferences shows an increase in their levels of
comprehension, motivation, and metacognition.
Identifying your students as visual, auditory, reading/writing or
kinaesthetic learners, and aligning your overall curriculum with
these learning styles, will prove to be beneficial for your entire
classroom. Allowing students to access information in terms
they are comfortable with will increase their academic
confidence.

By understanding what kind of learner you and/or your students

are, you can now gain a better perspective on how to implement
these learning styles into your lesson plans and study techniques.

There are several perspective about Learning-thinking styles. We

shall focus on sensory preferences and the global analytic
continuum.

A.Sensory preferences . Individuals tend to gravitate toward

one or two types of sensory input and maintain a dominance in
one of the following types.
QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Elementary Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence

SWOT Strategies
Referred to as SWOT (“Study Without Tears”),Neil Flemings
provides advice on how students can use their learning modalities
and skills to their advantage when studying for an upcoming test
or assignment.

Visual SWOT Strategies

 Utilize graphic organizers such as charts, graphs, and
diagrams.
 Redraw your pages from memory.
 Replace important words with symbols or initials.
 Highlight important key terms in corresponding colors.

Aural SWOT Strategies

 Record your summarized notes and listen to them on tape.
 Talk it out. Have a discussion with others to expand upon
your understanding of a topic.
 Reread your notes and/or assignment out loud.
 Explain your notes to your peers/fellow “aural” learners.

Read/Write SWOT Strategies

 Write, write and rewrite your words and notes.
 Reword main ideas and principles to gain a deeper
understanding.
 Organize diagrams, charts, and graphic organizers into
statements.

Kinesthetic SWOT Strategies

 Use real life examples, applications and case studies in
your summary to help with abstract concepts.
 Redo lab experiments or projects.
 Utilize pictures and photographs that illustrate your idea.

B. Global Analytic
B.1 Analytic . Tend toward the linear, step by step process of
learning. They tend to see finite elements of patterns rather than
the whole. They are more comfortable in a world of details
and hierarchies of information.
B.2 Global. Global thinkers lean towards non-linear thought and
tend to see the whole pattern rather than particular
elements. They tend to give attention only to the overall
structure and sometimes ignore details.
In Roger Sperry’s Model, the left brained dominant individual is
portrayed as the linear (analytic), verbal, mathematical thinker
 QUIRINO STATE UNIVERSITY
College of Teacher Education
Bachelor of Elementary Education
…promoting pedagogical excellence

while the right brained person is one who is viewed as global, non-
linear and holistic in thought preferences.
Both sides of the brain can reason but through different
strategies.A successive predecessor (left brain) prefers to learn in
a step by step sequential format , beginning with details leading
to a conceptual understanding of a skill. A simultaneous
predecessor (right brain) prefers to learn beginning with the
general concept and then going on to specifics.See the
comparison below:

LEFT BRAIN (Analytic) RIGHT BRAIN( Global)

Successive Hemisphere Style Simultaneous Hemisphere
Style
1. Verbal 1.Visual
2. Responds to word 2.Responds to tone of voice
meaning
3. Sequential 3.Random
4.Processes info linearly 4. Processes info in varied
order
5.Responds to logic 5.Responds to emotion
6.Plans ahead 6.Impulsive
7. Recalls people’s names 7.Recalls people’s faces
8.Speaks with few gestures 8. Gestures when speaking
9. Punctual 9. Less punctual
10. Prefer formal study design 10. Prefers sound/music
background when studying
11.Prefers bright light when 11.Prefers frequent mobility
studying when studying
References Aquino, Avelina M. Facilitating Human Learning. Rex Bookstore, Inc.
c2009
Lucas, Ma. Rita, Corpuz, Brenda B. 2014. Facilitating Learning: A
Metacognitive Process (OBE & K-12 Based). Quezon City: LORIMAR
Publishing, Inc.
https://www.potsdam.edu/sites/default/files/The-VARK-Questionnaire.pdf