Understanding Learning Styles Paper

Learning styles Understanding learning styles helps learners in learning how to learn. Hence, the learning process will be easier, faster and enjoyable. Thereby, learners become more autonomous and accountable for their own learning. Also, understanding students’ learning styles helps teachers design lessons that adapt their students’ styles, and assists students in solving problems more effectively(Biggs, 2001; Awla, 2014; Gilakjani and Ahmadi, 2011; Tuan, 2011).

Definition of learning style: Learning style had been defined by many educationalists. Learning style is the different preferred approach and way of learning (Shokrpoor et al., 2015). It is the consistent pattern of behavior and performance by which the individual

He/she is good at viewing concrete situations from many points of view. He/she likes to observe, gather information and gain insights rather than take actions. He/ she works in groups to generate ideas appeals to them (Kolb and Kolb, 2009). Assimilator learns by RO and AC. He/she demonstrates the ability to understand large amounts of information by putting it into concise and logical form. He/she is less interested in people and more focused on abstract ideas and concepts. He/she is good at inductive reasoning, values theory over practical application of ideas, and needs time to reflect on what has been learned and how information can be integrated into their past experiences (Kolb and Kolb, 2009). Converger learns by AC and AE. He/she finds practical application for ideas and theories and have the ability to use deductive reasoning to solve problems. He/she likes structure and factual information, and looks for specific solutions to problems. He/she prefers technical tasks rather than dealing with social and interpersonal issues (Kolb and Kolb,

He/ she learn best by hands-on experience and enjoys new and challenging situations. He/she are risk takers, likes to explore all possibilities and learns by experimenting with materials and objects (Kolb and Kolb, 2009).

Gregorc's model: Gregorc suggested that the mind has the meditation abilities of perception and ordering; that is the perception and ordering of knowledge affects how the person learns. Perception ability; is the way the learner grasps the incoming stimuli, is on a continuum ranging from abstractness to concreteness. Ordering ability; is the way the learner arranges and systemizes incoming stimuli is on a continuum raging from sequence to randomness (Gregorc, 1982; Esa et al., 2009). Four distinct learning styles are outlined in this model: Concrete Sequential (CS), Abstract Sequential (AS), Abstract Random (AR) and Concrete Random (CR) (Figure 2). In each of these patterns, learners demonstrate perceived attitudes, motivations, and reasoned thought towards the learning environment. All learners exhibit all four patterns to a degree, but most people are stronger in one or two styles (Gregorc, 1982). Figure 2: Gregorc's Learning Style Model (DeYoung,