“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
After deciding to complete a course that I wanted to complete for a long time, I looked back at what I had learnt and the one topic that stuck out for me as something that I genuinely enjoyed learning about was the different types of learning styles that people have and how our personality types reflects on our learning styles. And it made me question how we easily get into the fast-pace of learning something, whether it's something with work or something personal, that do we ever think what is the best way we learn something and do our personal traits effect how we learn best?
I learnt that to figure out your learning style you need to start with breaking down the learning process into the four step model so that you can recognise your learning style. As much as we could be learning the same thing, we all have our own learning approaches and differences and it is with the four step model that we should be able to see the differences in each of our learning styles.
Knowledge – the step where people get information on what they are learning and information on the ‘best practice’ of what they are learning
Understanding – the step where people recognise and appreciate why what they are learning is needed
Motivation – the step where people explore how they feel about what they are learning
Practice – the step where people put their learning to practice and try out their learning style on what they have learnt!
Take yourself back to a training workshop and you’re surrounded around different people who have different questions, different interests and different engagement in the workshop stages. At different stages people will get more or less engaged because some people might enjoy the role play part whilst others might enjoy the theory behind the development of the workshop topic. And this is where our different learning styles will awaken!
This four step model is based on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which doesn’t just focus on our learning process but it takes into account our behaviour towards learning, how we communicate, how we deal with stress, how we interact with other people and other factors of both our life and work. But above all it prefers to relate our learning on our personality.
We see that the four step model involves the core 'personality profiling instrument' of the MBTI. This is the interaction between the perceiving functions of sensing and intuition (S & N) and the judging functions of thinking and feeling (T & F). Explained further below…
Sensing and Intuition = the perceiving functions that represent the two key ways people develop their image of the world. For example we us our sensing functions (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell) to let us become aware of things that are real. Whilst we use our intuition function to let us see the meanings and patterns in things
It was explained people who prefer the use of sensing still do use their intuition too but they tend to trust it less because they prefer seeing things like evidence. Whilst people who prefer the use of intuition do use their sensing as well but they trust their intuition more because it gives them answers quickly and it is less effort (to think!).
Thinking and Feeling = the judging functions that make our minds up about things. Thinking is part of our personality; all we do is think, think and think more right? But thinking works objectively in our personality. For example it lets us add things up and understand how the world moves around. But the main and key thinking we do is in decision-making; when we gather our evidence and weigh it up to let us make a decision. Whilst we then use our feeling function to evaluate the impact of that decision. Our feelings very much work on the impact of any decision that we have thought about, which would hopefully make us feel good about our decision
So looking back at the four step model and the MBTI personality style, we learn that…
People who prefer both sensing and thinking (ST) tend to be logical, practical and the 'down-to-earth' type of people. They like facts over theories and they like to see evidence and they are the people who like learning activities that focuses on achieving knowledge
People who prefer both intuition and thinking (NT) tend to approach things theoretically and they trust their intuition to give them the truth. They are the people who like working with facts and data and they like learning activities that focuses on intellectual understanding
People who prefer both intuition and feeling (NF) tend to be idealistic and the visionary type of people. They put great value into creativity and imagination and they like learning activities that focuses on what things mean for people to keep their motivation up
People who prefer both sensing and feeling (SF) tend to be the social and caring type of people. They put others needs before their own and they want to create peace and harmony. Their learning activities are the ones that focuses focus on bringing positivity to the practice – we always need these type of people right?!
And here are some fun facts around the above personalities which hopefully you've been able to know which one you fit in to?
An introvert personality recharges themselves by spending time alone; the ‘me-time’ person
An intuitive personality understands more than just what is said; the 'sixth-sense' person
A feeling personality makes decision based on a gut feeling; the 'what does your gut feeling say?' person
A judging personality is very planned and orderly; the 'forward-planner' person
So, which one are you?
