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A longer-read: practical, structured, and designed to be reused in practice.
THIS IS COPIED FROM “EXPLORE LEARNING STYLES”
Which of these styles better reflects your learning? and Why?
Before continuing, make a brief note of your answers and include them in the end of week reflective journal entry.
The Learning Styles Questionnaire
Background
One of the most frequently employed assessments of learning is the Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ) designed by Honey and Mumford (1987). Based on Kolb’s work, they isolated the four styles that were characterured above:
- Activists – enjoy new experiences and excitement and learn best when thrown in at the deep end.
- Reflectors – like to listen, review and analyse before making a decision
- Pragmatists – learn best by putting ideas into practice
- Theorists – prefer exploring and synthesising ideas and information
Uses
The LSQ can be particularly useful in the following situations
- When working with a team or group
- When working with leaders and managers who are responsible for the learning and development of others
- When coaching an individual in transition who may be experiencing difficulties acquiring and absorbing new information
Learning Styles Questionnaire – Activity 2.1(b)
Now follow the link below to access an online excel-based questionnaire. You need to complete the questionnaire and should take you no longer than 15 minutes. Your scores for each of the preferences will be calculated automatically for you.
(Excel file download)
You should access the overview and graph of your four preferences, copy these and upload your preference scores within your reflective journal for this week.
Key Takeaways
- bullet 1
- Bullet 2
- Bullet 3
Reflection is not a pause from leadership. It is leadership — before, during, and after action
— A note for practice
Pause & consider
A short reflective prompt
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- What part of this am I avoiding because it feels uncomfortable?
• What would “selfless authority” look like here — firm and kind?
• What assumption am I treating as fact?
• What is the smallest action that would change the trajectory?
• Who is not in the room, but present in the consequences?
What do the Four Learning Styles mean?
Activists are those people who learn by doing. Activists need to get their hands dirty, to dive in with both feet first. Activists can be described in the following ways:
- Get fully involved in new experiences
- Open minded and enthusiastic
- Will 'try anything once'
- Revel in crisis management, 'fire fighting'
- Get bored by detail
Activists are likely to learn best from:
- Opportunities to work with other people, or as part of a team
- Flexible situations without the constraint of rules and guidelines
- The opportunity to tackle problems 'head-on'
- New challenges and experiences
Activists may learn less efficiently from:
- Having to take a passive role
- Working alone
- Repetitive, monotonous tasks
- Situations where there are inflexible rules or instructions
- Theoretical explanations of a problem
These people learn by observing and thinking about what happened. They may avoid leaping in, preferring to watch from the sidelines. Reflectors can be described in the following ways:
- Prefer to stand back and observe
- Look at all angles and implications
- 'Chew it over' before reaching conclusions
- Take a back seat in meetings and discussions
Reflectors are likely to learn best from:
- Opportunities to think about what has been learned
- Listening to and observing others
- Thinking ideas through before acting on them
- Working at their own pace which allows them to be thorough and careful
Reflectors learn less efficiently from:
- Activities that lack planning
- Having to work under the pressure of time
- Being forced to take shortcuts
These learners like to understand the theory behind the actions. They need models, concepts and facts in order to engage in the learning process. Theorists can be described in the following ways:
- Think problems through logically, step by step
- Assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories
- Rigorously question assumptions and conclusions
- Don't allow their feelings to influence decisions
- Uncomfortable with subjectivity, creative thinking.
Theorists are likely to learn best from:
- Information that is presented in a theoretical framework
- Opportunities to analyse information and develop a plan
- Being able to explore the associations and relationships between things
Theorists may learn less efficiently from:
- Tasks where objectives are not clearly stated
- Having to interact or discuss with others
- The practical aspects
These people need to see how to put the learning into practice in the real world. Abstract concepts and games are of limited use unless they can see a way to put the ideas into action in their lives. Pragmatists can be described in the following ways:
- Keen to try out new ideas to see if they work
- Like solving practical problems and making decisions
- Emphasise expediency - 'the end justifies the means'
- Impatient with long-winded or open-ended discussions
Pragmatists are likely to learn best from:
- Understanding the 'real world' application
- The opportunity to 'try things out'
- Having a clear structured plan with a definable purpose
Pragmatists learn less efficiently from:
- Tasks where the practical application is not obvious
- Having to work in a group
- Tasks where discussion and interaction are required