Two - Homeschooling Series: Learning Styles Matter
Your homeschooling days will be more successful, and you will experience less frustration, if you take a little time to understand your learning style as well as your student’s.
People choose homeschooling for a variety of reasons. My student learned at home because it was the best environment for his personality and learning style. It was also the best and most flexible environment for his “socialization”.
You’ll find that homeschooling parents will often end up in conversations discussing learning styles (at least they did when I was homeschooling).
A learning style is how a person learns or more succinctly, it is the preferred process a person uses to absorb, process, comprehend and retain information.
One time, I met a lady from a Boulder homeschooling group by asking questions on the internet about the home education climate in Boulder. We got to be “cyber-friends” and met at an Air Force Museum and sure enough we ended up discussing how we discovered our student’s learning styles.
Often those discussions will be under the cover of the “(learning) style” or “method” of homeschooling you incorporate.
There are several “established methods” homeschoolers employ and the words “(learning) style” and “method” are often used interchangeably when one is describing their method of homeschooling. You’ll discover that your “(learning) style” is going to mostly determine your “method” (homeschool methods will be covered in a subsequent newsletter).
We dabbled in most of these methods at one point or another and landed on “Unschooling + Eclectic + Traditional”:
Unschooling
Montessori
Waldorf
Classical
School-at-home
Well Trained Mind
Charlotte Mason
Democratic
Traditional
Eclectic
You’ll find that many homeschooling families try several methods before they settle on a dominant one that fits the “(learning) style” of the student(s). When you ask them how they arrived at the method they chose, you’ll get a variety of answers, but most often it will get back to their discovering how the student learns best.
Assessing Learning Style
Discovering what drives your student towards his most effective style for learning is what a learning assessment is and it is one of the most important things you’ll do as a homeschool parent. From a learning assessment, you will come away with a dominant learning style for your student.
Where can I get a learning assessment done?
Not sure; and I am sure there are experts willing to help with this for a price.
It is best that you do the learning assessment because you’re going to need to understand, thoroughly, how your student learns.
Our learning assessment was done on a trip to the beach. Why not?
When we first started homeschooling, I knew that my student was gifted and really thought home education was going to be such an easy thing to do.
Our first few months homeschooling we used a purchased curriculum from one of the better-known homeschool curriculum providers. I chose curriculum for what would have been a grade level higher than where he was age-wise. My student literally “sucked” that dry in a few months and was looking for more. He found it to be too easy and boring. It was a nightmare for me as the “educator”.
I had pulled him from a private school that was well known for academics because he wasn’t being challenged enough. I didn’t want a repeat of that in our homeschool.
When we reached the end of all the books and instructions this purveyor of knowledge had sent as a “school year”, which was in the middle of the “school year” (December) we took an extended trip to Florida.
While on that trip, I realized that my student really had a different way of absorbing ideas and had an intense memory for the obtuse details. He also seemed to be able to learn and absorb material at multiple levels all at once, rather than in the sequential step-by-step the way I do. Talents I don’t have, but I admire.
When we returned from our trip I “winged it” for the rest of that “school year” using videos and trips to the library and museums. What I found from this experiment was that my student, for lack of a better description, learned most things from pictures and diagrams and he assimilated complex ideas into pictures and 3D diagrams as answers to questions first before he could put the words together. Even more interesting, he was able to do this at what seemed to me to be multiple levels. This was a very different approach to problem solving for me as I see the world as an ordered place and run my life with lists and post-it notes.
It was over that summer I read two books: Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice and Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, both by Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University. These were very enlightening to me. I had read all the “gifted books” I could lay my hands on at the time and not one touched on the ideas Dr. Gardener had.
I read even more books that summer on how kids learned, In Their Own Way: (Discovering and Encouraging Your Child’s Multiple Intelligences) and In Their Own Way:(Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style) both by Thomas Armstrong. Both were really good at helping me to eventually realize that “child led” learning was really the best way to go for us.
This was my introduction to learning styles.
I think the best ways to assess learning style is simply by spending time with your student and observing how he accomplishes tasks and absorbs material like I did at the beach. This can take a great deal of time and people new to homeschooling will feel that their student may be “missing out” while you attempt this. They won’t.
If your student was in school, either public or private and you’re not really sure how he learns, spend the time with your student, it may take one or two days it may take as long as a month or more.
If you’re not comfortable with just observing your student performing non-school related tasks, start with studying a subject you both like and explore it at the student’s pace. We used marine biology, in case you were wondering.
You will observe that your student frequently slides into and out of his learning style to fit the occasion but he will usually return to one preferred style. This exercise in observation on your part will pay off in the long run.
Before you start your observations, read a bit about learning styles in books like In Their Own Way: (Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Multiple Intelligences) and In Their Own Way (Discovering and Encouraging Your Child's Personal Learning Style) both by Thomas Armstrong and introduce yourself to Howard Gardner’s Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.
If you search online these days regarding learning styles and multiple intelligences, you’re going to find all kinds of “simplified” versions, some aren’t so simple, some have condensed this information incorrectly and a few were very confusing, but they all get back to these books I read years ago. So I still recommend them. Highly.
My Observations
There is so much information written about learning styles that it can get very confusing. I found reading all the information then very interesting as it really helped with what I was doing. I condensed much of what I have read into a very simple theory of my own. A person’s learning style is made up of three elements:
How they process information.
Personality.
Preferred “intelligences”.
Of these three elements, how they process information describes in general terms the learning style, but the other two elements will affect the learning style as well.
Element 1: Information Processing
The three elements of a learning style will appear intertwined some days, but they are distinctly different and eventually you’ll get good at recognizing them the more time you spend with your student. The way your student processes information is going to be the key to his learning style.
Information Processing Methods
▪ Active processing means that the student tends to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it like discussing it, or applying it, or explaining it to others.
▪ Reflective processing means that the student prefers to think about information quietly first.
▪ Visual processing means that the student tends to remember best what they see pictures, diagrams, 3-D models, flow charts, time lines, films, and demonstrations.
▪ Auditory or Verbal processing means that the student tends to get more out of spoken explanations.
▪ Sequential processing means that the student tends to gain understanding in linear steps, with each step following logically from the previous one.
▪ Global processing means that the student tends to learn in large jumps, absorbing material almost randomly without seeing connections, and then suddenly “getting it.” Global learners may be able to solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture, but they may have difficulty explaining how they did it.
So, for example, if you have a student that processes information in a sequential way and prefers to hear the material rather than read it, you might say that your student has an auditory/sequential learning style.
Element 2: Personality Type
Personality type can affect how your student is learning. Early on I recognized that my student wasn’t anything like me personality wise. In the way he approached most situations, especially in social situations. I knew there were ways to determine personality types and I used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) to solve that mystery.
If you have ever studied any psychology, you may remember Carl Jung. Jung is tagged as being the founder of Analytical Psychology. Analytical psychology gives the broadest and most comprehensive view of the human psyche. The essence of the theory of personality types is that what seems to be random behavior is really orderly and consistent because of how individuals use perception and judgment. Myers-Briggs inventory is based on this theory.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®
Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Briggs developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) to make the theory of psychological types described by Jung something that was easier for the layman to understand and more useful in different areas of life. The book Psychological Types (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.6) by C. G. Jung is the definitive work on which the MBTI® is based. A reading of this book will give a good explanation for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of personality.
The output from the personality questionnaire provides an outline of one of 16 MBTI® Personality Types. The output will be a four-letter type code like INTP or ESTJ that indicates the dominant personality. The codes are derived from the responses to questions about dealing with the External World, Information one receives to process, Decisions one makes and the Structure in which one deals with the world:
1. External World
(I) Introverts find energy in the inner world of ideas, concepts, and abstractions. They can be sociable but need quiet to recharge their batteries. Introverts want to understand the world. Introverts are concentrators and reflective thinkers.
(E) Extroverts find energy in things and people. They prefer interaction with others, and are action oriented.
2. Information Processing
(S) Sensing people are detail oriented, want facts, and trust the facts they gather.
(N) Intuitive people seek out patterns and relationships among the facts they have gathered. They trust hunches and their intuition and look for the “big picture.”
3. Decision Making
(T) Thinking people value fairness.
(F) Feeling people value harmony. They focus on human values and needs as they make decisions. They tend to be good at persuasion and facilitating differences among group members.
4. Structure
(P) Perceptive people are curious, adaptable, and spontaneous. They start many tasks, want to know everything about each task, and find it difficult to complete a task.
(J) Judging people are decisive, they are planners and self-regimented. They focus on completing the task, only wanting to know the essentials, and take action quickly. They plan their work and execute their plan. Deadlines are sacred.
Though personality type involves much more than the combinations of the four preferences it is important to remember as an educator, it is helpful to know what preferences the student leans towards when he is focusing or thinking. One thing again to remember, as with any kind of testing, is current circumstances in the student’s life can lead him to answer the questions in a way so that what is reported may not be an accurate portrayal. So, again, though testing is interesting, if you know your kid(s) well enough, you probably already know the dominant preferences in dealing with the world.
If you want to do some testing, a fun, free, online questionnaire can be found online:
If you want to get a little more serious about personality testing you can go online to the Myers & Briggs Foundation:
[ www.myersbriggs.org ].
Element 3: One, or Many “Intelligences”?
Your student may have intuitive knowledge that comes to him in many ways about many topics. How this is revealed to the world will also come in many flavors, using a variety of methods. Some call these input and output methods “intelligences”. Recognizing that your gifted student, or any student is an individual with a very unique set of intelligences is extremely important as I found out.
When I first started homeschooling my student, I thought it would be a breeze as it had been reported to me in the test results that I had a kid of accelerated abilities. But the first year we homeschooled was a nightmare as I realized that my student could potentially be as miserable at home as he was in school.
The only way I knew to ”teach” was in the way I learned. And that was a mistake. As I revealed earlier, we landed on child led learning because of the trial and error sessions in my first year and a half.
The Theory of Multiple Intelligences
In 1983, Howard Gardner introduced his “Theory of Multiple Intelligences” in the book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Based on his work as a professor in the Harvard Graduate School of Education and his work as a psychologist researching brain injuries, he suggested that intelligence is not a single attribute that can be measured and given a number.
He pointed out that IQ tests measure primarily verbal, logical-mathematical, and some spatial intelligence. This theory challenges the idea of measuring IQ and introduces the idea that people are highly intelligent in one or more areas. Believing that there are many other kinds of intelligence that are important aspects of human capabilities, he proposed that they also include visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences.
Dr. Gardner’s List of Multiple Intelligences
Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence – This intelligence is responsible for the production of language including: poetry, humor, storytelling, abstract reasoning, and the written word.
Logical/Mathematical Intelligence - This intelligence is associated “scientific thinking.” Sequential, deductive/inductive thinking/reasoning, numbers and recognition of abstract patterns.
Intrapersonal Intelligence - This intelligence involves knowledge of the internal aspects of self such as: feelings, range of emotional responses, self-reflection, and sense of intuition about spiritual realities.
Interpersonal Intelligence - This intelligence involves the ability to work cooperatively in a group and the ability to communicate, verbally and non-verbally with other people. People here are good at working with others and working on group projects.
Visual/Spatial Intelligence - This intelligence involves the ability to create internal mental pictures. Deals with such things as the visual arts, navigation, map-making, and architecture. People highly developed in this intelligence are good at creating pictures in their mind.
Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence - This intelligence involves the ability to recognize and use of rhythmic and tonal patterns, sensitivity to sounds such as the human voice and musical instruments.
Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence – This intelligence involves the ability to use the body to express emotion as in dance, body language, and sports.
Naturalist Intelligence - This intelligence involves the ability to recognize plants, animals, and other parts of the natural environment, like clouds or rocks.
Though I saw little to no value in IQ measuring, I believe Dr. Gardner’s theory is much more useful to the home educator. What I recognized was that these intelligences represented ways in which knowledge could be obtained OR delivered. This idea served me well in planning not only what we might study, but also how we might study the topics my student presented to me. Once I was aware of these intelligences, I also began to notice that my student was able to slip into many of these modes, as he needed.
Recognizing that your homeschooler is an individual with a unique personality with a uniqueset of intelligences and learning style(s) is part of the key to a happy homeschool. It took me a while to figure that out, but after I did, life did get a whole lot easier.
Remember that your student most likely will have one dominant learning style, one dominant intelligence he utilizes and generally one dominant personality you’ll see. But what I missed was that so did I – have one dominant learning style, one dominant intelligence and one dominant personality.
All the work I had done in learning about my student’s needs, I didn’t recognize that knowledge about my own dominant learning style and personality type was also a factor. What I found was that my dominant learning style and personality didn’t match my student’s and that came into play in a major way as well.
The key word was “dominant”.
Your Learning Style Matters Too
What I learned is that a student will slide into many of these intelligences, dominant learning styles and personality traits on a daily basis. It’s that combo that you’ll need to learn to deal with. Learning how to adjust your intelligences, dominant learning style, and personality traits to be compatible with your student is where the fun begins.
You will have to learn how to present material in a way your student understands and that may or may not be how you learned or understand it.
The reason public schools fail is because they take a shotgun approach (throwing everything out there). Often schooled students have no clue about what’s being presented because it’s not been presented in a way they understand. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can cater directly to the student’s needs. You can personalize the learning experience.
Remember, a learning style is how a person learns or more succinctly, it is the preferred process a person uses to absorb, process, comprehend and retain information.
If you don’t get this right, homeschooling can be a nightmare.
It took me a year and a half to figure out why we weren’t successful. It never occurred to me that my student would learn differently than I did.
I know this is a lot of material to internalize. Read the books. Put questions in the comments, and if I feel I can answer them, I will.
BOOKS
In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child’s Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong
In Their Own Way: Discovering and Encouraging Your Child’s Personal Learning Style by Thomas Armstrong.
Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner
Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice by Howard Gardner
Psychological Types (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.6) by C. G. Jung