Addressing Diverse Learner Preferences and Intelligences With Emerging Technologies

8/13/2019 Addressing Diverse Learner Preferences and Intelligences With Emerging Technologies

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Addressing diverse learner preferences and intelligenceswith emerging technologies: Matching models to onlineopportunities

Ke Zhang

Curtis J. Bonk

Authors

Ke Zhang is an assistant professor in the Instructional Technology Program at

Wayne State University. Previously, she was an assistant professor at Texas Tech

University in !!"#!!$. %orrespon&ence regar&ing this article can 'e sent

to()e.*hang+wayne.e&u

%urt on) is a professor of Instructional Systems Technology an& a&-unct in the

School of Informatics at In&iana University. %urt is Presi&ent of %ourseShare an&

SurveyShare. e can 'e contacte& 'y e#mail( c-'on)+in&iana.e&u

Abstract:This paper critically reviews various learning preferences an& human

intelligence theories an& mo&els with a particular focus on the implications for

online learning. It highlights a few )ey mo&els, /ar&ner0s multiple intelligences,

1leming an& 2ills0 345K mo&el, oney an& 2umfor&0s 6earning Styles, an& Kol'0s

7xperiential 6earning 2o&el, an& attempts to lin) them to tren&s an& opportunities

in online learning with emerging technologies. y intersecting such mo&els with

online technologies, it offers instructors an& instructional &esigners across

e&ucational sectors an& situations new ways to thin) a'out a&&ressing &iverse

learner nee&s, 'ac)groun&s, an& expectations. 6earning technologies are important

for effective teaching, as are theories an& mo&els an& theories of learning. We

argue that more immense power can 'e &erive& from connections 'etween the

theories, mo&els an& learning technologies.

Rsum : %et article passe en revue &e mani8re criti9ue les &ivers mo&8les et

th:ories sur les pr:f:rences &0apprentissage et l0intelligence humaine, avec un

accent particulier sur les implications 9ui en &:coulent pour l0apprentissage en

ligne. 60article pr:sente 9uel9ues#uns &es principaux mo&8les ;les intelligences

multiples &e /ar&ner, le mo&8le 34K &e 1leming et 2ills, les styles &0apprentissage

&e oney et 2umfor& et le mo&8le &0apprentissage exp:rientiel &e Kol'< et tente &e
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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les relier = &es ten&ances et occasions &0apprentissage en ligne 9ui utilisent les

nouvelles technologies. 7n croisant ces mo&8les avec les technologies We', les

instructeurs et concepteurs p:&agogi9ues &ans les secteurs &e l0:&ucation ou en

situation :&ucationnelle se voient offrir &e nouvelles fa>ons &e tenir compte &es

&ivers 'esoins, hori*ons et attentes &es apprenants. 6es technologies

&0apprentissage sont importantes pour un enseignement efficace, tout comme les

th:ories et les mo&8les &0apprentissage. ?ous sommes &0avis 9u0en :ta'lissant &es

liens entre les th:ories, les mo&8les et les technologies &0apprentissage, il est

possi'le &0o'tenir un r:sultat plus puissant.

Introduction

@nline learning is one among the extensive lineage of e&ucational technologies an&

processes that has shifte& where, when, an& how learning occurs. 4s e&ucationaltechnologies continue to emerge an& progress, the learning situations an& pro'lems

as well as the resources to solve them can 'e customi*e& for online learners. @nline

resources an& technologies can support fascinating opportunities for interactive an&

colla'orative learning among people who have never physically met. 4t the same

time, they can sanction opportunities for )nowle&ge sharing among learners an&

teachers in vastly &ifferent times *ones ;Papastergiou, !!$


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un&erstan&ing of how people &iffer in learning an& more importantly, how to

a&&ress these &ifferences in teaching an& learning &esigns an& practices.

Hespite the critical views on learning style research ;e.g., %offiel&, 2oseley, all, E

7cclestone, !!D Santo, !!$


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In an attempt to &ocument the relationship 'etween online learning an& learning

styles, Santo ;!!$< fin&s that as a construct, the i&ea of learning styles is rather

wea). Hifferent instruments contain &issimilar factors ma)ing it &ifficult to )now

what to compare or a&&ress. 4n& in some cases, a learning styles inventory or

instrument is a)in to a personality measure ;Santo


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learning styles or preferences that relate to in&ivi&ual learners. Two polar opposite

&imensions exist, one on the vertical axis contrasting %7 vs. 4% ;i.e., the perception

continuum


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;4%5@< an& prefer rea&ing, lecturing, an& logical analyses. 4 converging style is

in&icative of people who learn from &oing an& thin)ing ;4%47


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Table 1;contM&


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Honey and Mumfords Learning Styles

ase& on a simplifie& version of Kol'0s ;ABF< learning cycle, oney an& 2umfor&

;ABF$, ABB< &efine& the following four learning styles( ;A< activist, ;< reflector,

;"< theorist, an& ;< pragmatist. 4s illustrate& in Ta'le , these learning styles are

each relate& to a particular stage of Kol'0s learning cycle. 1or example, activists are

similar to accommo&ators, reflectors share characteristics a)in to &ivergers,

theorists an& assimilators are much ali)e, an& pragmatists have many of the

characteristics of convergers.

Table 2.6in)ing oney an& 2umfor&0s ;ABF$, ABB< learning styles to emerging

technologies


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Ta'le ;contM&


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oney an& 2umfor& a&mit that the similarities are greater than the &ifferences in

this mo&el since the four stages of their learning cycle ha& their roots in the Kol'

mo&el. In 'oth cases, it is important to com'ine opportunities for gaining

experience, reflecting on that experience, coming to new insights or

conceptuali*ations, an& then ta)ing action or experimenting with such new theories,

i&eas, or approaches. ence, activities that can engage all four styles can 'e

important for effective instruction. /iven that approaches to learning vary across

the population, involving multiple instructional metho&s, mo&els, an& strategies in

online courses will perhaps help in creating more appealing learning experiences

that a&&ress the ways in which &ifferent people learn.

4MA

In exten&ing Kol'0s ;ABF< experiential learning approach, ernice 2c%arthy ;ABFC

Addressing Diverse Learner Preferences and Intelligences With Emerging Technologies

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