The 7 Learning Styles To Consider When Assessing Learners
When assessing learners, there are many different assessment methods that can be used to establish whether learners have the knowledge, skills, & behaviours required to achieve their qualification. It is important that as an Assessor you understand the main different types of learning styles, so you can choose the most appropriate assessment method for each learner. Here are the 7 learning styles to consider:
Visual
Visual learners tend to find pictures and images help to process and retain information, and they sometimes have a photographic memory. The best ways to keep these types of learners engaged is to use lively presentations which include lots of pictures and videos. Think as creatively as you can!
Aural
For these types of learners it is all about what they hear. They often associate new information with a sound they heard at the time, whether that be music or rhyme. The simple act of repeating things out loud really helps them to retain information better.
Verbal
Verbal communicators rely on both the spoken and written word as opposed to images on paper. If you are assessing verbal learners then interviews or Q&A sessions are best. These learners prefer presenting their findings and discussing new topics in order to learn about them.
Physical
These learners are sometimes referred to as kinesthetic learners. Think sensory… they like to touch items or act out situations in order to learn about them. Role-play and learning through interactive methods such as games work really well for these learners.
Social
Social learners are best-suited to working within a large group of people and will happily learn through team activities such as quizzes, games and debates. They are often more outgoing people who like to be surrounded by other learners.
Solitary
These types of learners are completely the opposite to social learners and prefer solo methods of learning such as self-study. They will often learn through tests, manuals, guides and reading qualification material.
Logical
Finally we have logical learners. They heavily rely on facts in order to understand subject areas and require structured learning in order to absorb information. Think cause-and-effect, fact-based tasks and scenarios. They are often problem-solvers and think in a very methodical, logical way.
How To Incorporate The Learning Styles
So now we have been through all of the different learning styles, how as an Assessor do you incorporate these into assessments? Of course in an ideal world, each learner would undergo tailored training in order to help improve their performance. That isn’t very practical as all qualifications have assessment plans which need to be followed closely. It would also be an extremely time-consuming process.
The best thing to do is make training as diverse as possible, so that learners can work at their own pace and use their own learning methods in order to retain the information. That is why here at Brooks and Kirk we provide blended learning – our learners can undergo training at a pace that suits them, during hours that are flexible around their lifestyle.
Whilst using the seven learning styles as inspiration for your teaching, remember it is always good to push learners outside of their comfort zone slightly. So regarding logical and solitary learners, if there is a way that you can integrate them into more social environments then do so.
We hope this has helped to give you a better understanding when it comes to assessing and training learners. For further information or advice please give us a call on 01205 805155.
Steve is a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
He provides Educational Consultancy to the 19+ sector as well as being an Assessor, IQA, EPA and Digital Marketing Professional. When not doing any of these he finds time, every now and then, to write blogs and articles.