Transcript Introduction to Educational Psychology: Developing a

Learning Styles
EDU 330: Educational Psychology
Daniel Moos
Opening Thought Question
Please respond to this comment from a not-so
hypothetical teacher
Why would I completely adapt to my students’
learning styles? When they get out into the real
world, they are not going to be in a situation where
they are able to choose how to demonstrate what
they know and what they have done. They are
going to have to learn how to get things done in
whatever context they are in. So, won’t I just be
setting up my students for failure if I always adapt
to their learning style?
Learning Styles
• A learning style is a consistent preference over time
for dealing with intellectual tasks in a particular way
• Three types of styles
 Field-Dependence and Field-Independence
 Reflectivity and Impulsivity
 Mental Self-Government Styles
Field-Dependence vs.
Field-Independence
Field-Dependence
• Unable to separate figures from background
• Excel at remembering faces
• Prefers:
– well-structured learning environment
– positive feedback
– social aspects of learning
Field-Independence
•
•
•
•
Able to break up an organized visual
Excel at remembering names
Understand visual cues and are better at math
Prefer
– learning environments that require minimal interaction.
– Discovery learning & individualized self-paced learning.
Reflectivity vs. Impulsivity
• Reflectivity
More time collecting information and analyzing
(problem solving)
• Impulsivity
ã Responds quickly with little collection or analysis
of information (problem solving)
ã Instructional practice to support reflectivity?
ã Wait Time
ã Writing questions on note-cards
ã Journaling
Gender Differences?
• Males tend to outscore females on the following
tests:
Visual-spatial ability
Mathematical reasoning
College entrance
• Females tend to outscore males on the following
tests:
Memory
Language use
• Possible reasons why gender differences in cognition
and achievement exist:
Differences in brain structure
Peer pressure to exhibit gender-typed behaviors
What is Gender Bias?
• Gender bias is…
Responding differently to male and female
students without having sound educational
reasons for doing so.
• Likely sources of gender bias include:
Gender-role stereotypes of teachers
School curricula that reward gender stereotyped
behavior
Gender-role stereotypes of classmates