According to the
Index of Learning Styles developed by
Richard Felder and
Linda Silverman in the late 1980s, there are four continuums that every speaker should be aware of, , ,
Sensory to Intuitive, , ,Visual to Verbal, , , Active to Reflective, , , Sequential to Global.
Let’s look at the first two “extremes.”
Sensory learners are interested in the
concrete, practical, and
procedural information. They just want the
facts.
While the
Intuitive learners prefer
conceptual, creative, and
theoretical ideas.
Meaning is vital to them.
Let’s look at the above six descriptive words, as opposite as they may at first, appear.
Concrete, practical, and p
rocedural , , , and
conceptual, creative, and
theoretical.
What teaching tool could tie these two groups of three together? What could illustrate both the
concrete and the
conceptual? The
practical and the
creative? The
procedural and the
theoretical?
Only one tool, , , a perfectly designed
Theme Model.
Let’s look at one,
The Product Life Cycle (PLC). Its' four phases are both, , , concrete
and conceptual. Products really do go through these (
concrete) phases,
introduction, growth, maturity and
decline.
But product development is also a
conceptual experience, , , like knowing when to activate new resources and activities to insure “growth” or extend “maturity.” The PLC’s bell curve illustrates both of these “extremes.”
All the way accross the board the
Theme Model is a clear winner as both a flexable and reliable communication tool.
In future posts I’ll cover the other ends of continuums of the Felder/Silverman model.
Enjoy!
Wayne