LEARNING STYLES AND STRATEGIES

BARANGAY LITERACY WORKER PROGRAM

 CONTENTS

• Learning Styles and Different Kinds

of Learners
• “Multiple Intelligences”
• Adult Learning Principles – the “4As”
• Reflection
• Active Learning Strategies
 UNDERSTANDING OUR
LEARNERS
• Every learner is different!

• They have a unique personality, personal experiences, and

different preferences when it comes to learning

• Some learners will be illiterate and taking the Basic

Learning Program; others will be highly literate and taking
the Secondary Education Program

• It is important to be flexible in our teaching style in order to

reach every learner in a meaningful way, and that matches
their skill level and aptitudes

• Teaching for ALS requires more effort than traditional

teaching, but the results and attitudes of your learners will
be a great reward!
 LEARNING STYLES
• Learning styles are often divided into three main categories, defined
by a dominant sensory experience:

Visual (sight): approx. 60% of people. These learners prefer to

write notes and see images, and respond well if key ideas are
written on paper, or a blackboard.

Auditory (sound): approx. 30% of people. These learners prefer

to hear ideas spoken aloud to them, discussed in a group
setting, or even communicated through music.

Kinesthetic (touch and emotion): approx. 10% of people. These

learners prefer to learn through doing physical activities like
playing games, rather than through visual or auditory
demonstrations.

Q. What kind of learning activities would suit each group?

Q. Why is it important to always use a combination of these

kinds of activities in your lessons?
GARDNER’S THEORY OF “MULTIPLE
INTELLIGENCE”
 Linguistic
• All intelligences are
independent from each
 Logical-mathematical other (exist in different
 Musical parts of the brain)

 Bodily-kinesthetic • ALL people possess ALL

of the intelligences
 Visual-spatial
• All individuals have a
 Interpersonal unique combination of
 Intrapersonal the different
intelligences
 Naturalistic
• Most people are stronger
 Existential in a few of these areas
 GARDNER’S THEORY OF “MULTIPLE
INTELLIGENCE”: GROUP ACTIVITY
• Get into pairs…

• Draw one topic out of one hat, and three “intelligences”

out of the other;

• In your pairs, come up with one activity for each of your

“intelligences” that teaches learners about an aspect of
your topic. (For example, if you have the topic ‘The Human
Body’ and the intelligence ‘Linguistic’, you could have
your learners write a poem about the parts of the body
and their functions);

• You and your partner have 10 minutes to complete the

activity;

• Some groups will be chosen to present their ideas at the

end
 ADULT LEARNING PRINCIPLES
• In your work as a BLW, you learners will mainly be out-
of-school-youth and adults (OSYAs).

• OSYAs often have different learning characteristics than

students in the formal education system. Maybe they
struggled at school. Maybe it has been a very long time
since they attended a class. Or maybe they lack
confidence in their basic reading and writing skills.

• As a BLW within the Alternative Learning System, you

will need to use a range of teaching strategies to
connect with your learners and help them understand
ideas.

• We are going to explore some of the major

characteristics of adult learners – these should be taken
into account when it comes to designing your learning
 ADULT LEARNING PRINCIPLES
Adult learning should:

• Be linked to learner’s personal goals

• Acknowledge and utilize prior learning and life experience
• Have direct applications to real life
• Be self-directed (learner has choices, control and responsibility)
• Be self-motivated
• Build confidence through achievement
• Be a mutual learning experience between learner and teacher
• Encourage peer support

• Provide opportunities for reflection in order to integrate new

learning into the learner’s existing knowledge base
 THE “4 As” OF ADULT LEARNING:
Activity, Analysis, Abstraction, Application
“Hook”
Activity/Experience
Step 1

“Took” “Book”
Analysis/Processing
Application/Learnings
Step 2
Step 4

“Look”
Abstraction/Generalization
Step 3
 REFLECTION
Q. What kind of learner do you think you are? (Visual, auditory,
kinesthetic, or a combination?) What makes you think this?
[2mins]

Q. Think back to the theory of “Multiple Intelligences”. How

would you rate your participation in the group activity? Which
“intelligence” do you understand the most, and which do you
understand the least? [3mins]

Q. Think-pair-share: Consider how you would use the “4 As” of

Adult Education to design a lesson about ‘Water conservation’.
Devise (1) an ‘activity’ around this topic; think about how
you might (2) ‘analyse’ the topic with your learners; consider
what (3) abstractions, or generalizations might be drawn from
the lesson; and finish with a task where you learners must (4)
‘apply’ this new knowledge. [10mins]

Some participants will be asked to share with the class.

 WHAT IS “ACTIVE LEARNING” AND
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Active learning, according to Charles Bonwell, is
any strategy “that involves learners in
doing things and thinking about the
things they are doing.”

“Active learning” helps us learn better

because it is based on experience and
reflection

Q. Why do you think it’s important to

actively think about what you are doing?
ACTIVE LEARNING EXAMPLES
• Individual and group project-based assignments
• Pairing activities such as “think, pair, share”
• Involving learners in research
• Job shadowing (learners accompany an
employee/worker at the workplace, observing and
learning about various tasks associated with an
occupation).
• Involving learners in well-structured questions and
answer sessions
ACTIVE LEARNING
STRTATEGIES
 ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Role Play: a method of acting out an
imaginary but real life situation

Debate/discussion panel: offers opportunity

to verbal presentations of views and
arguments

Brainstorming: learners are invited to quickly

and freely generate ideas/responses to
issues/problems/topics

Buzz session: learners are divided into small

groups to discuss a particular issue/problem
 ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Concept Mapping: allows learners to visually represent
connections and relationships between concepts/ideas
and information.

Demonstration: a practical presentation of a process or

procedure or skill which is designed to illustrate
theoretical principles, concepts or ideas.

Jigsaw Method: each learner works on just one part of

a project or problem, then learners combine their work
to complete the whole task.

Dialogue Journals: A formal repository for personal

learners writing that can be used to promote reflection,
synthesis of lesson/topics
 ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES

Carousel Brainstorming Exercise: learners working

in cooperative groups write their responses to a
question, moving from poster to poster at set time
intervals.

Case Studies: learners take one issue or event (e.g.

Martial Law during the Marcos Era), and try to
investigate, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate
various viewpoints on the issue.

Think-pair-share: learners individually think for a

moment about a question posed in class, before
pairing up with another learner to discuss their
thoughts. Pairs are then asked to share with the
entire group.
 ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Micro-teaching: learners are asked to give a
lesson, speech, or presentation on a topic to
their classmates.

Project-Based Learning: learners investigate

a problem in-depth and create a project (such
as a poster or booklet) to present to their
classmates, or display in the classroom.

Clarification Pauses: after a 10-15 minutes

of the lesson, learners are prompted to ask
questions about the topics covered.
 COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Many ‘active learning strategies’ are collaborative.

Collaborative learning encompasses a variety of approaches
to learning including small group or team-based activities.

• A way for learners to develop the ability to work as part of a team

• A way for learners to acquire and improve essential interpersonal
life skills
• A way for learners to take turns with different roles, such as
facilitator, recorder, reporter, etc.

Q. How do you think ‘collaborative learning’ might

help improve a learners’ understanding of your
lesson?
 ACTIVE LEARNING PHILOSOPHY
What I hear, I forget

What I hear, and see,

I remember a little.

What I hear, see and ask questions or discuss, I begin to

understand.

When I hear, see, discuss and do,

I acquire knowledge and skill.

What I teach to another, I master.

THANK YOU