What are learning styles?
The concept of learning style is used to describe individual differences in the way people learn. Each person has a unique way to absorb and process experiences and information. Consideration of learning styles has become increasingly important for individuals, parents, educators and organizations at large to understand what is the appropriate learning environment that fosters and honors individual’s differences. For example, research had indicated that particular learning environment seem better suited for particular learning content and learning preferences and that students perform better when the learning environment is consistent with their learning preferences.
Learning styles can be defined as the various ways learners process and organize information as they interact with their environment. Students with different personality styles tackle learning in different ways. They have preferred ways of processing and organizing information. Teachers and students whose styles match each other usually have no difficulty in communicating about content. However, when the teacher’s style is different from the student’s styles, miscommunication or lack of communication can happen. The effective teacher will adapt teaching styles to meet the variety of styles of students in the classroom. It is not possible to match every style during each activity, but it is possible to address a variety of styles within a few days by using different types of activities.
