Analysis of Learning Theories and Styles in Higher Education

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UNDERSTANDING THE LEARNING
PROCESS
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Contents
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................. 3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................ 4
Q. 3- KOLB’S LEARNING CYCLE (AC1.2)..................................................................................4
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................ 6
PART 1........................................................................................................................................6
Q.4- CONCEPTS OF LEARNING STYLES (AC2.2).......................................................................6
Q.5- FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE EFFECTIVE LEARNING DEVELOPMENT (AC2.1).................11
PART 2......................................................................................................................................12
Q.6- HONEY AND MUMFORD LEARNING STYLE (AC2.3)......................................................12
Q.7- INFLUENCES THAT AFFECT OWN LEARNING STYLE IN RELATION TO THE LEARNING
THEORY (AC2.4)................................................................................................................... 15
TASK 4.......................................................................................................................................... 17
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................... 19
REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................20
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INTRODUCTION
The aim of this learning objective is to understand the process of learning and the importance
of it, especially for the health and social care sector. The study includes a number of theories
and models which aid in understanding the learning theories and processes followed in the
health and social care sector. The study is aided with the help of case studies and factsheets to
evaluate and present the data in an effective manner. Lastly, the research ends with preparing
a Workplace Learning Plan taking a particular case and preparing a WLP for the establishment
(Raemer et al., 2011).
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TASK 2
Q. 3- KOLB’S LEARNING CYCLE (AC1.2)
The case of Elma is understood when she tries to communicate with Mr Smith who is a 90 year
old elderly. Upon discussion with her care assistants, it was known that Mr Smith can lip read.
Elma then communicates to the patient by directly facing him so that he can read his lips and
communicate with him. The experience of Elma with the patient Mr Smith can be understood
with the help of Kolb’s Experimental Learning Cycle (Provost and Murray, 2011).
Fig. 1- Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Source- (Perla et al., 2011)
Stage 1- Concrete Experience
This is the first stage of Kolb’s learning cycle where the learner first encounters any incident.
For Elma, the first encounter with Mr Smith is a concrete experience. She is not aware that Mr
Smith cannot lip read yet so she talks to him normally but observes that he cannot hear. She
speaks loudly to make her voice clear but still Mr Smith cannot respond. She asks simple
questions about his family and early life which is spontaneous questions to begin the
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conversation by Mr Smith does not hear anything as he is dumb. This experience for Elma is a
concrete experience as she is in clueless on how to communicate with the patient (Raemer et
al., 2011).
Stage 2- Reflective Observation
The experience of Elma has left her wondering how to make the patient speak about the
questions she is asking. She considers the help of other care assistants, she comes to know that
Mr Smith can lip read. She thinks of this idea and plans to communicate with the patient with
the help of this technique. The reflective observation is done by Elma where she reflects on the
experience she has with the patient. She realises that Mr Smith was not responding to her
questions because she was not facing him directly due to which Mr Smith could not lip read her
questions. She concludes that there is no point in asking questions loudly from Mr Smith as he
is not going to respond anyway as his hearing condition is totally deteriorated (McLeod, 2017).
Stage 3- Abstract Conceptualization
In this stage of Kolb’s Learning, Elma has learnt that there is a new way of communicating with
the patient and that she should not lose hope. This is the stage of learning where Elma has
begun to learn about a new way to talk to Mr Smith. She plans on meeting him again and thinks
of how she is going to talk to him. She plans to face him directly where the patient can see her
face clearly. The questions have to be asked very slowly so that the lip movements are clearly
understood by the patient. She keeps these things in mind and plans to meet the patient again
(Perla et al., 2011).
Stage 4- Active Experimentation
In this stage of Kolb’s learning cycle, Elma uses her new technique of communicating with Mr
Smith as suggested to her by her fellow care assistants who had previously worked with Mr
Smith. Elma talks to Mr Smith with the help of lip movements and positions herself directly in
front of Mr Smith where he can see her clearly. This technique used by Elma is successful as Mr
Smith is now responding to her questions. Mr Smith is surprisingly more talkative now and talks
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cheerfully with Elma. Elma has to interrupt him to make coffee and she uses the same
technique of asking him for coffee and he responds this time (Provost and Murray, 2011).
TASK 3
PART 1
Q.4- CONCEPTS OF LEARNING STYLES (AC2.2)
Fig. 2- Types of learning styles
Source- (Perla et al., 2011)
There are various learning styles which differ according to methods of learning and an
individual’s learning capacity.
The 7 types of learning styles are-
Visual
Aural
Verbal
Physical
Numeric
Social
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Learning
styles

Solitary
These types of learning methods vary according to the type and appeal to the learner.
Visual- these types of learners best understand the facts and concepts through visual mode.
Things explained in pictorial or process form are better understood by these kinds of learners.
These learners need visual clues to learning and often create notes in the form of flow-charts or
diagrammatically. These learners create visual aids and learn in that form in a better way as
their cognitive skills are developed to comprehend the images and pictures (Raemer et al.,
2011).
The common characteristic traits of these persons are-
 They have good spatial sense and remember directions well
 They can easily visualise objects and can generate plans and outcomes of any decisions.
 They have fun with colours and like to colour, paint, draw or doodle in their free time
 They have good colour recognition skills and are creative and artistic
 They can study maps and can find their direction easily (Provost and Murray, 2011)
 They learn better with the help of a movie clip or a presentation about the topic
Aural- These types of learners learn better by hearing. They have developed hearing senses and
notes in the form of rhythm or music is best appealed to them. The learners learn by listening
and humming the topic in form of sounds which have a melody in them. Surprisingly, most
musicians are aural learners who combine learning and music together. This type of learning
style is difficult as not all the students will learn notes and lessons through melody or music and
some might find it disturbing, illogical or out of understanding (Brett-Fleegler et al., 2012).
The characteristics of aural learners are-
 They can relate emotions with music and find that certain music evokes certain
emotions.
 They like to listen to some form of music while learning as it keeps them engaged and
lessons feel less boring
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 They have a good sense of pitch, rhythm and have elite taste in music
 They are found to be humming while reading or studying something
 They convert lessons in form of songs and infuse tunes or melody in it to make it more
appealing.
Verbal Learners- These types of learners are those who like to learn by listening and writing
both. They learn best through listening with full concentration and then writing it down for
better memorization. These learners like to listen to things in silence and without any
disturbance so that they put all their focus on understanding the text. These types of learners
excel at public speaking, writing, journalism and debating for their speaking and writing skills
both are at par (Perla et al., 2011).
The characteristic traits of these persons are-
 They can express themselves well in both written and oral formats
 They like to enjoy reading and writing like nooks, novels, comics or writing own journals
or diaries
 They like to expand their vocabulary and have good oratory skills
 They learn things aloud while reciting or reading in a loud voice as it helps them
memorise and grasp concepts well (Arafeh et al., 2010).
Physical- these kinds of learners are of those types who like to animate or dramatize their
learning. They like to do any physical activity while learning as they are better giving attention
when they are moving. People of this learning ability learn by moving to dance moves, pacing
up and down or by playing and physical sport. They are active when they are moving and listen
to notes which are remembered by them as they are giving attention while moving (Provost
and Murray, 2011).
The characteristic traits of these persons are-
 They notice the physical world around them and go with the flow
 They enjoy sports and like to go outdoors and recreate
 They notice people’s body language and observe them closely
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 They like to do sculpture art, use clay to make models or like to solve mind games
 While explaining something, they make active use of their hands
Logical- The logical thinkers are those who like to understand the concepts well and indulge in
the bigger picture. They try to find logical and meaningful connections between the stuff and
like to understand the concepts instead of memorising or rote learning. Persons with logical
ability tend to become engineers, mathematicians or scientists. They enjoy mind teasers and
enjoy games like Sudoku and chess (Perla et al., 2011).
The characteristic traits of these persons are-
 They classify and group information based on similarity and type
 They are good at performing complex calculations
 They like to go by the procedure and execute things step by step
 They plan their activities and itineraries and rank them in accordance with the priority.
 They like to dig deep and have inquisitive skills
Social- social learners are those kinds of learners who learn better in groups. They tend to
organize well in groups and interact and socialise well within the groups. They also participate
in extra-curricular activities and use the skills of others around them to excel and learn the
topics. They work in teams and ask their peers for feedback and suggestions (Rowe et al., 2012).
The characteristic traits of social learners are-
 They are good at socialising and interacting with others.
 They like to play a group sport and enjoy each other’s company
 They like discussions and group meetings when finalising on any decision
 They listen well and are trusted by others in their group
 They excel are group projects, team activity or drama enactment.
Solitary learner- These types of learners learn well while being alone. These types of learners
are introverts and like to keep to themselves while learning. They may like to interact and talk
with others but when it comes to learning, they prefer solitude. They are concerned with goals
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and outcomes and work in silence to make plans about how they are going to reach their goals
(Diaz, 2018).
The characteristic traits of these persons are-
 They spend the time of self-analysis and spend time self-contemplating
 They like to relax alone and spend time outside of the crowd
 They are independent thinkers and are not influenced by other's opinions
 They like to pen down thoughts and write journals as a way to improve
 They like to read books mainly on self-help and how to achieve goals
These are the 7 most prominent styles of learning and vary according to person to person.
People with different personalities and skill sets learn according to the method that best suits
them (Hrynchak and Batty, 2012).
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Q.5- FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE EFFECTIVE LEARNING DEVELOPMENT (AC2.1)
There are numerous factors that affect the learning process of individuals. The reasons which
affect a child’s or a learner’s learning ability depends on the motivation he or she gets to study,
the intellectual ability or the grasping capacity of the student, attention span of the learner as
to how long can the student remain attentive in the class before being distracted and the last
factor is the prior knowledge the child has about the topic. These four factors affect any
learner’s learning capacity and influence it (Raemer et al., 2011).
Motivation- Motivation is that factor that affects the student’s learning capacity a great
deal. If the learner is motivated to learn, he feels a sense of accomplishment and is
directed to learn the skill or lesson. Motivation means encouraging the student to learn
and giving the students some incentives for learning and accomplishing their small-term
targets. The students are accessed and checked from time to time to see how they are
performing and where they are lacking.
Intellectual Ability- The intellectual ability of the students is also a determinant of their
learning process. The students who are good at intellect and can process information
easily have no problem in learning while those who have low IQ level find it difficult to
process information and retain it for a lesser time. Every learner has a different set of
intellectual abilities and learns at their own pace (Provost and Murray, 2011).
Attention span- the attention span is the duration of time that the learner gives while
learning a specific topic. The students who get distracted easily have lesser attention
span while those who are good at concentrating and focussing have a greater attention
span and can listen or understand the information for a longer time. The attention span
differs from learner to learner and each student gives attention as long as he is not
distracted from the lesson (Perla et al., 2011).
Prior Knowledge- If the learners have prior knowledge about any topic or concept then
further learning becomes easy and the student is more engaged in learning and
increasing his prior skills. The students who have no prior knowledge about the topic
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that is taught in class may find difficulty in understanding or grasping the new
knowledge thereby decreasing the attention span and difficulty in retaining information.
These are some of the factors that determine the learning process in individuals. These factors
greatly determine if the student is going to learn effectively or if he is a slow learner and will
take time to learn and adjust.
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