Has one of your teachers, or even your parents, ever mentioned learning styles to you? Maybe they explained a little about what styles exist. They probably mentioned the big three: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. They may have even mentioned a fourth learning style: Reading and Writing. After introducing these different styles, sometimes referred to as the VAK or VARK styles, you probably went on to decide what your perfect method to learn was based on your experience in school.
The Four Traditional Learning Styles
Visual learners: Those who learn best with maps, charts, diagrams or illustrations.
Auditory learners: People who prefer to listen to information. For example, audiobooks, podcasts, and in-person lectures might be the best way for auditory learners to learn something new.
Reading & Writing learners: Those who prefer to read something physically written in front of them. Reading, rereading and writing texts are examples of ways this type of learner might best study new information.
Kinesthetic learners: People who might learn best with hands-on activities that give them the freedom to move around.
My earliest memory of the VARK learning styles was when my high school math teacher (shout out, Mr. Whitmer) explained how students can learn in many different ways. Since then, I have always assumed I was a mix of a visual and a kinesthetic learner.
Unfortunately, when those learning styles were introduced to me, I assumed that those four styles were all there was and nothing more. Then, when I got to college, I realized there was an unspoken fifth learning style that encompassed the other four in a perfect blend of preparation for life after college.
Learning styles have been problematic among researchers for decades. According to the American Psychological Association, “prior to the 1960s, the VAK learning style typology was applied mainly to students with learning disabilities and to students who struggled to read.” In the years since then, learning styles have drastically evolved, even going as far as introducing a brand new concept that combines all learning together into one that ultimately provides students with various skills and knowledge to prepare them for their future.
Thus, I present…
Experiential Learning
The Kolb Experiential Learning Theory was developed in 1984 by David A. Kolb. That year, he published a detailed research report explaining how experience can play an important role in learning.
Kolb emphasizes that there is a tendency to confine learning to outcomes, such as tests and quizzes, that we assume will tell us if we’re developing.
With that being said, you may be someone who struggles with tests and quizzes–which I wholly relate to. When my learning and grades are restricted to a high-pressure examination of my knowledge, I panic!
This is where experiential learning in higher education makes its wonderful debut.
Kolb explains that experiential learning is not a molecular educational concept that can be narrowly used to define all human learning, but it centers around our social and physical adaptation process to the world around us.
“To learn is not the special province of a single specialized realm of human functioning, such as cognition or perception,” Kolb wrote. “It involves the integrated functioning of the total organism–thinking, feeling, perceiving and behaving.”
Thus, remember that typical learning styles may be slowly adapting to include more personal aspects of our character. We are not defined by our last math test or our latest English paper. Our learning cannot be squeezed into an inescapable box–like it often might feel–but is meant to be developed with time, effort and, most of all, reflection.
Experiential Learning at Waynesburg University
How do teachers implement experiential learning in their classrooms at Waynesburg?
Dr. Jamie Dessart, professor of English at Waynesburg University, says that while people often associate experiential learning with practical skills students must master before graduating, she believes it can also expand a student’s overall understanding and skill foundation.
Dessart shared that she tries to utilize experiential learning in the courses she teaches.
“I allow students to use their own experiences by letting them pick topics they're interested in, encourage them to think critically about their goals for the future and have them reflect on what they're learning and how it relates to their lives,” Dessart said. She hopes that students “see how even the most seemingly abstract or general class subjects can be used to make them a better person and give them marketable skills.”
As a student in Dr. Dessart’s business writing class this semester, I have had the chance to practice these skills and apply them to my professional life plans. For example, in the class, we have a weekly situational email assignment that allows us to practice professionalism and respect in our writing.
Through the experiential learning in business writing, I have expanded my skills in communication, writing, time management and project balance. As I continue to broaden those skills, self-reflection and learning from my mistakes are important to my progress.
As a junior at Waynesburg University, I have slowly come to understand that I learn by doing. And by taking part in the opportunities provided at Waynesburg, I gain more experience in the field I see myself enjoying. With experiential learning guiding my education, I feel prepared for the next step in life!
How can you benefit from experiential learning in college?
There are multiple ways you can utilize experiential learning in college. Below are 10 ways you can start implementing it into your repertoire.
- Be open to making mistakes. No one is perfect!
- Set measurable goals for yourself that you can track.
- Reflect: How will something positively impact me, my skill set and my future career?
- Send and respond to emails!!! Drafting and sending professional emails has been the most helpful skill in my college career.
- Think critically, especially when you are trying to solve a problem. Work through the problem slowly and thoughtfully.
- Be open to feedback. Sometimes an extra opinion is the best way to reflect and learn.
- Go out of your comfort zone and explore the opportunities presented to you!
- Participate in workshops. Waynesburg offers multiple throughout the year that cover a variety of helpful topics.
- Engage with the community and the environment. Take a walk on Waynesburg University’s beautiful Unity Trail or visit the Center for Campus Ministry and meet new people!
- Manage your time to the best of your ability. Responsible time management is the number one way to stay on top of your learning.
