Adult Cognitive Learning Styles
Adult cognitive learning styles: Overview
Adult cognitive learning styles can be traced to childhood. The idea of learning or cognitive styles can be traced back to the ancient Greek and the model of personality created by Hippocrates that includes four personality types: melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic and choleric. Each person learns and processes information in different ways. Most people probably didn't realize this when they were younger because they attended schools where teachers delivered instruction in one way. Most teachers talked to their students and the students answered their questions. Students then took pencil and paper-based tests. Schools taught one way and didn’t help or encourage students to learn their unique styles. As a result, children had to adhere to the system in place or develop their own cognitive learning styles.
Adult cognitive learning styles: Assessment
Adult cognitive learning styles are developed over many years. There are different ways to classify learning styles. These fall into general categories; perceptual modality, information processing and personality patterns. The categories represent ways to focus on the learner. Perceptual modalities define biologically based reactions to our physical environment and represent the way we most efficiently adopt data. We should learn our perception style so we can seek out information in the format that we process most directly. Educators should pay attention to modalities to ensure programs strike all physiologic levels. Informal processing distinguishes between the way we sense, think, solve problems and remember information. Each of us has a preferred, consistent, distinct way of perceiving, organizing and retaining information. Personality patterns focus on attention, emotion and values. These differences allow us to predict the way we will react and feel about different situations. As adults, we learn to adapt to our weaknesses and strengths.
Adult cognitive learning styles: Action
Adult cognitive learning styles are distinct from intelligence, ability and personality. A learning style is developed and comprised of the special style having to do with the ingrained habits. These habits help to organize and represent information that is comprised of cognitive styles and learning/teaching strategies. Most people retain a dominant and auxiliary learning modality. We usually rely on these modes to process information at an unconscious level, but we may be consciously aware of which modes we prefer. We access through all senses, but generally favor one. We process visually (by sight), auditorally (by sound), kinesthetically (by moving), and tactiley (by touch). At LearningRx, we have the tools and training to help adults achieve greater success in all areas of their lives. Call a local LearningRx center or go to www.learningrx.com.
