Critical Analysis

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Section 1: A Critical analysis of how different Learning Styles impacted my learning pattern.

When I talk about learning styles and different patterns of learning, then I specifically look into how it has helped me as an individual both personally as well as professionally. After a long research, I found out Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (Kolb, 1984), Anthony Gregorc's model (1969) and Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence model were the ones which matched closer to evaluating my learning abilities.

Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (Kolb, 1984), lead me to identify my strengths and weaknesses and how effective i can learn. It suited my style of analysing and learning things. Kolb's LSI focuses on experimental learning of an individual. It reflects on four modes of learning, they are, Concrete Experience (CE), Reflective Observation (RO), Abstract Conceptualization (AC) and Active Experimentation (AE) (Kolb et al, 1984). It was interesting to know that i was more into AE. On Kolb's LSI scoring chart (fig 1), I ended up being more accommodating and diverging than being converging or assimilating. After taking lots of tests i found out that my results matched closer to what exactly i was doing, and the results of these tests were found in Interpreting you learning style (Tennant, 1997). One of the strengths that I have is strong visualization and ability to imagine, good at generating ideas looking at different perspectives. Learning by experimentation, group work activities, sharing experiences, gaining knowledge and meeting new people is the best way of learning.

Anthony F Gregorc, categorizes a person's learning ability based on his Mind Styles model (1969) to his/her perceptual preference and ordering preference. The type of thinkers that possibly could be is Concrete Sequential Thinkers, Concrete Random Thinkers, Abstract Random and Abstract Sequential Thinkers. After, taking a series of Gregorc's tests, I found myself evaluated more of an Abstract Random (AR) and Concrete Random (CR) learner than Concrete sequential (CR) or Abstract Sequential (AS) types. This was strikingly similar to my kind of thinking. I like to do lots of experiments and organize information through reflection. I use trial and error method to solve the problem and also involve in lots of group work. Gregorc's method is what I would do on the long run as I have been doing till now.

Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences model is viewed as "the capacity to solve problems that are valued in one or more cultural setting", (Hatch & Gardner, 1989). Gardner assessed individual(s) on the basis of seven intelligences they are: Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Spatial, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal. I took a series of tests in www.businessballs.com. My results in Gardner's multiple intelligences were satisfying because it did match my ability although I was expecting more score in Kinesthetic too. I scored high on Musical Intelligence which is defined as awareness, appreciation and use of sound; recognition of tonal and rhythmic patterns, understands relationship between sound and feeling, and I had a feeling that even Kinesthetic would suit me but the results weren't up to the mark.

Taking 5-6 VAK tests I was more of a auditory learner than a Kinesthetic or visual learner .The results show that my learning orientation is mostly through transfer of information through listening: to the spoken word, of self or others, of sounds and noises. Every learning style model has its strengths and weaknesses. As I examined myself relating to the results that i got from this VAK test, I found myself equal in all the three learning styles, i.e., Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. So I would say that this test is not perfect enough to judge ones learning style.

The more you work and progress on your life the more you learn and develop your skills and implement it on your personal life as well as on your professional life. One cannot adopt a particular theory alone and work on it. Some of the skills that I considered myself being good at are,

• Managing Relationships Skills
• Effective Communication Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Planning and Organising Skills

Kolb's Theory

APPENDIX

Honey and Mumford (1982) have built a typology of Learning Styles around this sequence, identifying individual preferences for each stage (Activist, Reflector, Theorist, and Pragmatist respectively), Kolb also has a test instrument (the Learning Style Inventory) but has carried it further by relating the process also to forms of knowledge.

Interpreting you learning style (Tennant, 1997)

• strong in practical application of ideas
• can focus on deductive reasoning on specific problems

• unemotional
• has narrow interests

• strong in imaginative ability
• good at generating ideas and seeing things from different perspectives
• interested in people
• broad cultural interests

• strong ability to create theoretical models
• excels in inductive reasoning
• concerned with abstract concepts (thinking) rather than people

• greatest strength is doing things
• more of a risk taker
• performs well when required to react to immediate circumstances
• solves problems intuitivel