Dear all

I have been following the debates about styles and hope this contribution helps. In relation to some of the areas  mentioned in emails, what we know from robust research integrating neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and education perspectives is that individuals use different levels of information processing and different cognitive style families when engaged in learning. This means each individual has the capacity to use a range of styles although some learners are better than others at self-regulating and in using the most appropriate style(s) in a context. It is therefore not possible to match one style as we have many and styles also are relatively flexible. Some people however are inherently more flexible in their cognitive style use than others and this is where the teaching of strategies comes into play. We wrote an article on this last year - see link below.

Kozhevnikov, M., & Evans, C., Kosslyn, S. (2014). Cognitive style as environmentally sensitive individual differences in cognition: a modern synthesis and applications in education, business and management. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 15(1), 3-33.http://psi.sagepub.com/content/15/1/3.full.pdf+html

Our book "Understanding Pedagogy (see flyer) (Waring and Evans, 2015)  examines current myths and misunderstandings about styles and outlines how we have developed a model (PLSP) demonstrating how to use styles in practice in a research informed way emphasizing the need to develop the styles required for a specific task/ desired outcome rather than focusing on individual styles of learners based on 15 years of developing the model in practice and comprehensive systematic reviews of the literature since 2001.  There is a whole chapter in the book devoted to explicitly demonstrating how the latest research informed knowledge we now have about styles can be used to support pedagogy.  I also attach relevant references below at end of email.

On the VARK debate a lot of earlier tools are quite limited in terms of reliability and validity. We know for example that visual and verbal styles are on separate channels so it is not possible to be visual or verbal. There is still debate as to where visual-verbal styles sit within the existing styles matrix we have developed or are indeed a separate family. Kozhevnikov (2007) led on this and her work looking at spatial and object visualisation and verbalisation is important in identifying if you are high on object visualisation this will usually mean you are lower on spatial visualisation and vice versa but this does not interfere with verbalisation as it is a separate channel. We also know object visualisation improves over time.

If anyone is interested in discussing and debating this area we are running an ELSIN conference in July at Exeter - 1st - 3rd July and we have left the call open to enable anybody who still wants to submit work on learning and teaching and /or aspects of individual differences. I have attached a summary flyer - if you want more information - email me on [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.
Website can be found at: http://elsinnetwork.com/elsin-2015.html


I have added a few relevant publications below in case of interest.

Chris –hi -  In answer to your question if you are still looking for an instrument to use I would suggest you use Maria Kozhevnikov's  Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire, OSIVQ (Blazhenkova & Kozhevnikov, 2009) - see her earlier article:

 Kozhevnikov, M. (2007). Cognitive styles in the context of modern psychology: Toward an integrated framework of cognitive style. Psychological Bulletin, 133(3), 464-481. And also the special issue of Learning and Individual Differences, 2011 – Vol 21, issue 3, June 2011.

The Paschler et al article is relatively limited as it does not systematically look at the literature and what it does do it does through a very narrow lens. It lacks currency and bases it whole premise on the relevance of styles purely on the matching hypothesis which in itself is limited given what we now know about styles (see Kozhevnikov et al. 2014 reference above)

Take care
Carol

Professor Carol Evans
Professor in Higher Education
Principal Fellow (PFHEA) and National Teaching Fellow HEA
President of Education, Learning, Styles, Individual differences Network
University of Southampton
Southampton Education School, Building 32
Highfield Campus
Southampton
S017 1BJ
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Publications (MORE CAN BE FOUND AT:http://www.southampton.ac.uk/education/about/staff/cae1e14.page#publicationshttp://www.southampton.ac.uk/education/about/staff/cae1e14.page#publications )


Evans, C. (2014). Book Review of L.F. Zhang (2013). The malleability of intellectual styles. Higher Education, May, 2014.

Evans, C., & Kozhevnikov, M. (2013). Styles of practice in higher education: Exploring approaches to teaching and learning. London: Routledge.

Evans, C., & Waring, M. (2012). Application of styles in educational instruction and assessment. In L. F. Zhang, R. J. Sternberg, and S. Rayner (Eds.) The Handbook of Intellectual Styles (pp. 297-330). New York: Springer.

Waring, M., & Evans, C. (2015). Understanding Pedagogy: Developing a Critical Approach to Teaching and Learning. Abingdon, Oxford, United Kingdom: Routledge. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Pedagogy-Developing-critical-approach/dp/041557174X


From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of BLAND TOMKINSON
Sent: 06 March 2015 09:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Diagnostic tests to assess individual learning styles?

Hi, Mike

Whilst it is not indicative that different styles are appropriate for different disciplines, a study we did a little while ago (Hill, F., Tomkinson, B., Hiley, A., & Dobson, H. (2014). Learning style preferences: an examination of differences amongst students with different disciplinary backgrounds. Innovations in Education and Teaching International.) suggested that there were differences in approach by students of different disciplinary backgrounds.  I know that some work had been done eons ago using the MBTI both to look at learning preferences and also disciplinary differences, but I don't seem to have kept any references to the work.  The problem then is not one of advising students what style to adopt to pursue a particular discipline but in what effects learning styles might have in mixed classes - the study mentioned above was on a project management programme where students might, in the main, have an engineering or a business studies background.  The other question concerns the learning preferences of teachers, as opposed to students: using Honey and Mumford some years ago we found considerable differences between students and teachers in the same discipline.  These might be expalined by success as a teacher being predicated on adopting certain styles whereas students come from a range of backgrounds.  From my point of view, the utility of using the concept of learning styles is that it can be a vehicle for getting teachers to understand that their students' approaches to learning may differ from their own and that this might contribute to a lack of success on the part of the students.  It is too easy simply to imagine that students who don't succeed are either thick or lazy.

Sincerely

Bland

C Bland Tomkinson BSc BA MEd PFHEA FAUA
Visiting Lecturer, University of Manchester
Special Consultant, South East University, Nanjing
Associate Editor, HERD
----Original message----
From : [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Date : 06/03/2015 - 07:02 (GMTST)
To : [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject : Re: Diagnostic tests to assess individual learning styles?
Can I just add two good books reviewing much of the research on intellectual styles:

“The Malleability of Intellectual Styles” (Zhang, 2013; Cambridge University Press).
Forthcoming:  “The Value of Intellectual Styles” (Cambridge University Press).

I guess the title of the first book raises the issue of malleability, depending on context etc.

My own, and others, research into student approaches to learning and teachers approaches to teaching is consistent with the idea of malleability.

The real question for me is, are different learning styles more appropriate for studying different disciplines, and if so, how do we support students to adopt an appropriate style for the discipline they wish to study.

Some people have describe our teaching approaches – information transmission/teacher focused and conceptual change/student focused as different teaching styles. If they are styles, I hope they are malleable.

Mike

Michael Prosser
Honorary Professor, The University of Sydney
Honorary Professor, The University of Hong Kong (+852) 39174770
Visiting Professor, The University of Tasmania

From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ruth Pilkington
Sent: 05 March 2015 01:29
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Diagnostic tests to assess individual learning styles?

Just wanted to chip in at the end of a most fascinating exchange of ideas and expertise. This is what SEDA is all about. I have definitely been a lurker but I think when this is pulled together we will have a very useful reference list and list of links. Perfect.
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise - so sorry I have not contributed...
Ruth

Ruth Pilkington
Sent from my iPad

Educational Consultancy
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Skype: ruth.pilkington2




On 4 Mar 2015, at 11:47, Edwards, Corony <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Dear All,

Somewhat late in the day, but here are links to two further (and shorter) articles that I have found useful in stimulating debate about learning styles:

Timothy J. Landrum & Kimberly A. McDuffie (2010): Learning Styles in the Age of Differentiated Instruction, Exceptionality, 18:1, 6-17
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09362830903462441

And

Cedar Riener & Daniel Willingham (2010): The Myth of Learning Styles, Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 42:5, 32-35
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2010.503139


Landrum and McDuffie’s piece is primarily concerned with the usefulness of learning styles to inform differentiated instruction for students with disabilities or particular learning needs, but the account on pages 10 – 13 gives a fascinating glimpse into the origins of some of this work, and the credibility we might therefore afford it. They sum it up thus: ‘We encourage future reviewers to attend carefully and more explicitly to the methodological quality of studies when reviewing learning styles literature, and we encourage readers to evaluate existing studies of the impact of teaching based on learning styles with an equally critical eye toward methodological soundness.’ (page 13).

Best wishes

Corony


From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Phil Race
Sent: 04 March 2015 10:11
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Diagnostic tests to assess individual learning styles?

A very interesting discussion. I'm actually quite sceptical about learning styles too, but had a dabble alongside this way back in 2005 in the first edition of 'Making Learning Happen'. I deleted this chapter from the 2nd edition in 2010, and likewise 2014. However, you might find it adds a little to the discussion, so I've attached it here.

My own belief is that we can identify seven (in 2005 just five) factors which underpin successful learning, but that each individual learner addresses these factors in their own ways - and differently on different days. By the time I'd expanded the number of factors to seven, and with the natural overlap between the factors, it was no longer sensible to even try the approach I used in that 2005 chapter - hence its deletion.
all best wishes
Phil

__________________________________
Professor Phil Race
BSc PhD PGCE FCIPD PFHEA NTF

follow@RacePhil
Website: http://phil-race.co.uk/
___________________________________

On 3 March 2015 at 11:53, Chris.Edwards <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Pollyanna’s account of her learning styles bib experience suggests a commitment from the school that I know I would be straight in to challenge if it involved my children.

I believe, however, those involved in The Education, Learning, Styles, Individual differences Network, ELSIN, http://elsinnetwork.com/index.php, would cite evidence to show things have moved on since Coffield et al’s critique but I am not up to date with the latest developments.

Frank Coffield also wrote this pamphlet with students in mind, and it might be a useful resource to use more broadly (as does
Gibbs’ idea no.29) with students: All You Ever Wanted to Know about Learning and Teaching But Were Too Cool to Ask. You’ll find the pdf if you search – url seems too long to paste here!

It looks like Guy Claxton’s domain name is up for sale. His work fed into the development at Bristol of the Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory, ELLI, which picks up on the ideas of learning dispositions and learning power. I was involved in an original trial of this within HE and, it might be worth following up if you’re interested. It certainly provides a rich framework to talk about learning and approaches to learning but isn’t something to be covered quickly like the Fielder-Silverman option mentioned by Laurie. Last time I had any contact with the ELLI team, it was still seen as something to be mediated by a mentor but they had reduced the size of the questionnaire to less than 40 questions.

Thanks Ian for your Pashler et al. reference. I will check it out when I get a chance.

Regards
Chris
Lecturer
Institute of Educational Technology
Open University


From: Chris Martindale [mailto:[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>]
Sent: 02 March 2015 21:16
To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Diagnostic tests to assess individual learning styles?

Dear colleagues,

Can I draw upon the resources of your knowledge and experience? I am looking for a workshop activity that will help learners to discover their individual learning preference or style. I am aware of at least some of the models in the literature produced by Kolb, Gregoric, Fielder-Silverman or Fleming's VARK questionnaire. Ideally the test does not have to be too complicated and it has to include a visual outcome of some kind. Your suggestions would very welcome and save me having to 're-invent the wheel'.

Thank you in advance,

Chris

Chris Martindale
Learning Enhancement
University of Derby
Tel. 01332-591212
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