The following is a broad description of each of the psychological type preferences as outlined by Mamchur (1996).
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The extroverted learner
needs outside stimuli and enjoys open interactive interactions. An extroverted teacher wants to have a very busy classroom. The preference for extroversion makes the student think out loud, learn by doing, likes to learn in groups, enjoys variety and needs feedback from teachers and peers.
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The introverted learner
focuses inside and looks inward for satisfaction and safety. Enjoys intense, relationships and events. An introverted teacher likes a quite class were all the children are working in one project at a time. The preference for introversion makes the student think everything through before taking a risk, are private, and self motivated.
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The sensing learner
seeks immediate relevant experiences in steps through the senses. Most interested in the concrete and the here and now. A sensing teacher moves the children carefully from one level to the next using a direct and straightforward developmental system. The preference for sensing translates onto procedures for learning based on previous knowledge, disliking abstract theories. They learn best when using all the senses and are distrustful of most forms of evaluation.
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The intuitive learner
is most interested in theories and possibilities. This learner searches for relationships in things as a source for inspiration and invention. The intuitive teacher is motivated by the vision of how education should be as well as how the class might be. They enjoy big projects and challenge students to grow, experience and discover. They are inventive, making up possible hypothesis and explanations. They are risk takers. They also seek variety and get bored easily. They don’t like repetition and work unevenly and in spurts.
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The thinking learner
looks at situations from outside while making decisions objectively and logically. The thinking teacher works through goals and objectives. Task oriented, ignores feelings if she/he feels they are unimportant and lets the student know exactly where they stand in his/her expectations. The preference for thinking translates onto valuing honesty and fair play; they appear confident, and are competitive, independent learners who need well organized and developed study guides.
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The feeling learner
makes decisions subjectively based on feelings, relies on sense of value which guides behavior. The thinking teacher is oriented towards relationships and places special attention to personal values and human needs in the creation of programs. The preference for feeling translates into creating a harmonious environment in which learning takes place, values cooperation, and helps children grow at the personal level.
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The judging learner
strives for closure, places more energy in controlling than understanding. The judging teacher aims to create an ordered classroom, dislikes surprises, and uses well-developed programs to meet planned goals. This preference translates in closely following schedules, timelines, and well structured events; closure to anything they start; demand feedback and want all their work to be evaluated.
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The perceiving learner
enjoys open-ended situations, delaying making any decision until all they have explored all possibilities. The perceiving teacher resists structure and likes to be spontaneous dealing with the needs as they arise. A preference for perception translates into being driven by curiosity and uncovering new ideas. They need help being “on task”, show flexibility, and make use of a variety of different styles.
One of the first questions that I asked myself after reading about cognitive type and learning styles is: are there are any cultural differences and do they effect learning and teaching styles?
It seems clear from reviewing the literature that there are certain values that clearly differentiate between the majority Euro-American culture and African, Asian, Latin-American, and Native-American societies. These are the dimensions between individualistic and interdependent orientations on one side and the goals of socialization from “commercial” to “infant survival and childhood subsistence” on the other. Each of these orientations views the person and how they develop their particular cultural perspective.(11)
There is statistical evidence that suggests African Americans who have been taught according to their learning styles significantly increase in their academic achievement. (For a review of this and other studies showing similar gains see Dunn and Griggs.(12)). The following are some points based on Dunn and Griggs research about how students learn:
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All people, regardless of cultural or ethnic group membership, learn differently from each other and other people in the same group.
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There are more learning differences on learning type based along gender lines, specially in the primary grades, than learning styles of people in different cultures.
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Many elements of style change with maturity.
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Most students can learn anything if they begin the learning process by using their preferred style, then, they reinforce it through their secondary and tertiary one, and finally apply that information by using it in a meaningful way.
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Students who learn through their learning style preference achieve significantly higher than when they don’t.
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The only way to discover one’s cognitive type and learning style is through the administration of a valid and reliable instrument set to measure just that.
