Help me learn to teach to learning styles

August 14, 2008 10:22 AM

Where to learn about teaching to different learning styles?

Perhaps you remember me from such questions as this one. So I am looking for a job as a Software Trainer and I want to know what the current thinking is about teaching to different learning styles to help me focus my thoughts on my teaching skills/style for an interview. I know how I teach and what I'm good at but I want to put it in the language of what the experts are talking about.

Specifically i want to know about teaching to different learning styles especially teaching adults technology, but if you have any really great resources for training/teaching (adults, technology) I would welcome that too.

Websites would be best as they are more likely to have the most current information, but I am capable of holding a book and turning pages, whatever you got.

posted by kenzi23 to Education (4 answers total)

Try looking around on the ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) website. If nothing else, you should be able to find the titles of books or articles that deal specifically with adult learning styles.
posted by All.star at 10:54 AM on August 14, 2008

Understanding various learning styles and adapting your instruction to be inclusive of a variety of styles is a huge topic. I would suggest beginning with The Art of the Possible by Dawna Markova.
posted by hworth at 11:08 AM on August 14, 2008

Know what ADDIE means. Check out Mager for objectives (book). Thiagi is good for examples of training games. The Kirkpatrick model is often talked about in measuring training programs. Theory Into Practice database has brief explanations of learning theories (learning styles are a small part), but browse don't read it all. Look at learning styles. Also, a fairly readable article on learning theory. Know of Gardner's multiples intelligences. The Encyclopedia of Educational Technology has a good section on Andragogy: Teaching Adults .

Note: From the perspective of someone studying instructional design. The last three links in the paragraph above address your question the most.

Additional exploration:
- ERIC (Educaiton Resources Information Center) is a free database. If you search "learning styles", and skim a few articles you might get a better feel for how the term is used (Note: education-focused site)
- Ruth Clark has written some good books on e-learning/training
- Flow is a concept by Csikszentmihalyi that I liked
- Peter Senge (Fifth Discipline) was a good introduction to organizational learning
posted by ejaned8 at 3:14 PM on August 14, 2008 [2 favorites]

For a skeptical look at some common beliefs about learning styles, check out this article from the "Ask the Cognitive Psychologist" column of the American Federation of Teachers magazine.
posted by ferdydurke at 5:18 PM on August 15, 2008 [2 favorites]