This test instrument is a tool used to identify and measure a person's thinking and learning processes.
Following image courtesy of author.In order to identify an individual thinking and learning style, Gregorc created the Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD). In my next post, I will cover two more learning style models in Tobias’ book The Way They Learn. The good news is that homeschoolers have a lot more flexibility to adapt the learning environment to suit the needs of their kids, as compared with traditional schools! These environmental factors can affect concentration. Some kids, like adults, will have certain hours where they are naturally more energetic. Other factors include temperature, hunger, and time of day. “For kids who need a softer light, the key is to use enough light to see without having to strain your eyes.”
What about light? “We all seem to have different levels of tolerance for bright or dim light,” Tobias says. Separate room, which helped significantly! We finally bought a headset and played calm, classical music for her, and had her do her math in a This was difficult because she has three younger siblings in the home. My oldest daughter, unfortunately, was highly distracted by noise for many years. Some kids actually need noise to keep from being distracted. Next, ask what level of noise a child prefers. “Try watching what position your child uses most often when engrossed in a book or other favorite task, and let him use the same position for studying,” suggests Tobias. Some will want to sit on the floor or couch. Not every child will need a neat, quiet, well-lit desk or table to concentrate. “We all have certain preferences for our most productive learning environments,” Tobias says.įirst, ask where your child should study. This learning style model can help parents and educators design the ideal study environment for concentration and learning. This is just one example of how understanding Mind-stylesĬan be helpful to a home educator. Other children learn better when they can make a list and have things stay predictable. So, if you’re familiar with Myers-Briggs, you might be frustrated with Tobias’ information, taking 16 personality types and condensing them into four more limited ones.īut, having said that, Tobias’ information about how we receive and process information is nonetheless worth reading and could potentially be very helpful.įor instance, some children like to have things “mixed-up” to avoid getting bored in school. The Mind-styles category that applied the most to me (abstract/random) also had many things that did not apply and that was a little frustrating (like, it projected a lot of the Myers-Briggs “feeler” tendencies to that category, which doesn’tĭescribe me at all). I think her four categories are generally extracted from the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, which paints a fuller picture. When I first read the chapters in The Way They Learn that discuss Mind-styles, I got hung up on the fact that I don’t neatly fit into any of the four categories Tobias gives (concrete/sequential, abstract/sequential, concrete/random,Īnd abstract/random). Other kids will organize things abstractly-they are more impulsive Some kids will order things sequentially, organizing in a linear, step-by-step manner, following logical trains of thought they enjoy having a plan. Not only do we perceive information differently, but we use what we know in different ways as well. Other kids will perceive things abstractly, visualizing with intuition, intellect, and imagination. Some kids will perceive things concretely, registering information directly through the five senses. There are different ways that people receive information and process information. This learning style model recognizes that our minds can work very differently. This blog post will cover two of the learning style models listed in Tobias’ book, and my next post will cover two more. Her book covers several different models used to determine learning styles.Īs we head into a new school year and prepare to teach our children at home, it can be helpful to understand the different ways of approaching the concept of learning styles (called “learning style models). This quote is from The Way They Learn, written by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias.
Other people, perhaps even those in our own family, may view the world in an entirely different way than we do. Often with the very best intentions, we set out to chart the course and plan the events of our children’s lives according to what makes sense to us-the way we did it. . . .
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