• Text 5 allowing for thinking styles

1. Read the text and do the assignments that follow.

When I received a C in my introductory psychology course, I concluded (and my teacher concurred) that I did not have the ability to pursue my true interest and intended major – psychology. I decided to switch to mathematics. But discovering that I had even less ability in that subject, I returned to psychology; three years later I was graduated summa cum laude with exceptional distinction in that field.

As a high school student I had a similar experience. My French teacher advised me that, while I did reasonably well in the subject, I lacked the natural ability to learn foreign languages and ought to take this fact into account in my future planning. I did, and proceeded to avoid all foreign language courses in college. Years later, as an assistant professor, I received a contract to develop a program to help Venezuelan schoolchildren enhance their thinking skills. I had to learn Spanish. I did so – rapidly – and today speak Spanish fluently. When I travel to Spain and Latin America, I have no problem presenting my talks in the native language.

These are the kinds of events in my own life – which are mirrored in almost everyone else’ – that have interested me in styles of thinking and learning. In both psychology and foreign languages, the problem I faced was not a lack of ability, but a mismatch between the way a course was taught and the way I think and learn. My experiences illustrated the following:

• Teachers almost invariably teach and assess students in ways that benefit those with certain styles of thinking and learning but place many others at a marked disadvantage.

• Teachers and students alike confuse mismatches in styles of teaching and learning with lack of ability.

• Teachers can easily and comfortably expand their ways of teaching and assessing students to accommodate virtually all thinking and learning styles. If they do, they will observe immediate and powerful increases in student performance.

What’s My Style?

A style is a preferred way of using one’s abilities. It is not in itself an ability but rather a preference. Hence, various styles are not good or bad, only different.

We all have a style profile, meaning we show varying amounts of each style, but we are not locked into any one profile. We can vary our styles to suit different tasks and situations. For example, the style we need to discern the meaning of a work of literature is not the same one you need to read detailed directions. Styles further vary over the course of a lifetime, and change as a result of the role models we emulate at different points in our lives. We do very in our flexibility to shift styles, and in the strengths of our preferences. But while we have preferred styles, our styles are fluid, not fixed.

Many theories of styles have been proposed. All are attempts to describe how people think. One such theory is known as mental self–government. The basic idea is that we must organize or govern ourselves, and the ways in which we do correspond to the kinds of governments and government branches that exist worldwide – legislative, executive, judicial; monarchic, hierarchic, oligarchic (see fig.1). Note that there are 13 styles under five categories: functions, forms, levels, scope and leanings.

Figure 1 Styles of Mental Self-Government

Style Characterization Example

Function

Legislative Likes to create, invent, design, Likes doing science projects,

do things his or her way, writing poetry, stories, or

have little assigned structure. music, and creating original

artworks.

Executive Likes to follow directions, do Likes to solve problems, write

what he or she is told, be papers on assigned topics,

given structure. do artwork from models,

build from designs, learn

assigned information.

Judicial Likes to judge and evaluate Likes to critique work of

people and things. others, write critical essays,

give feedback, advice.

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Forms

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Monarchic Likes to do one thing at a time, Likes to immerse self in a

devoting to it almost all energy single project, whether art,

and resources. science, history, business.

Hierarchic Likes to do many things at once, Likes to budget time for

setting priorities for which to doing homework so that

do, when and how much time more time and energy is

and energy to devote to each. devoted to important

assignments.

Oligarchic Likes to do many thing at once, Likes to devote sufficient

but has trouble setting priorities. time to reading

comprehension items,

so may not finish

standardized verbal-ability

test.

Anarchic Likes to take a random approach Writes an essay in stream-of-

to problems, dislikes systems, consciousness form; in

guidelines, and practically all conversations jumps from

constraints. one point to another;

starts things but doesn’t

finish them.

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Levels

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Global Likes to deal with big picture, Writes an essay on the generalities, abstractions. global message and

meaning of a work of art.

Local Likes to deal with details, Writes an essay describing

specifics, concrete examples. the details of a work of art

and how they interact.

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Scope

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Internal Likes to work alone, focus Prefers to do science or social

inward, be self-sufficient. studies project on his or her

own.

External Likes to work with others, Prefers to do science or social

focus outward, be independent. studies project with other

members of a group.

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Leaning

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Liberal Likes to do things in new ways, Prefers to figure out how to

defy conventions. operate new equipment in

non-traditional way;

prefers open-classroom

setting.

Conservative Likes to do things in tried Prefers to operate new

and true ways, follow equipment in traditional way;

conventions. prefers traditional

classroom setting.

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Most of us tend toward one style within each category, although these preferences may vary with the task and situation. For example, children who are liberal in science class (enjoy doing things in new ways) may be conservative in cooking class or in gym (prefer the familiar). Teachers who are legislative at work (preferring creation, invention) may be executive at home Following or giving directions, preferring structure), almost always taking the lead with the family.

There exist a number of ways to assess styles. One is based on self-reports of students and teachers, another on performance, and a third on evaluations by another person. The most direct way is to analyze the types of instructional and assessment activities a person prefers. By doing this, you can make a difference to your students now!

Change Styles Often

One principle underlines all three approaches: Teachers must accommodate an array of thinking and learning styles, systematically varying teaching and assessment methods to reach every student. The key is variety and flexibility – using the full range of styles available to you. You probably know all these methods and have used them in the past, yet most teachers regularly use only a few.

The solution is not to replace traditional teaching and assessment methods with modern methods. Traditional methods (like multiple-choice tests) benefit an executive and conservative style, while modern methods (like performance assessment) benefit children with a legislative style. Neither method is uniquely correct. By changing from one to another, you’ll merely benefit a different group of children. Again, the key is to vary your approach.

Note, too, that children with oligarchic and anarchic styles are almost always at a disadvantage: virtually nothing teachers do specifically benefits them. We therefore need to help students with an oligarchic style (they like to do many things at once) to become comfortable with setting priorities. And we need to help children with an anarchic style (who approach problems randomly and chafe at guidelines) learn to discipline themselves to direct their energies in an organized and focused way.