Do you need to experience to learn? Do you see possibilities, when you observe? Would you instead gather a lot of knowledge? Learn about the 4 learning styles here.
We all learn in different ways. You probably already know that. But do you know, what learning style, that fits you? Improve your learning and development with more knowledge, right here, about the four learning styles by Honey & Mumford: The Reflector, The Theorist, The Pragmatist, and The Activist.
Read about all learning styles and find your own:
1. The Reflector
Observation and consideration are the two significant features of the reflector. The reflector prefers the most to gather a lot of information and gain experiences, before taking her/his conclusion. Cooperation, in particular, is vital to the reflector, because she/he gain a lot of ideas from listening to others. A reflector is process oriented before she/he acts.
On the other hand, the reflector is not very good at working towards a final result, on short deadlines or by prioritizing tasks.
When you design learning for a reflector, it is a good idea to make a lot of knowledge accessible in different formats, so the reflector can train and check up on the knowledge when it is needed. Practically, the content could be video, learning games, guides, and much more, which all are accessible for the reflector in an LMS.
2. The Theorist
Qualified knowledge in a system, is the best way to learn for a theorist, because that is what a theorist does: Gathers theory, puts all of it into a system, a model, a scheme, a structure, etc. In opposition to the reflector, the theorist prefers to work alone to ensure that the work is done properly.
On the other hand, the theorist is good in concluding, they don’t keep in the background, and they would like to participate in discussions with their knowledge.
When you design learning for a theorist, you must ensure, that the content has a high quality, or else, the theorist will get annoyed very quickly.
3. The Pragmatist
Examples and testable scenarios – that is something for the pragmatist. A pragmatist prefers to have the opportunity to experiment and would like to tear everything apart and repair it once again, to see how it works.
A learning path must be manageable with a clear purpose, and the processes must not come on hold, or else the pragmatist will get impatient very quickly. In opposition to the theorist, the pragmatist doesn’t read a manual from cover to cover but prefers to try things out for themselves.
VR Technology, where the pragmatist can try out her/his knowledge in practice, is a good idea in learning scenarios. Furthermore, coaching from experts and videos are usable, because the pragmatist will see techniques, which she/he can use in the real world.
4. The Activist
The best way for an activist to learn is to give them space to explore the content on their own – right away. She/he is often very impulsive and gets bored quickly if something gets part of a routine.
The activist is good at working with deadlines under a lot of pressure and is often only involved in activities at the moment. Furthermore, she/he is good at finding alternative solutions and often discovers something new and exciting.
On the contrary, the activist often says yes to too many tasks at once, even though it is hard for her/him to handle. That’s why it is often a challenge for the activist to handle a lot of tasks.
MicroLearning or simple learning modules are apparent for the activist. An alternative is learning with VR Technology because the activist would like to experience, while she/he learns, and to try something she/he haven’t tried before.