For long human intelligence has been equated with the ability to learn. Vice versa, this ability to learn has been a focus of much human intellectual effort.

A new insight into intelligence and learning is that we practice consistent and elaborately developed styles in learning. Learning Styles are modes or ways adopted by learners to do new learning. A learning style may be defined in two parts -  a mental strategy and a physical strategy to go with it. The first is an inward process of the mind while the second is an operant behaviour noticeable outside.

What mental strategy to use?

A mental strategy is a procedure or set of procedures followed by our thinking mind to arrive at knowledge, its storage and retrieval. For instance a learner may have the practice of blocking together items to be learnt around a stimulus or by making a connection between them.

A mental strategy allows the learner to arrive at a map of knowledge of the world around in which everything falls into place.

We can identify several types of mental learning strategies adopted by learners such as

*Blocking or chunking
*Threading 
*Mnemonic cues or codes that are linguistic, spatial, temporal or material.

Basically all of this will involve analysing and synthesising, interpreting and evaluating the knowledge data the learner is exposed to, using methods of comparing, contrasting, reducing, reformulating, completing or adding on.
Try these...

*Deliberately set your mind to analysing the material to be learnt: Try reformulating it in different ways using different mediums or matching it with other things learnt;

*Try substituting or replacing parts and see how it works;

*Try reducing it to neater dimensions or breaking it up into smaller meaningful units;

*Try elaborating or extending it relating to other things.

*Read between the lines or find hidden meanings;

*Generalise or come to a rule or principle; Make a prediction.

*Sequence the data according to complexity, usefulness or availability in environment.

*Relate or connect one data with another in some systematic way as in cause and effect, event and consequence. Tell a story.

*Use rhymes, catch words, acronyms, diagrams and maps to organise the learning/ learnt material.

What physical strategy?

Learners adopt physical procedures, which allow them to arrive at knowledge. For instance exploring, examining and experimenting are fundamental behavioural traits of humans by which we gather new knowledge. We may just observe how things work or actually try to put together things with our hands. Or we may just take the teacher’s word for it.

According to Tessa Woodward a Cambridge pedagogue there are basically four ways of learning like this,

*Finding out by yourself

*Things made plain

*Peripheral learning

*Use and refinement

Learners use all these four ways of learning either in combination or singly all the time.

But it may so happen that each one of us may learn better while using any one of these styles or any one ordered combination of these styles.

Try these too...

*Explore and be curious about your environment; go out and experiment even if for the first time.

*Read a bit more than the teacher demands; do a bit more than asked for.

*Surround yourself with diverse materials of everything and anything under the sun in diverse forms, written texts, pictures, music.

*Use the knowledge you have learnt at every opportunity.

*Reflect on your mistakes. Do not be egoistical. Try again.

Personal styles

Each learner may develop highly personalised and individualistic mental and physical strategies in learning. But we can guess that learning styles are shaped by personality, age, status and experience of the learner.

At the same time Learning Styles may depend on habituation and practice, exposure to certain types of teaching-learning situations depending on early learning environment for instance. Even family contexts, the attachment and relation learners feel to adults in the family and the adults’ involvement in the child’s learning are important factors in the development of learning styles.

On the other hand Learning Styles may depend on the content or subject matter to be learnt such as its difficulty and expanse; and the context in which the learning has to take place such as time, space, learning aids and the presence of the teacher-counseller.

A self-conscious learner may develop his learning style by exploring the way in which his mind and body function together.

Whether one likes to learn in a relaxed atmosphere or formal one, take a break as often as possible or work for long periods at a time; read or listen, watch or do may reflect the learning style adopted.

For instance if you adopt the style of learning by yourself you may prefer a relaxed environment, play music or radio, sit on the floor and are determined to work for long periods at a stretch. You would resent interference but would definitely like to have someone do it along with you.

If you choose to learn from others you may prefer a formal environment, short periods of lessons with frequent breaks and interruptions to loosen up or unwind.

A learner may adopt a certain style just because s/he has successfully used it before!

Different styles for different people
 
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners: Learn through actual doing.    

Tactile/Kinesthetic persons like to explore the physical world.

Learn best through a hands-on approach.

Can’t sit still for long periods because of their need for activity and exploration. 
  
Auditory Learners: Learn through listening.

Prefer to listen to lectures, discussions, talks etc. Interpret data by the tone, pitch and speed of the speaker’s voice.

Information that they hear is sacrosanct. Reading aloud, playing back recorded lessons are good learning strategies  for such learners.

Visual Learners: Learn through seeing.

They like to sit in front of the class - they need to see the teacher and her expressions to understand the lesson.
Generally take detailed notes during a lecture. Think in pictures.

Learn best from visual displays like diagrams, maps, graphs, illustrations etc.

What is Multiple Intelligence?

Conceived by Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences are seven different kinds of intellectual ability.

*Visual/Spatial Intelligence

Those endowed with this intelligence have a good sense of the visual world, think in pictures, make mental images of information or make mental movies. Their skills include reading, writing, sketching, painting, interpreting charts, maps, graphs, designing, constructing

Careers: Artists, architechts, engineers, inventors, graphic designers, inventors, mechanics, photographers.

*Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

Those who have this kind of intelligence use language and words well.  They think in words rather than pictures and are ususally persuasive orators. Their skills include listening, speaking, writing, story telling, explaining, teaching, understanding syntax and meaning of words, analysing use of language.

Careers: Journalists, writers, lawyers, translators, teachers, salespersons.

*Logical/Mathematical Intelligence

These people can use logic, reason and numbers well. They think logically, have a questioning mind and love to experiment. Their skills include working with abstract concepts, performing complex mathematical calculations, problem solving, classifying and categorising information, working with geometric shapes

Careers: Accountants, computer programmes, engineers,  researchers,  mathematicians, economists.

*Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence

These people express themselves through movement.  Their skills include dancing, sports, crafts, acting, using their hands to create or build

Careers: Actors, dancers, sports persons, sports instructors, artisans,

*Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence

These people can produce and appreciate music and can think in sounds, rhythms and patterns. They are sensitive to music as well as sounds in nature and environment like bird songs, blaring horns etc. Their skills include singing, playing musical instruments, music composition, remembering melodies,

Careers: Singers, composers, musicians, disc jockeys.

*Interpersonal Intelligence

These people can easily relate to and understand others. They are very perceptive about other people’s feelings, emotions, motives. They can see things from the other’s point of view with ease. They generally like to co-operate with others. Their skills include empathy, counselling and cooperating in a group setting, communicating both verbally and non-verbally, building trust, conflict resolution.

Careers: Counsellors, salespersons, business persons.

*Intrapersonal Intelligence

These people introspect well and know their own strengths and weaknesses well. They are basically thinkers.

Their skills include reflecting and analysing themselves

Careers: Philosophers, theorists.