The Index of Learning Styles
The Index of Learning Styles is an on-line instrument used to assess preferences on four dimensions (active/reflective, sensing/intuitive, visual/verbal, and sequential/global) of a learning style model formulated by Richard M. Felder and Linda K. Silverman. The instrument was developed by Richard M. Felder and Barbara A. Soloman of North Carolina State University.
The ILS may be used at no cost for non-commercial purposes by individuals who wish to determine their own learning style profile and by educators who wish to use it for teaching, advising, or research. Consultants and companies who wish to use the ILS in their work may license it. (Click below on "Frequently Asked Questions" for details.)
ILS users should be aware of two important points:
The ILS may be used at no cost for non-commercial purposes by individuals who wish to determine their own learning style profile and by educators who wish to use it for teaching, advising, or research. Consultants and companies who wish to use the ILS in their work may license it. (Click below on "Frequently Asked Questions" for details.)
ILS users should be aware of two important points:
- The ILS results provide an indication of an individual's learning preferences and an even better indication of the preference profile of a group of students (e.g. a class), but they should not be over-interpreted. If someone does not agree with the ILS assessment of his or her preferences, trust that individual's judgment over the instrument results.
- A student's learning style profile provides an indication of possible strengths and possible tendencies or habits that might lead to difficulty in academic settings. The profile does not reflect a student's suitability or unsuitability for a particular subject, discipline, or profession. Labeling students in this way is at best misleading, and can be destructive if the student uses the label as justification for a major shift in curriculum or career goals. (A learning style preference also does not serve as an excuse for a bad grade on the student's last physics test.)
learning styles
ACTIVE AND REFLECTIVE LEARNERS
SENSING AND INTUITIVE LEARNERS
VISUAL AND VERBAL LEARNERS
SEQUENTIAL AND GLOBAL LEARNERS
- Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it--discussing or applying it or explaining it to others. Reflective learners prefer to think about it quietly first.
- "Let's try it out and see how it works" is an active learner's phrase; "Let's think it through first" is the reflective learner's response.
- Active learners tend to like group work more than reflective learners, who prefer working alone.
- Sitting through lectures without getting to do anything physical but take notes is hard for both learning types, but particularly hard for active learners.
SENSING AND INTUITIVE LEARNERS
- Sensing learners tend to like learning facts, intuitive learners often prefer discovering possibilities and relationships.
- Sensors often like solving problems by well-established methods and dislike complications and surprises; intuitors like innovation and dislike repetition. Sensors are more likely than intuitors to resent being tested on material that has not been explicitly covered in class.
- Sensors tend to be patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on (laboratory) work; intuitors may be better at grasping new concepts and are often more comfortable than sensors with abstractions and mathematical formulations.
- Sensors tend to be more practical and careful than intuitors; intuitors tend to work faster and to be more innovative than sensors.
- Sensors don't like courses that have no apparent connection to the real world; intuitors don't like "plug-and-chug" courses that involve a lot of memorization and routine calculations.
VISUAL AND VERBAL LEARNERS
- Visual learners remember best what they see--pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films, and demonstrations. Verbal learners get more out of words--written and spoken explanations. Everyone learns more when information is presented both visually and verbally.
- In most college classes very little visual information is presented: students mainly listen to lectures and read material written on chalkboards and in textbooks and handouts. Unfortunately, most people are visual learners, which means that most students do not get nearly as much as they would if more visual presentation were used in class. Good learners are capable of processing information presented either visually or verbally.
SEQUENTIAL AND GLOBAL LEARNERS
- Sequential learners tend to gain understanding in linear steps, with each step following logically from the previous one. Global learners tend to learn in large jumps, absorbing material almost randomly without seeing connections, and then suddenly "getting it."
- Sequential learners tend to follow logical stepwise paths in finding solutions; global learners may be able to solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture, but they may have difficulty explaining how they did it.
my results
According to the result, I am well balanced on Active and Reflective learning styles. Also, I am a sensing learner and I prefer visual learning style. Finally, I am a sequential learner.
Therefore, as a sensing learner, I understand information best if I can see how it connects to the real world. In other words, if I am in a class where most of the material is abstract and theoretical, I may have difficulty. As a result, I should ask my instructor for specific examples of concepts and procedures, and find out how the concepts apply in practice.
Secondly, as a visual leaners, I try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow charts, or any other visual representation of course material that is predominantly verbal. I should ask my teacher about consult reference books, and see if any videotapes or CD-ROM displays of the course material are available. I also prepare a concept map by listing key points, enclosing them in boxes or circles, and drawing lines with arrows between concepts to show connections. I may also like to color-code notes with a highlighter so that everything relating to one topic is the same color.
Finally, as a sequential learner, I am very enjoyed the traditional classroom since most college courses are taught in a sequential manner. However, if any instructor who jumps around from topic to topic or skips steps, you may have difficulty following and remembering. I need to ask the instructor to fill in the skipped steps, or fill them by consulting references. When I am studying, I will take the time to outline the lecture material for yourself in logical order. In the long run doing so will save my time. I might also try to strengthen your global thinking skills by relating each new topic I study to things I already know. The more I can do so, the deeper my understanding of the topic is likely to be.
Therefore, as a sensing learner, I understand information best if I can see how it connects to the real world. In other words, if I am in a class where most of the material is abstract and theoretical, I may have difficulty. As a result, I should ask my instructor for specific examples of concepts and procedures, and find out how the concepts apply in practice.
Secondly, as a visual leaners, I try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow charts, or any other visual representation of course material that is predominantly verbal. I should ask my teacher about consult reference books, and see if any videotapes or CD-ROM displays of the course material are available. I also prepare a concept map by listing key points, enclosing them in boxes or circles, and drawing lines with arrows between concepts to show connections. I may also like to color-code notes with a highlighter so that everything relating to one topic is the same color.
Finally, as a sequential learner, I am very enjoyed the traditional classroom since most college courses are taught in a sequential manner. However, if any instructor who jumps around from topic to topic or skips steps, you may have difficulty following and remembering. I need to ask the instructor to fill in the skipped steps, or fill them by consulting references. When I am studying, I will take the time to outline the lecture material for yourself in logical order. In the long run doing so will save my time. I might also try to strengthen your global thinking skills by relating each new topic I study to things I already know. The more I can do so, the deeper my understanding of the topic is likely to be.