How We Teach and How They Learn

陳偉濟(jì)

Abstract： The ways in which we learn have something thing to do with the styles in which we teach. Learning experience can be a help to be a teacher. People learn in different ways. There is no right way and wrong way. We should discover ways and methods to help students.

Keywords： learn； teach； different styles； learning experience； modalities

1. The ways we perceive new information

There are four basic elements to learning that need to be understood. The first two elements deal with perception； the way we take in new information. This is done in either a concrete or abstract way. Concrete learners perceive things by what their senses take in； and if they are heavily concrete， they see little more than what their senses take in. The opposite is true for the abstract learner. This type of learner takes in new information and conceives new ideas from the concrete.

The next part of the process shows how we order new information. Do we put things in sequential order or random order？ Most of us know that when we study history we do so from beginning to the present， and we work accordingly. The random learner sees not the sequence as important but the event itself. To this learner， the order is not important， just the event – in any order.

2. The three basic ways we take in new information

Auditory Learners： It is commonly understood that people remember only 10% of what they hear once. This percentage is higher for auditory learners， depending on how long they have to listen. Historically it was said that the average adult can pay close attention for a maximum of 20 minutes. These learners learn best in group settings where they can listen and enter into the discussion.

Visual Learners： The more visual images given to these learners the more they will remember. [1] Making great use of visual aids will even help poor readers. In fact， students always did better on tests when visuals were given. [2]

Tactile/Kinesthetic： These are the students who suffer the most in a class setting or while trying to listen to a sermon. Tactile means that the student needs to physically touch something to understand it； kinesthetic students need to be physically moving in some way in order to stay with the information being shared.

3.1 The Imaginative Learners

Imaginative learners like to talk in broad overview and not details. They see the big picture， but not the tiny dots that compose the picture. They learn by listening and sharing ideas. So， whenever I taught a course that was involved history I had to begin by explaining what difference knowing this information could make in their lives and ministries. Once they understood that， they were now motivated to stay with me for the rest of the course.

3.2 The Analytic Learner

Analytics （and I am one） are content to get fat on facts. We love to listen to long lectures （sermons are lectures）. But they are the only learners who thrive on lectures， while all the others prefer interaction. We like information presented logically and sequentially. It is hard to teach many subjects in any way except chronologically， so we must use stories and illustrations to make them more understandable to all learners. The imaginative learner does not like win/lose type situations because they are people oriented and did not like anyone to loose. In contrast， analytics are the best people recruit on your debate team.

3.3 The Common Sense Learner

Dont you just love it when you know someone who can take all the information you have and make something useful with it？ This is the strength of the Common Sense Learner. He is able to take all the facts gathered so accurately and sequentially by the Analytic Learner and put them to good use.

Some of the characteristics of this learning style include：

Goal oriented – not just satisfied with facts unless they can test them

They live in a realistic world and not an “idea” world

They see skills as knowledge rather than facts

The most effective way to teach this group is by demonstration - show how what has been taught （the details and facts） work in life.

4. Conclusion

People learn in different ways. The Imaginative wants to know why this lesson is important； the Analytic wants to know the details of the story， but the Common Sense Learner wants to develop it into something meaningful and practical. These all work together. No teacher should ever feel threatened by learners who process information in a different way than they. We should embrace them. Then we should discover ways and methods to help them all learn.

【References】

[1]Marlene LeFever， Learning Styles （Colorado Springs： D.C. Cook， 1995）， p.103.

[2]Buchberger， Campos， Kallos， and Stephenson （2000）.

[3] Brown， Collins， & Duguid （1989）. J.S. Brown， A. Collins and P. Duguid ， Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher 18 1 （1989）， pp. 32–42.