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Learning TechniquesTo begin this essay about learning techniques or styles, a definition of learning and learning techniques or styles seems in order. The terms learning techniques and learning styles are used interchangeably. As with so many things, there are many definitions based on the writer?s perspective. Jeff Cobb blogs on a website called Mission to Learn and defines learning as follows. ?Learning is the lifelong process of transforming information and experience into knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes.? (Cobb) Richard Felder and Eunice Henriques define learning style as ?the ways in which an individual characteristically acquires, retains, and retrieves information....? (Felder R. M., 1995) The experts all seem to agree that every student uses a combination of different learning styles, but many students strongly favour one learning style over another while others not so strongly. The British Council has a great summary of various learning style theorists. (http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/learning-styles-teaching). (BBC, 2010) (Felder R. M., 1995) (Felder R. , 1996) (Felder R. M., 2012) Learning styles are also affected by where the language centre of the brain is located and is age dependent. With the use of new technologies such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) it is now possible to identify areas of the brain that are used for certain things, such as language. Dr. Jerzy P. Szaflarski and colleagues report in 2004 that, ?From childhood until about age 25, language capacity in right-handers grows stronger in the left hemisphere of the brain. This phenomenon is usually converse to a person's "handedness", where a right-handed person holds language in the left hemisphere, and vice versa. Using ... (fMRI) researchers have now shown that after about age 25, language capacity "evens out" somewhat, with older adults using more of both hemispheres relative to language skills.? (Language Center of the Brain Shifts with Age, 2004) As teachers it is imperative that we use a variety of teaching techniques to compliment students? learning styles. It is all too easy to overuse teaching techniques that match our own learning styles. In order to compensate for this tendency, it is important to first understand our own learning style. A Google search reveals multiple learning style assessment tools, some free and some not, but they all essentially agree that students learn in different ways. (Learning Styles Online.com, 2012) Some are visual, some auditory, some more theoretical some more practical, some learn from the bigger picture to the details and some from the details to the bigger picture some learn better in groups, some alone. A useful tool to help determine one?s own learning style is an online questionnaire found at http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.phpl. (Felder R. M., 2012) After completing the questionnaire your answers are tabulated and a result is produced that helps you to understand your own style. Armed with this information it becomes easier to ensure that our teaching is balanced and thereby addresses a variety our students learning styles. It also may help us to identify specific students who are struggling with one type of learning and substitute an alternate approach. Franzoni (http://www-public.int-evry.fr/~assar/pdf/ETS_Franzoni-Assar.pdf ) offers detailed information about learning styles and adaptations. Her focus is on Electronic media, but her adaptations are valuable in other contexts. (Franzoni, 2009) The British Council has an excellent summary of the works of Bandler and Grinder (1975) and McCarthy (1980) and very practical suggestions for teaching adaptation to match students learning styles at http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/learning-styles-teaching. (Learning Styles and Teaching, 2010) In summary and in reality, unless we are teaching one on one, the most practical approach is to offer a variety of teaching techniques and learning options. In an ideal world it would be helpful to have students complete a learning assessment tool. I expect that in most environments this is not an option. So the above links and information can be best used by teachers to assess their own learning style, to reduce over dependence on it for teaching, to offer suggestions for alternate teaching styles and to help identify students who may be struggling with a particular task and offer alternatives. References BBC, B. C. (2010). Learning styles and teaching | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC. Retrieved May 9, 2012, from www.teaching english: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/polls/learning-styles Chambers, R. (2007). Developing Your Teaching Style and Techniques. Retrieved May 8, 2012, from www.radclidd-oxford.com: http://www-public.int-evry.fr/~assar/pdf/ETS_Franzoni-Assar.pdf Cobb, J. (n.d.). A Definition of Learning. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from Mission to Learn: http://www.missiontolearn.com/2009/05/definition-of-learning/ Felder, R. M. (2012, March 02). Index of Learning Styles Questionaire. Retrieved May 9, 2012, from http://www.engr.ncsu.edu: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html Felder, R. M. (1995, Spring). Learning and Teaching Styles in Foreign and Second Language Education. Retrieved May 12, 2012, from ncsu.edu: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/FLAnnals.pdf Felder, R. M. (2012). Richard Felder Home Page. Retrieved May 11, 2012, from www4.ncsu.edu: http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/RMF.html Felder, R. (1996). Matters of Style. In R. Felder, Maters of Style (pp. 18-23). ASEE Prism. Franzoni, A. (2009, October 18). Student Learning Styles Adaptation Mehtod Based on Teaching Stratagies and Electronic Media. Mexico City, Mexico. Language Center of the Brain Shifts with Age. (2004, April 28). Retrieved May 8, 2012, from www.sciencedaily.com/: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040428062634.htm Learning Style - Questionaires and Instruments. (n.d.). Retrieved May 9, 2012, from RapidBI.com: http://rapidbi.com/learningstyles/ Learning Styles and Teaching. (2010). Retrieved May 8, 2012, from Learning styles and teaching/TheachingEnglish/British Council/BBC: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/learning-styles-teaching Learning Styles Online.com. (2012, May). Retrieved May 9, 2012, from http://www.learning-styles-online.com/: http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/questions.php?cookieset=y
