Learning Styles Blog

What does it all mean?

2010-03-11T04:48:0513:00:00

(To book the e-course now, please use this button)

Your school has purchased LSA profiles for all the children in your class. It's time to rejoice! Finally you will be able to find out the Learning Style of all your star (and not so star!) pupils!

You let them all fill in the questionnaire, you print out the reports...

.... Ouch! So much information! It's all precious, of course, but how can you take it all in at a glance?

If pictures like the ones below give you a headache...

and

... you might want to take our online course which discusses the learning style concepts in more detail.

To book the e-course now, please use the button below:

The danger of knowing “something” about Learning Styles

2010-03-04T23:23:0913:00:00

(To book the e-course now, please use this button)

Yes, it’s true! Sometimes having too little knowledge is worse than having no knowledge at all! If you know something about the concepts surrounding Learning Styles, you might be tempted to draw your own conclusions about your children’s, your students’ or your own learning style. You may, for example, assume that:

A child who loves chatting about her day will learn well by talking about a new and difficult concept. (Not true: there is a difference between social chatter and the need to talk aloud about a learning task.)
A teen who loves fiction books will thrive reading textbooks. (Not true: many people who love reading are nevertheless unable to discern technical information from text.)
A child who loves playing with friends will learn well in a group. (Not true: if you like being with friends, they may distract you from doing homework.)
A teen whose learning style indicates a preference for background noise should be allowed to listen to the radio or a CD of their choice. (Not true: only specific music will aid learning.)

Click here to learn more about Learning Styles in general.

What’s your Learning Style? Find out here.

To book the e-course now, please use the button below:

Dig Deeper Into Learning Styles

2010-02-28T23:15:1313:00:00

Have you ever wanted to dig deeper into your students’ Learning Styles? Have you wondered what it implies for a child’s learning when they are highly holistic or internally motivated? Have you looked at a group profile and compared it to your own Teaching Style Analysis report?

Now you can.

When: 1 - 31 March 2010

Where: online

How much: EUR150

We don’t have set times when you have to be in front of the computer - do it at your own leisure. Nor do we have Real Time participation, though email participation is encouraged.

Classes will be held on a designated Yahoo Group. The way it'll work will be fairly structured yet informal, to accommodate all learning styles and most schedules:

the tutor will post a lesson on the forum (this will be available on the yahoo group's website and as an email sent to your address), usually with homework assignments
the participants will ask questions, post feedback and share homework - all by means of an email/post to the yahoo group
although the lessons will be posted on designated dates, the participants will be free to do them whenever it's convenient, bearing in mind that it's always best to do it when most of the class is doing it, of course....

Click here to read more
Click here to book

Click to join LearningStylesEcourseDay1

1st on-line Learning Style Certification Course

2010-02-19T00:02:3313:00:00

LEARNING STYLES

IN ACTION

Personalized Learning and Micro-Teaching

A new Approach to

Recommended for teaching principals, tutors, active classroom teachers and educators

who already have some experience with Learning Styles and want to gain better understanding of practical applications of style diversity in the classroom

When: 1 - 31 March 2010

Where: online

How much: EUR150

Click here to read more
Click here to book

Click to join LearningStylesEcourseDay1

Bad Behaviour - Bursting the Belief

2010-02-12T01:18:2213:00:00

IT’S A LEARNING STYLE NEED

Did you know that the habit of hair chewing / nail biting discussed in last week’s blog can often be mistaken for bad behaviour?

The need for chewing or snacking when you’re supposed to be doing homework is a matter of the child’s Learning Style. It should be recognised for what it is: a comforting action under pressure or to relieve boredom, which also seems to help with problem solving.

Sadly, the need for intake (chewing) is often interpreted as neurotic behaviour because the more it’s forbidden, the greater the need and it could then lead to compulsive behaviour.

WARNING!

Combined with the need for tactile stimulation, the need for intake often leads to smoking. Is your child at risk? Find out here.

ADVICE

Parents should observe, under which conditions their children chew most and when do they ‘forget’ to do that (most likely when their hands are occupied and they are really engaged in an activity). Acknowledging the need and getting to know their Learning Style is the best starting point.

INTERVIEW

Today we’re fortunate to have Barbara Prashnig, a world expert in the field of Learning Styles, to answer our questions.

Q: Does hair-chewing increase under stress?

A: Although there are so far no scientific studies on that subject, from anecdotal evidence & observation from LS users, people (and children in particular) who have taken up the habit of chewing their hair (in LS terms have a high need for intake/mouth stimulation combined with a preference for tactile stimulation), seem to increase when they experience the following:

a) being VERY excited, talking about something, reporting and not having anything to do with their fingers;

b) concentrating deeply, forgetting the world around them but again, not having anything to chew or occupy their fingers with;

c) being bored, impatient also can bring about this behaviour – it seems to be comforting.

Q: "My child only seems to chew when they find the homework boring. What does it mean?"

A: See point c) above. Make sure, your child learns multi-sensory, can move about when needed, has it comfortable, the right light level, noise or quiet etc according to their personal style combinations.

Q: If the school has a rigid no-chewing policy, can the chewing need to relieved by matching the child's other learning needs?

A: Not necessarily, particularly when the urge for chewing is very strong (remember: it’s biological and can influenced by will only with difficulty). When a child’s hands are occupied & the learning is multi-sensory, then often the need for chewing goes down, but chewing also often functions as a thinking or learning-enhancer.

Chewing Hair - A Matter of Learning Style

2010-02-03T10:49:2313:00:00

“Take that hair out of your mouth!”
“Stop biting your nails!”
“Have you eaten the other half of the bookmark?”
“Don’t suck your collar.”
“Don’t chew the pencil.”
“If you carry on biting your nails, you’ll get an infection.”

If this is a familiar mantra in your household, wait. Before you start painting your child’s fingers, pens and clothes with bitter substances, try to get to the root cause of the problem.

Every child has their own unique Learning Style, in other words, every child learns in a different way:

some need to feel good about the topic they’re learning,
some need to make a model of the new concept,
some need to work closely with a group of friends in order to understand best...
... and some need to chew something while concentrating.

All in all, there are 49 Learning Style Elements that affect your child’s ability to concentrate on their school work. Please have a look at the LSA Pyramid to see what they are.

If your child tends to chew when reading or doing homework, give them sugar-free gum, a healthy snack, a water bottle or a wooden spoon to chew on. Less stress for you, more learning for them.

Incidentally, would your child enjoy playing a maths-based board game or baking a cake in order to learn their fractions? Find out here.

Are you listening?

2010-01-29T01:32:2413:00:00

What sticks in your memory when you listen to a list of instructions? If the only thing that echoes is the last point, don't worry, you're not the only one. Many people's working stylemakes it almost impossible for them to remember what they hear... while others cannot understand how that's possible and end up feeling hurt, marginalized or ignored.

Get your family working the way it should: discover their preferred style of communication with one of our products (age-appropriate).

Learning Styles in James Cameron’s Avatar

2010-01-22T11:36:2813:00:00

Whether you’ve seen the movie Avatar or not, you must have heard about it. People say:

great visual effects;
there is no story and it doesn’t matter;
there is no story and it does matter;
“I want to live on Pandora” (that’s the fictional world Avatar is set in);
“I don’t get it: what’s all the hype about”?

These are all valid responses and opinions, and your own reaction to the movie may well depend on your own unique Learning Style.

You will probably love the movie and forgive it the rather predictable story line if you are:

highly visual (external as well as internal), and/or
internally kinesthetic (click here to learn what that means).

On the other hand, if your learning style is very left-brained, you may stop to analyse the plot holes so much, you’ll forget to look at the bigger - and amazingly beautiful 3D - picture. If a ripping good story is what you need to get you interested (highly right-brained learning style), you might come out feeling disappointed, too.

What is your learning style? Will you enjoy watching Avatar? Have a look here to find out.

And the first 5 people to write to yvonne@clc.co.nz with the correct interpretation of the main character's Learning Style (1 element only) will win a mystery prize.

New Year, New You

2010-01-15T00:02:5813:00:00

In 2010, which dream would you like to follow?

Get a new job.
Tune into your spouse’s brain wave.
Study at university.
Help your children achieve at school.
Manage your stress levels.

Whatever your circumstances, whatever your dream, we have a product that helps you understand yourself better and appreciate other people’s diversity - in style.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T14:25:4013:00:00

It’s hard to believe that it was really 30 years ago that ABBA sang “Happy New Year” with the following lyrics:

It’s the end of the decade

In another 10 years time

Who can say what we’ll find

What lies waiting down the line

In the end of ’89….

As we approach the end of 2009, let’s think about those words. In another ten years time, who can say what we’ll find?

You can. It’s the end of the decade, the first decade of the new millennium. And it’s up to you what lies waiting down the line at the end of 2019.

Happy new year!!!

(Start the new year with a bang: give yourself a Working Style Analysis today and find out how to make 2010 the best year of your life.)