Online Degrees - Matter of Styles

There are numerous models of learning styles available, and in looking at these, and trying to decipher what your style might be, remember that these do not indicate your ability or capacity to learn, but rather how you learn. One model that many people are familiar with is The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a categorization that people use often to identify their personality types as well. Based on psychologist Carl Jung's theory of psychological types, the Myers-Briggs distinguishes between extraverts and introverts-those that try things out and focus on the outer world versus those who think things through and focus on the inner world; sensors and intuitors-those that are practical and detail-oriented versus those that are imaginative and concept-oriented; thinkers and feelers-those that are skeptical and make decisions based on logic versus those that are appreciative and make decisions on personal considerations; and judgers and perceivers-those that set and follow agendas versus those that adapt to changing circumstances.

Another model is the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI). This model breaks the brain into the following quadrants: 1. left brain, cerebral is logical, quantitative and factual; 2. left brain, limbic is sequential, organized and structured; 3. right brain, limbic is emotional, sensory and symbolic; and 4. right brain, cerebral is visual, innovative and holistic. You can see that although the categories are organized differently, many of the concepts are the same in the different models.

The same holds true for the Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model, which classifies learners within five categories. First, a learner is either sensing (concrete and fact-oriented) or intuitive (conceptual and theory-oriented). Next a learner is either visual or verbal. Third, they are inductive, preferring presentations that go from specific to general or deductive, preferring presentations that go from general to specific. Fourth, they are active or reflective. Lastly, they are sequential, learning in incremental steps or global, learning in large, holistic steps.