MadSci Network: Neuroscience |
Dear Stephen, thank-you for your thoughtful question. I am not sure that I really understand your question completely, but I will try to answer it as best as I can. The following is a composite of recent information that I have found on the Internet. The notion of learning styles have been the center of controversy for several decades now, and there is still little agreement among professionals about what learning styles really are, or whether they truly exist. The learning styles theory suggests that how much individuals learn is more greatly influenced by whether the educational experience is geared toward their particular style of learning rather than their IQ level. One of the major questions investigated in learning styles research is the visual/auditory/kinesthetic distinction. Researchers generally agree that modalities of learning are distinguishable, but there is no consensus on whether these represent true learning styles or simply learning differences. The concept of learning styles is rooted in the classification of psychological types. The learning styles theory is based on research demonstrating that, as the result of heredity, upbringing, and current environmental demands, different individuals have a tendency to both perceive and process information differently. The different ways of doing so are generally classified as: 1. Concrete and abstract perceivers--Concrete perceivers absorb information through direct experience, by doing, acting, sensing, and feeling. Abstract perceivers, however, take in information through analysis, observation, and thinking. Concrete thinking starts to form at about age six or so and is usually well developed by puberty. However, mental disorders such as schizophrenia can reduce or eliminate one’s ability to think abstractly. 2. Active and reflective processors--Active processors make sense of an experience by immediately using the new information. Reflective processors make sense of an experience by reflecting on and thinking about it. Traditional schooling tends to favor abstract perceiving and reflective processing. Other kinds of learning often are not rewarded or reflected in our typical educational curriculum, instruction, or assessment. Assuming that different learning styles do exist, several major issues remain to be resolved. The first is whether we should teach to students' strengths, or attempt to expand their styles. The second issue revolves around whether or not teachers can observe the differences among students' styles, or whether valid and reliable tests and inventories should be used. Given the potential number of different learning styles, and the current sizes of most classrooms, a third question relates to whether teachers have the time or resources to tailor education to individual needs. I believe your question of recent neuroscience findings is related to the two areas of perception and the brain. The biology of perception has its beginnings in the sensory receptors: the rods and cones of your eyes, microscopic cilia of the inner ear, or touch, smell, and taste receptors. Science is relatively clear on the biology of perception right down to the electrochemical reactions which send signals through nerve cells to the brain. The biology of the brain is not quite so clear however. Recent years have seen some advances with techniques such as PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) which allow us to see the brain in action as it is fed different types of stimuli. Some general areas of the brain have been linked with particular types of thinking: vision and imagery are processed in the occipital lobes (or visual cortex) at the back of the brain, language is processed in the left temporal lobe just above the ear. Planning, which is one type of metacognitive thinking, occurs in the frontal lobes (or perhaps pre-frontal lobes). Attention deficits are said to be the result of abnormalities in the frontal lobes. Reading disabilities are thought to be the result of abnormalities in the fissures which run through the left temporal lobe. The brain remains one of the most interesting yet mysterious challenges of science. We really have a long way to go in terms of truly understanding how various learning styles develop, whether they can be changed or what brain structures and functions are responsible for these differences. I am not sure I have completely answered your question, but fortunately the internet is a rich source of information for learning styles. I have included some URLs below that you can use as a starting point. For a description of seven common styles of learning, go here: http://snow.utoronto.ca/Learn2/styles4.htm. For a discussion of how teachers can change their own teaching styles, go here: http://snow.utoronto.ca/Learn2/tchstyle.htm For other sites related to learning styles, go here: http://www.ascd.org/services/eric/ericlngs.html http://www.scican.net/~harnish/mstyles.html http://ss.uno.edu/SS/Theory/TheoryMenu.html http://commhum.mccneb.edu/philos/learntheo.htm http://lowellg.simplenet.com/Multiple%20Intelligences1.htm http://www.cc.columbia.edu./~jh299/index.html http://www.physics.brown.edu/people/bblais/neuro.html http://www.cnbc.cmu.edu/
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