Introduction to learning styles

What is a learning style?

It is a set of strategies that adults prefer to use when participating in learning. The strategies relate to:

  • Cognitive styles - how one organizes, stores and retrieves information that is learned
  • Affective styles - how one deals with feelings associated with the learning
  • Interpersonal styles - how one interacts and deals with others involved in the learning
  • Physiological styles - how one deals with the physical surroundings in the learning environment75


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To access information on models that fit each of the above above styles, go to: http://web.indstate.edu/ctl/styles/model.html

Several learning style models have been developed. Instead of providing a description of each one, Curry (1987) developed a framework to understand each of the models and what areas they impact. This framework is referred as the "onion model". It consists of four layers:

The first layer refers to personality dimensions and includes models that attempt to measure the influence of one's personality on the approaches to integrating information.

  • Witkins (1954)
  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (1978)

The second layer refers to information processing and includes models related to a person's preferred intellectual approach to assimilating information.

  • Schmeck (1983)
  • Kolb (1984)