SH 2- Learning styles

The four learning styles are: Pragmatic, Theorist, Activist and Reflector.

Activist: You flourish in an environment where you are given the opportunity to generate a lot of ideas. You like to think on your feet and have the chance to initiate. You like to have a go, try things out and participate. You are primarily interested in the here and now. You are open minded and enthusiastic about new ideas, but tend to be bored by the details of implementation. You often act first and consider the implications afterwards. You love bouncing ideas off other people and solving problems as part of a team, but you also enjoy a bit of the limelight.

You learn best when you are involved in new experiences, problems and opportunities; working with others; being thrown in the deep end with a difficult task.

You learn less when listening to lectures or long explanations, reading or writing, absorbing and understanding data, following precise instructions to the letter, or being asked to think on your own.

Reflector: You like to think about things in detail before taking action. You prefer to take a thoughtful approach. You enjoy the opportunity for thorough preparation and to research and evaluate. You are prepared to read and re-read, and you welcome the opportunity to re-think and reflect on what you have learned. You like to stand back and look at a situation from different perspectives. You enjoy collecting data and having the opportunity to think about it carefully before coming to any conclusions. You enjoy observing others and like to listen to their views before offering your own.

You learn best when you can review what has happened and think about what you have been taught; where you are given the opportunity to mull things over, assess issues and complete tasks without tight deadlines.

You learn less when you are asked to act as a leader, do things with no time to prepare, are thrown in at the deep end, or are rushed or worried by deadlines.

Theorist: You are logical and objective. You prefer a sequential approach to problems. You are analytical, pay great attention to dettail, and tend to be a perfectionist. You are good at adapting and integrating observations into complex and logically sound theories. You enjoy thinking problems through step by step. You like to fit things into a rational scheme with good structure and clear objectives. You are pleased to be detached and analytical, rather than subjective or emotional in your thinking. You like to see how things fit into an overall pattern. You like to feel intellectually stretched.

You learn best in complex situations where you must use your skills and knowledge, in structured situations with a clear purpose, in situations that offer interesting ideas or concepts even though they are not immediately relevant, and when you have the chance to question and probe the ideas behind things.

You learn less in situations that emphasise emotion and feelings, when the activity is unstructured or briefing is poor, or you have to act without knowing the principles or concepts involved.

Pragmatist: You like to see how things work. You enjoy experimenting. You are practical, down to earth and like to solve problems. You appreciate the opportunity to try out what you have learned or are learning. You want concepts you can apply to your job. You tend to get impatient with lengthy conceptual discussions, which you regard as impractical as well as a waste of time and energy. You like to see the relevance of your work and gain practical advantage from learning. You need activities to be real.

You learn best when there is an obvious link between a topic and a job, when you can try out ideas with feedback, when you see obvious advantages (eg saving time or money) or when you are shown a model you can copy (eg a proven technique or a credible role model)

You learn less when there is no obvious or immediate benefit that you can recognise, there are no clear "how to" guidelines for putting an idea into practice, there is no apparent payback to the learning (eg shorter meetings) or the event or learning is "all theory".

Obviously we all learn through a mixture of styles and it's quite difficult to separate learning styles from personality types. It's quite nice to be "given permission" to learn and do things that suit my activist style. It also explains why traditional Sunday church services don't necessarily help my learning because they are theorist/reflector in style.