Physical Education

Unit 1

1.4.6.1.Differences in learning styles
As already discussed, the idea that people learn in different ways has been explored over the last few decades by educational researchers. Kolb, one of the the most influential of these, found that individuals begin with their preferred style in the experiential learning cycle.

Honey and Mumford building on Kolb's work, identified four learning styles:

• Activist (enjoys the experience itself),
• Reflector (spends a great deal of time and effort reflecting)
• Theorist (good at making connections and abstracting ideas from experience)
• Pragmatist (enjoys the planning stage)

There are strengths and weaknesses in each of these styles. Honey and Mumford argue that learning is enhanced when we think about our learning style so that we can build on strengths and work towards minimising weaknesses to improve the quality of learning.