Physician know thyself!

Identifying learning needs & using learning styles

Dr Abayomi McEwenDr Susi Caesar

11th October 2006

Aim

To encourage you to become more effective learners

B the end of this session you will be able to…

• Give examples of ways to identify your learning needs

• Outline an approach to classifying learning styles

• Challenge your current learning methods• Have started thinking about the place of

learning styles in your professional development

What motivates you to learn?

Pairs exercise

Responses from some Registrars re motivation to learn

• Interest in topic

• Exam

• Makes job easier

• Competition

• Feelings of inadequacy

• Wanting to be competent and professional

• Curiosity

Responses from some Registrars re motivation to learn

• Appraisal & Feedback

• Driven to teach

• Not wanting to look silly (again!)

Principles of Motivation

• Most of us have in-built urge to attempt to achieve

• Needs related to specific goals

• Needs & goals unstable relationship– Same needs produce very different behaviour

indifferent individuals

• All have many needs but only few being acted upon at any one time

The Motivational Cycle

NEED

OUTCOME

Fulfils

Stimulates

DRIVE Produces

THE LEARNING CYCLE

Unconscious competence

Change

Unconscious incompetence

AwarenessLearning

Conscious competence

Mastery

Conscious incompetence

What methods do you use now to identify your learning needs?

Pairs exercise

Some Registrar’s responses on identifying learning needs

• Curriculum• Mistakes• Gaps (PUNS & DENS)• Change in protocols• Assessments• Medical Media• Lay media• Colleagues & Tutors

Identifying Learning Needs

• Questionnaires• Tests• Interviews• Case Analysis• Observation• Critical Incident• Self assessment• Patient feedback/complaints

Do any of these help us to find out what we don’t know we need

to learn?!

Known to self(Registrar knows)

Unknown to self(Registrar does not know)

Known to others(Trainerknows)

Learning needs known to both

Blind spot

Unknown to others(Trainerdoes notknow)

Learning need hidden from Trainer

No idea what learning needs are

Johari’s Window

Known to self(Registrar knows)

Unknown to self(Registrar does not know)

Known to others(Trainerknows)

Unknown to others(Trainerdoes notknow)

Using Johari’s Window

UNKNOWNHIDDEN

BLINDOPEN

TE

LL

ASK/LISTEN

Reaching the blind spot!

• PEP CD

• Testing/Evaluation

• Topics avoided

• Feedback

• Scanning the journals

Some answers given by Trainer/Registrar group

The experiential Learning Cycle after Kolb

ConcreteExperience

(CE)

AbstractConceptualisation

(AC)

Active Experimentation

(AC)

Reflective Observation

(RO)

The Learning Cycle

Having an experience

Concluding from the

experience

Planning the next steps

Honey & Mumford, 1992

Reviewing the experience

Discuss the effective features of a recent learning experience

Registrars’ response on experience of an effective learning activity

• Relevant• Addressed a need (exam)• Appropriate time & place• Sufficient time – not rushed• Safe & supportive environment• Positive Feedback• Self esteem maintained• Rewarded by pleasing teacher/family

Registrars’ response on experience of an effective learning activity

• Experiential learning when appropriate

• Teacher has skills & ability to teach subject

• Teacher personality/teaching style

• Varied stimulus

Learning Styles

• What sort of learning suits you best?

• Did you choose (consciously or unconsciously) that learning opportunity to suit your style?

• Have you done an assessment of your learning style?

Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory

• Converger

• Diverger

• Assimilator

• Accomodator

Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory

Converger– Problem solver– Hypothetical deductive reasoning (general to

specific

Diverger– Views situations from many perspectives– Relied heavily on brainstorming & generation

of ideas

Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory

Assimilator– Inductive reasoning – Create theoretical models

Accommodator– Carrying out plans & experiments– Adapts to immediate specific circumstances

VARKPreferences NOT Strengths

• Visual

• Aural

• Reading/Writing

• Kinaesthetic

(VARK inventory developed in 1987 by Neil Fleming, Lincoln University, New Zealand)

VARK

Visual preference– Charts– Graphs– All symbolic arrows, circles etc that teachers

use to replace words

VARK

Aural/Auditory preference– information that is "heard." – Lectures– Tutorials– Tapes– group discussion– Speaking– web chat– talking things through

VARK

Read/Write preference– Words– many academics have a strong preference for

this modality– text-based input and output– reading and writing in all its forms.

VARK

Kinesthetic (perceptual) preference– related to the use of experience and practice

(simulated or real)– the student is connected to reality, "either

through experience, example, practice or simulation”

– other modalities may be invoked

The Revision Guide to VARK

Draw a mindmap, a diagram, cartoon or a picture

Listen to a tape in the car or before going to sleep

Rewrite notes in brief with key words highlighted

Make a model, touch key points, learn by doing

Visual

Auditory

Reading / Writing

Kinaesthetic

Preferred Style & the Learning Cycle

Experiencing

Reviewing

Concluding

Planning & applying

TheTheReflectorReflector

TheTheTheoristTheorist

TheTheActivistActivist

TheThePragmatistPragmatist

Honey & Mumford, 1992

Activist PreferenceGets home, throws the instructions away and starts making it at once

Likes• New experiences• Engross in short term

activities• Like to generate ideas• Loves limelight• To be thrown in at the

deep end• To be involved with other

people• To have a go

Dislikes• Passive learning• Standing back• Too much data• Working alone• To be asked what has

been learnt• Theory• Repetition• Precise instructions• Detail

Reflector PreferenceReads the instructions, works out how to do it and then sleeps on it

Likes• Link with problem and

subject• To be shown techniques• Practice with feedback• Role model• Application to own role• Immediate transferability• Reality• Practical issues

Dislikes• Learning that is not

related to needs• Unrealistic trainers• Lack of clarity• Inertia• Bureaucracy• No real benefit to training

Theorist Preference Reads the instructions and works out how to do it before starting,

checks it out occasionally perhaps involving others Likes

• Theory• To be methodical• To question• To be stretched• Structure and clarity• Analysis & Logic• Ideas and concepts• Participate in complex

situations

Dislikes• To be thrown into

something• Emotions and feelings• Unstructured activities• Lack of policy• Lack of depth• Lack of validity• Mixing

Pragmatist PreferenceMethodically works through the instructions with little discussion

Likes• Observing• Thinking about it• Investigation• Reviewing• Reports• Safe environment to

share ideas• Not to be rushed

Dislikes• Limelight• Action without planning

• Short notice• Lack of information• Rigid rules• Time pressure• Short Cuts

What question do you ask?

• What if?

• Why?

• What?

• How?

ACTIVISTS – What if?

• Evaluator / mediator needed

• Let them teach themselves and others

Self discovery

Likes variety, things that are new, challenging, (competitive, in the limelight)

REFLECTORS – Why?

• Need a motivator

• Create a reason

Simulation / discussion

Preparation and discussion time, time to think, assimilate

THEORISTS – What?

• Need a teacher

• Give facts

Structured information, challenging

Opportunities for questions to probe and explore logic and assumptions

PRAGMATISTS – How?

• Need a coach

• Let them try it

Facilitation

Make links between subject matter and problem area, practice techniques with feedback

The IKEA link to Honey and Mumford

• Activists – IntuitiveGets home, throws the instructions away and starts building it at once

• Reflectors – ImaginativeReads the instructions and works out how to do it, then sleeps on it!

• Theorists – AnalyticalReads the instructions and works out how to do it before starting, perhaps checking it out

• Pragmatists – PracticalMethodically works through using the instructions with little help

Can you put your leaning style preferences in a hierarchical list?

How can we apply this to ourselves?

• Imagine the learning need is to insert an IUCD• Discuss possible objectives that might go in your

PDP if your preferred style is:• Activist• Reflector• Theorist• Pragmatist

Going back to earlier exercise about recent effective learning?

Did the teacher use teaching methods that matched your preferred learning styles?

Which system/style?

• All of us can and do use all styles…

• best learners are balanced and can learn from most types of experience

(this improves with age!)

• Strong preferences should be heeded if the learning need is important

• Least preferred styles can be consciously strengthened

So what?

• Depending on your learning style preferences:

• You will have enjoyed different parts of this lecture

• You will find this knowledge more or less useful

• You will be inspired to learn more effectively

Aim

To encourage you to become more effective learners

B the end of this session you will be able to…

• Give examples of ways to identify your learning needs

• Outline an approach to classifying learning styles

• Challenge your current learning methods• Have started thinking about the place of

learning styles in your professional development

Communication holds the key to effective learning…