Honey and Mumford Learning Styles - A simple picture

Here is a simple view of one of the most famous Learning Styles theories.

Take a look at the diagram below and see which speech bubble comes in to your head when you are trying to learn something new.

Do you think you fit in to one of these boxes or do you flex your approach depending on the situation?

Let us know in the comments below.

It is important to acknowledge that whilst Learning Styles are widely accepted & integrated in to the Learning & Development field there is little scientific research that actually supports that designing learning interventions to meet different 'Learning Styles' makes a difference to the learning outcome. 

So where does this leave us?

Take a look at this article on learning styles

The key thing is to be aware and to find what works for you in terms of style and technique.

Do we all have ONE learning style? Do we have this same learning style ALL THE TIME? Do we change over time or is this a constant do you think?

And I guess most importantly, what does all this mean to the way that we design and facilitate learning in our organisations?

Would be interested to hear your views.

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Ady Howes - Community Manager, DPG

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Comments

  • Looking at the learning styles I believe I am a little of all, depending on what I am learning.  I do believe however, that in order to make learning a satisfactory and enjoyable experience it would be necessary to cover all areas i.e. SAVI and that way no one individual will miss out on the experience

    • I agree here Sharon, when I read about SAVI, my reaction was that this would be a great experience for when you are training with a group of learners.

  • I enjoy this debate. I am not in one box all of the time, and it certainly depends on the material I am learning. If I am already interested in the subject or not for example. When I joined my current organisation I ran a session on this very topic to help me understand the leadership team better that I was working with, without having to read through endless personality profiles. The team loved the concept and have really started to learn more about their teams as a result.

  • If I am learning a new practical skill I am definitely an activist learner. However I also swing between theorist and pragmatist. When I worked as a team leader in a cafe we were continually looking for ways to improve the service and day to day operation. If anyone came up with ideas we would try it first to see if it worked and then a analyse why it did work. At first before reading the article I though I was just an activist so I found it very interesting.
  • I swing between Activist and Theorist but definitely do not fit just into one box any of the time. I believe I have always been a 'have a go' and 'questioning why' type of person and it doesn't tend to change 

    In my opinion, I feel that we should be designing and facilitating learning using the SAVI model and addressing everyone's different styles to maximise learning. Whatever your style, if you incorporate sensory, auditory, visual and intellectual elements into the design then most people should feel satisfied that they have had a good learning experience and got the most out of the session

  • I swing between Reflector and Theorist, but I agree that it all very much depends on the type of intervention I'm attending. In some instances I definitely prefer to "get my hand dirty" and have a go. 

    If all learners swing between different styles, then I believe that the right way of designing interventions is to encompass items that appeal and will have an impact on all the above learning styles. 

  • I am definitely a reflector and this was backed up by the questionnaire we completed at work recently.  I know I need to try to adapt sufficiently in different scenarios as I often don't have enough time to 'take time to think' in my line of work.  An interesting theory.

  • I think I have always been a bit of an activist in my approach, let me have a go! However I would also agree that depending on the scenario I could flex across the four areas, I think this just comes with awareness of your capability and how to approach things. Interesting.

  • I know depending on the situation and time available that my approach changes to best suit the scenario. I know that I am all 4 at different times.

    Usually I am more reflector, theorist. and pragmatist, I like to analyse and understand the mechanics first to be able to review how best to go move forward.  

  • I think I'm both a pragmatist and a reflector - I like to think about how things fit in the real world but after I've learned, I enjoy reflecting and analysing the material (letting my mind bounce things around).

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