Each person has his/her own learning style. Some prefer to study at night or in the early morning rather than in the daytime. Others want to study alone rather than with their friends. Kang Yi-cheol, a professor of the Teachers' College, gave a lecture titled What is your learning style?' in the Woodang Hall of Kyung-pook National University on October 4th.
* photo by Park Ha-na
Professor Kang
|
Professor Kang's lecture was based on Kolb's theory, which divides people into four types. The first of these deals with Concrete Experience (CE). People who fall into this category value experience above everything else, so they tend to learn through specific examples or personal experience. The second type is Abstract Conceptualization (AC). |
This type of person likes to form logical and systematic judgements. Thirdly, Active Experimentation (AE) types usually learn best through carrying out experiments. Finally, Reflective Observation (RO) types tend to have an introspective and passive disposition.
These four different categories of learning style are mirrored in four personality types: Diverging (CE/RO), Accommodating (CE/AE), Converging (AC/AE), and Assimilating (AC/RO). People who have diverging personalities are full of originality and don't like studying with others. For them, brainstorming and making comparative studies are efficient learning strategies. |
* photo by Park, Ha-woo
Four different categories of learning style
|
Accommodating personalities tend to use their own experiences to memorize things and like making concrete
examples. These people think that group activities and mutual interactions are important. Therefore this type is common among successful chief executives in most large companies. Assimilating personalities learn inductively and often
focus on taking notes in lectures. Converging personalities also take notes, but their reasoning is more deductive, and they value listening to experts' opinions.
A graduate student (Kwon Jae-young) who saw the lecture said "This lecture gave a chance for me to think about myself, and Kolb's models seemed more or less appropriate for me." People who understand themselves well can improve their studying abilities and effectiveness. Kolb's theory is well covered in various pedagogical books, and offers a good chance for students to improve their learning skills through self-reflection.
