The Recognition of Learning Module: Activity Number Two

Learning Styles

 

There are four types of Learning styles that we can look at in Honey and Mumford's Learning Style descriptions. These are:

 

Activists

 

Reflectors

 

Theorists

 

Pragmatists

 



Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80 item version, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd

There's a lot of activist skills I have developed since training at drama school. For example, my Improvisation classes enabled me to get out of my head and live 'in the moment' which is something that has really helped me in my profession since.

 

Example
 

When tutoring, there have been many times when I have been given numerous tasks to complete before running workshops and my Creative Wrting classes and as a result I have to learn how to successfully take in information a great deal quicker and run with the current thought and situation. I have found this particularly helpful in terms of working with children, one of the main reasons being that they have a very short attention span so throwing them into a set task straight away has been incredibly useful.

 

 

Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80 item version, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd
 

I did alot of this when I had to direct the children and take notes of what needed to be improved. My note taking and constant looking at script annotation meant that I was able to evaluate choreography and blocking and to keep making decisions. This included any changes that had to be made and by writing everything down, Kayleigh and I could go away and truly reflect on what needed to be improved throughout Joseph.

Example

The most obvious example would be when I used the time to make notes in the last few weeks of rehearsals in order to note down anything that was particularly in need of some improving. I would then take the opportunity to share my notes with the cast and highlight any issues that I felt should be addressed. This was a more thoughtful way of doing things and remembered from my own experience how much noting improvements helped me as a performer, because it allowed me to think about what I was doing and therefore grow.  

 

Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80 item version, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd
 

I would say that the theorist way of thinking is the way of thinking I relate to the most out of all four learning styles. This is because as a person I love structure and an set objective to work towards which I also incorporate into my acting lessons. I always have an objective and always make sure I write and annotate my scripts, when I worked as an actress and when I've worked as a director on the group's youth productions. I like to use logical and structured thought processes throughout and also like to have in my head exactly what the overall picture and finished model will potentially look like.

 

Example

An good example of when I put this into practice would be when I developed blocking for the Joseph Production and wrote and annotated my script. I made sure every single line had something interesting happening and the annotations show my need for structure and perfectionism!
 

Honey, P and Mumford, A, 2006, The Learning Styles Questionnaire 80 item version, Maidenhead: Peter Honey Publications Ltd
 

I definitely like to be able to see the relevance o
f my work in context, espeically when my ideas are put into practice by the children in the rehearsal room. In a rehearsal room it is improtant to explore and put an idea into practice and there were many times where we did that.

 

Example

 

Proven techiniques were apparent in Joseph when I used a proven concept already from my pantomime of Beauty and the Beast at drama school. I decided that instead of creating a massive 'story book', we would instead create a massive bible in which the characters were able to pop out and make a grand entrance. The audience as a result would be taken through the biblical story of Joseph that the audience would enjoy and would, as a result, enable the show to open with a bang.

What have I discovered about myself through my learning styles? Which one do I most comply with?

 

 

 I have learnt that in general I can be a mixture of all of these learning styles at some point in the learning process, however I would say that I am mostly a theorist. But what I have discovered, however, when reflecting on these learning styles is that my actor training has forced me to look at things in various different ways, forcing me to become more of an activist at certain points due to the nature of the situation. Generally, I would say I'm more of a thinker, putting me into more of the reflecting, theoretical category due to my love of structure, my logical note taking and my aim to see the overall image and how to reach that desired image. I've really enjoyed this activity, because it's made me realise that not only do people learn in different ways, but they can also have elements of each of the four types of learning. Depending on the situation, there may be times where we have to be Activists, but there may also be times where we have to be more of a Reflector and this has consequently made me think about the children I teach and that they can work and learn in various different ways, making variety of teaching methods incredibly important.