Throughout life everyone learns. How we learn and whether we are able to retain and recall that information is the problematic part. This paper will discuss the ways that we all are diverse and the various ways we are most able to learn for long-term knowledge.
Most people know that everyone has different learning styles. The way we absorb, analyze, and retain information is what makes each individual unique. What is successful for one individual may not be the most optimal way of learning for someone else. Mr. Howard Gardner, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, suggested that there are eight different intelligences governing which learning style would be the most productive-based upon our own personalities.
The Pathways to Learning questionnaire, developed by Dr. Joyce Bishop (2002), asked students to rate a series of 48 questions with responses from "rarely" to "always" using a number scale. The numbers in each section were then tallied to provide a score for each of the eight intelligences: bodily-kinesthetic, verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial, logical-mathematical, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Based upon the numbers for each section, the highest ranking scores were to be indicative of our personalities and which learning style would be best suited for each individual student.
The bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is for people who have developed the skills of connecting mind and body. For this type of person, a "hands on" learning works best since their acute senses like to touch, feel, hold, and smell to assimilate information. While studying, this student may pace, tap fingers or feet, run his or her finger along the lines of text as he or she is reading, or make use of manipulatives to retain information.
While one person is pacing and moving while studying, someone else may be better able to learn in a quiet setting. The intrapersonal person is said to be self-aware, thinking before acting or
References: Keys to College Studying: Becoming a Lifelong Learner. (2002). Pathways to Learning. Carter, Bishop, Kravits. Keys to College Studying: Becoming a Lifelong Learner. (2002). Personality Spectrum I. Carter, Bishop, Kravits