Hi,

I have been reading new work on accelerated learning and was surprised to see no mention of the fourth one Audio Digital, not mentioned. Is this accepted as being part of the others? Can you enlighten?

thanks Janis

Auditory Digital ('self-talk' or 'internal dialogue') as a separate category is a (relatively) newer distinction and while it is widely accepted by most NLP trainers and developers (in my experience), that acceptance is not universal.

In many maps that omit AD as a separate category, it is often categorized as Auditory (Constructed).

Hope that's helpful!

Be Well,

Michael Perez

Thanks Michael for reply. That is helpful. Can I ask further?
Is Ad viewed then as being in the conscious mind then rather than the U.M.? Or, as a result of UM filtering and C.M.?
In my limited experience with this it seems that highly Ad people are weak on Visual processing, or, is it a V/Ad kineasthesia?

Also in practical terms, teaching to a preferred learning style is OK, however, as a student any assessment or exam at school still requires a written response and the ability to use thought processes that can read abstract material and infer relationships from written data, how do teachers bridge the gap? The learner has to give a response not comfortable for them, or one that is not suited to their preferred style. Any thoughts?

Janis

Janis,

My opinion is simple "what a teacher should do is notice the students preference and teach him/her to use all the options. Otherwise the teacher is potentially handicaping the student."

That is the main reason we (people working along with me) do not approve of labeling students as visuals, auditories, kinesthesics, detailed, global, matchers, mismatchers and any label that will make it so that the student get stuck in one way of doing things.

Hope my reply is either interesting, entertaining or useful... or all of the above to not limit it to just one option.

Happy, productive and exciting new year to all

Hi Janis,

I would absolutely chime in with Gabe here. In my experience and based on the data that is coming to us from neurological research, a broad spectrum approach to teaching encompassing multiple modalities and learning styles is, I think, essential.

Until we become adults, our brains are still developing our abilities to process certain kind of thinking. Neural plasticity continues to allow us to adapt to new kinds of stimuli, especially when we can create a bridge between more and less familiar systems. So by teaching in all modalities and reintegrating and reinforcing the learning in different ways, we not only teach the content but we also teach the process of learning in multiple modalities and help to equip the brain of those learning to understand in many different ways in the future.

With specific regard to getting across specific content to an individual learner, calibration and the tote model are in valuable tools. Rather than deciding that a given child has a preferred method in all categories at all times, why not just noticed how he's learning a specific thing at a given time and then play to that then and there if it's important to convey content quickly? Then be willing to constantly recalibrate and be flexible in your responses to the child's changing patterns.

For teaching a group however, I'd go for a broad spectrum approach with a continuous rhythmic reiteration cycling through various representational systems and utilizing various anchoring systems as well.

I hope that's useful for you!

Be Well,

Michael Perez

Thank you guys for answers, you have confirmed my own instincts about this and that cognitive flexibility is the goal.

looking to a great 2007 for us all

Janis

I'm a teacher. I work mainly with children under 12 and over the years have done a lot of research into the application of different teaching and learning styles and the impact this has on learning and behaviour.

As learners we all havbe our preferred learning style, which, as adults we can adapt to suit the needs of differing teaching situations.

My own learning style is auditory and I am quite often aware of how rude I must appear on training courses where I sit with my head, down, colouring! I even have a book of patterns for the occassion! OK, to the outside world it isn't the expected, isn't the norm, but it is my way of interpreting information. Its my way of ensuring that i can focus without distraction and tap into my preferred learning style. Is this my only learning style? well, quite frankly NO! Whilst we all have preferences, we don't ever live solely with those preferences!

I prefer chocolate to brussel sprouts anyday, but does this mean I only ever eat chocolate? of course not. And so it is with learning styles. Use your prefferred method to your advantage, enhance it with the best aspects of other learning styles and don't ever forget that we are multi-sensory beings and variety is the spice of life!

On another note, I don't believe that there is anyone incapable of learning, just a teacher incapable of teaching. As a teacher, its essential to use a wide range of styles, switching between them to engage all learners and ensuring that they don't fall too far into their comfort zone so that learning ceases to occur.

As already said by so many others, vary the style, vary the pace and combine this with knowing your learner and eliciting their specific learning style.

Helen
humanxpression.co.uk

I am curious, what does the colouring represent to you?

Michael

The colouring keeps my visuals focussed, by doing this i ensure that i don't wander off! unless i keep my eyes focussed on something i'm in control of, then i just day-dream!

helen

Hi Helen

Interesting, so you use usual a visual strategy to stay focused and say your preferred learning style is auditory.

Gabe wrote

Quote:

That is the main reason we (people working along with me) do not approve of labeling students as visuals, auditories, kinesthesics, detailed, global, matchers, mismatchers and any label that will make it so that the student get stuck in one way of doing things.

100% agreed.

I think the notion of a a specific learning style based on NLP representational systems is limiting for a learner. If you look at the work of accelerated learning specialists e.g Lozanov, their work has always been about creating multi sensory learning experiences.

NLP representational systems can be categorsied as follows

Input channels- the channels you input information
Sorting channels how you sort the information
Output channels- How you output

As you can see in your case - even when you say the main input channel is auditory, the visual is very present in your output to help you stay focused. (Now you may have song going on your head as well and feel your body dance to the content).

An another note, to comment on an earlier post, the auditory (internal) digital system cannot be a representational system in the true sense of the word because there is no input channel. It cannot feature in what used to be called a four tuple in NLP and is not a part of primary experience. Auditory internal is secondary experience -an internal linguistic representation- at best a sorting category.

Naturally, it is important to calibrate input, sorting, and output channels in all communication contexts - and that includes learning.


Michael Carroll
NLP Academy

hello to you all,

it is great to see this topic picked up again a year after I started it. I have since learned loads in all styles and am currently using a mixture of strategies and materials for clients therapeutically and children with learning difficulties.

Thank you Michael for your clarification about AD and input, sorting and output. This fits well with the model I work with from FIE and cognitive modifiability. (Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment)

best wishes for the 2008
Janis

Hi Janis
I meant to come in on this one first time round. I also find it limiting to think in terms of learning style. Most people have a series of sequences they go through which includes utilising Ad. So some people listen and doodle others listen and watch, others listen and play with blue tack! My experience is that some of these strategies work well for some things and others don't. So people using a primary auditory channel for spelling will find it doesn't work so well in English. Whereas a visual speller will usually be pretty good at it. The trick is to find the best way of learning something and teach people that strategy.
Similarly if someone uses Ad to say useful stuff to themselves like 'this is fun I am learning easily then Ad becomes part of a useful strategy if they say S**** I am rubbish at this then it doesn't help much. In this instance State im more important than Style.
I like to design activities and learnings that people can access in many different ways and utilise different routes to get there. This way I hit many bases at once and can sit back and observe who does what in which way and who gets there most efficiently. My personal view is that learning style is often misrepresented. We as teachers can find it useful to teach using VAK so that learners can learn in sequences that are helpful to them. This is a huge topic and thank you for raising it
Kate

For me as a teacher and as a trainer and coach, the thing that I find so frustrating is the lack of understanding from other teachers that, children in particular, are not necessarily being 'naughty' when they are fiddling and doodling, nor are they ignoring you if they are looking out of the window or murmering to themselves.

I have battled for years against the sit still, look this way and learn approach.

Fair enough, sometimes children will and do take advangtage. I think its important for us to begin educating teachers to enable them to understand the practical and simple ways in which they can accomodate a huge range of learning styles without there being mayhem in their rooms!

Today I have been in a classroom where the teacher had a very obviously kinaesthetic bunch and instead of tapping into the huge energy and potential in the room, she spent most of the lesson trying to force fidgeting children to sit still and of course ended up feeling highly frustrated and not at all happy about the way the lesson went.

Lets hope the suggestions about letting them move around purposefully, allowing them to practically access learning and enabling the children to have a physical learning experience will all be taken on board

Just my thoughts for today! Hope springs eternal!

Hi Helen
Yes it does!
As the famous quote says ( although I can't remember who said it) Anyone who thinks small things don't make a difference should try having a mosquito in his bed!
We are those mosquitos!

On this note there is a key to more effective teaching/learning in the amount of interactiveness between teacher and students. If the teacher preaches and expects the kids to be passive there is less efficacy in the learning process than the teacher allowing the class to be engaged more, that is, the students taking on the teacher role. It's not new yet combined with awareness of styles of learning it makes an entertaining, dynamic and highly effective learning environment.

des
desbarry@heropath.co.uk

It's so nice to hear peole talking about teaching in this way. Now we need to get the message out there to schools and teachers. This really is nothing new, just best practice models, yet so many teachers seem to miss the boat and nevr quite get it right.

Des,

Good answer, there are loads of memos going around from our SMT that are along similar lines to your post.

Anyway, we need do'ers in the teaching industry, if everyone who felt they could give advice spent so much time giving help then education would be a great place to work. In reality, well, if you can come to my school on Monday and show us how to do what you claim then great. I dont know what you will be teaching until 8.40 which will give you 5 mins to learn French, PE, Art or any other part of the curriculum. In the same 5 minutes if you could complete a lesson plan making sure your ICT, ECM and cross curriculum links are correctly referenced that would be a great help. Also that 5 min slot is also allocated for you to meet the parents of 35 kids, 5 do not speak English and 10 are statemented with learning difficulties, we have 1 LSA to help you so in that 5 minutes please make sure your differentiation strategies are in place and the LSA has clear instructions in what you want from them.

Great, enjoy your lesson and dont forget that I will pop in at some point today to see entertaining, dynamic and highly effective learning environment. Oh and by the way, the school is out of batteries, sellotape and printer ink until next September and the dinner lady is off sick so that is your lunch break gone.

Des, I did check out your website before writing this post and working in mainstream education (aka being a 'Teacher' which is the job you commented on) is very different to what you do. I share you approach to children and young adults but we do not enjoy the environment you work in. I cut my teach as a teacher and now work as a Learning Developer, I would never go back to teaching in mainstream schools, do you fancy it?

Matt

I have used the ideas of Michael Grinder on learning styles and improving learning. His seminars can be mind-blowing for teachers!
His book--Righting the Educational Conveyer Belt--is excellent.
Greg

I have been following this thread with real interest and something Matt said has struck a chord with me.

Until 3 months ago I was a classroom teacher in a mainstream school (I have been on SMT for 10 years and have also been Deputy, and Head) I now work as an advisor.

I have always used NLP strategies in my teaching (at first implicitly, then with knowledge), this made sure that I engaged all my pupils in lively and stimulating ways, individual to them (OK we may know it as building rapport and using submodalities and predicates - to them it just feels good). I also did a lot of research and experimented with learning styles and how they can impact on the results pupils achieve.

At first it seems like a mammoth task mastering all of these skills and then being able to apply them, but in reality it made my life a heck of a lot easier. Using NLP techniques and working with learning styles enabled me to build the relationships I need with the children to ensure that I don't have to spend my time doing crowd control and instead I can focus on discovering what it is i have to teach when i've only found out i'm teaching 15minutes before a lesson starts.

I've gone on to work with my staff and now as an advisor. I also provide NLP Training for schools and teachers, working with individuals or as a whole school. Its hard work but i'm persitent! The fact of the matter is once we as teachers master the techniques, they make our life a whole lot easier.

Just some thoughts for today!

helen

Hi Helen,

I totally agree with everything you write in your post. Some parts of NLP become integrated in your personality and mannerisms which flow naturally when teaching and in general conversation. A proactive approach to classroom management is always a great time saving method and delivering interesting and well prepared lessons is all part of the the proactive approach.

I have just re-read my post and it reads like I am resigned to losing the battle for higher standards in schools (currently college/6th form for me). There are too many practices that I have witnessed that simply set the teachers and lecturers up to fail and my intention in writing that post was to put a non-teaching professional into a scenario allowing them to be able to make more informed comments in the future. Mr Joe Public wouldn't dream of walking in to a petrol station and start telling the floormanager how to run his shop but people often feel obliged to do this with education, there is more to being a teacher than knowing a few buzz words.

I dream of working on an SMT with a fellow NLP'r, I spend more time motivating staff than I do students! My line manager started teaching 30 years ago and has pretty much taught the same way every day since.

Matt