What is a learning style and why should I care?

• Matters of Style (R.M. Felder) "Students have different learning styles--characteristic strengths and preferences in the ways they take in and process information. Some students tend to focus on facts, data, and algorithms; others are more comfortable with theories and mathematical models. Some respond strongly to visual forms of information, like pictures, diagrams, and schematics; others get more from verbal forms--written and spoken explanations. Some prefer to learn actively and interactively; others function more introspectively and individually." 1996

• Learning Styles and Strategies (R.M. Felder) The differences between active and reflective learners. 1996

• Learning Styles (R.M. Felder) This is a list of Felder publications related to learning styles.

The following links are to instruments (surveys) that can be taken by yourself or by your students. Note that usually teachers teach the same way they learn the material. So, if you learn a certain way, be careful NOT to teach ONLY to students who learn that way too. You have to accommodate students with other learning styles as well.

• Index of Learning Styles (R.M. Felder and L.K. Silverman) "The Index of Learning Styles is an instrument used to assess preferences on four dimensions (active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global)" From the main page, you can access the questionnaire as well as the scoring sheet, style scales and a description of the learning styles.
• Personal Style Inventory Questionnaire (Center for Advancement of Learning, Dr. R. Craig Hogan and Dr. David W. Champagne)"The Personal Style Inventory...is a variation of The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator that describes personality types. The Personal Style Inventory provides a means of characterizing one's preferred learning style with respect to four dimensions. Each dimension is present to some degree in all learners: introversion-extroversion, intuition-sensing, thinking-feeling, and perceiving-judging. Additionally, the inventory is designed to determine if an individual demonstrates a balance among the four dimensions or if he/she has slight, definite, or considerable strengths and weaknesses in the dimensions."
• Greg Gay's Learning Styles website This website contains many other tests that enable one to determine their learning style. This site also contains the meanms to analyze learning styles and provide a frame of reference for learners. There are also many additional links from the site.