Biologically, every person is born with inherent preferences in
how they learn. Some may learn by hands-on training and visual
images, while others learn from studying the written steps
themselves. Scientists have broken the learning styles down into
8 criteria - 4 sets of opposites: Active and Reflective, Sensing
and Intuitive, Visual and Verbal, and Sequential and Spatial
(Global). The testing for this is a short, online quiz presented
by the North Carolina State University that identifies a
person's preferences (and the strength of each preference) for
each of the criteria. The test can be found at
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html. Studies on
these criteria have found that training that is centered on
fostering and enhancing every person's natural learning style
tends to help people learn faster and improve retention of
information. It can also increase morale while reducing
frustration. When the program is created to encompass all the
learning styles and be based in a multi-faceted approach,
everyone learns more and no one is left behind.
For instance, the series of For Dummies self-teaching books have
been incredible market successes for the very reason that it
addresses all the areas of the way people learn. Not only are
the books very effective as a training device; they are
off-kilter, interesting, and fun to read. Most of the more
recent editions in the series also include a CD-Rom to enhance
the visual aspect of the training, and the entire curriculum on
the CD is fully integrated with the book to reinforce ideas and
concepts.
For our purposes, the job-specific training manual would best
serve the team by being an online, living document yet can still
include all the aspects that makes the For Dummies books great.
This way, it would only be printed the day a new employee
started and it would include a warning that all the information
contained was subject to change. After that, each employee would
have a link to a web-based manual that could be updated as soon
as changes take effect. To cover the learning styles, the manual
could include overviews of each section, graphics to aid the
learning process of the employees adept to being visual
learners, "tips and tricks" areas, "big ideas" areas for the
spatial (global) learners, and summaries of each section. The
manuals we currently have only foster verbal sequential
learners; so many of our employees (myself included) tend to
learn the concepts slower.
In a more complex training environment where manuals are only
part of the resources available, flexibility should be placed in
the timeline to allow for the differences in style. A flexible
plan that allows for customization would provide maximum
effectiveness to students of all learning styles.
Even after the employee has completed training and becomes
certified in their job description, there will need to be an
update system that not only addresses, but also will be
attractive to all learning types. This can be accomplished by
sending an email that not only includes written instruction, but
also a small MPEG file of the person issuing the update telling
about the change. This will in turn satisfy the visual and
audible learners where before the email was only satisfying to
the verbal learners. To put this process in place, a small
investment in a web cam and microphone would be needed.
When learning styles are fostered, everyone wins. The employee
will not only learn faster but will have a lower frustration
level with what they are trying to learn. The flexibility and
adaptability of the program can also boost morale by focusing on
each person's individual strengths and creating value in them by
taking the time to meet them where they operate best. As this is
continued throughout the individual's career with the company,
we can have the most adaptable employees who have not only
learned the job, but have also learned how to learn. After all,
change is inevitable. We can only meet it where it is and make
it easier to absorb more quickly.
References:
Soloman, Barbara A. and Richard M. Felder. North Carolina State
University. Index of Learning Styles
http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html Silverman,
Ph.D.
Linda Kreger. Upside Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial
Learner. DeLeon Publishing, Denver, CO. 2002
Lancaster, Lynne C. and David Stillman. When Generations
Collide: Who they are. Why they clash. How to solve the
generational puzzle at work. BridgeWorks, New York, NY. 2002
Sample Training Customizations
At the beginning of training a new employees, the learning style
quiz will be administered to identify the strengths of the
individual. Based on the results, a customized plan can be laid
out in order to enhance the effectiveness of the training. Below
are sample customizations based on learning type. These may need
to be altered accordingly where the individual's learning
preferences overlap.
These are set up in four sets of opposite styles. The chart in
the quiz will show the preference of the learner to each style.
Active
1. Schedule time for the active learner to repeat what was
learned throughout the day to their instructor 2. Use more
hands-on training and give the learner full ability to make
mistakes and then learn from them
3. Use different experienced employees to train the learner each
day or let the learner sit with a group to exchange ideas and
information
Reflective
1. Give the learner time to sit and reflect quietly over their
notes and experiences at the end of each day
2. Use more of an observation approach to showing the learner
the steps involved, and give the learner a longer amount of time
to form a comfort level before pushing them to try a hands-on
approach
3. Allow for a more relaxed schedule in order to not overwhelm
the learner
Sensing
1. Stick to the facts and processes at hand, and be sure to
include "real world" situations that the learner can gain
experience from
2. Try not to introduce abstract situations too early on, but
keep the training grounded in process until the employee is
comfortable
Intuitor
1. Keep the training interesting and process oriented to avoid
boredom
2. Allow and encourage the introduction of concepts, ideas, and
innovation
3. Introduce abstract situations to try and get the learner to
exercise their problem solving skills Visual
1. Incorporate and focus on more visually stimulating
information including hands-on computer experience, charts,
graphs, and screen shots.
Verbal
1. Incorporate and focus more on the written part of the manual
and also spoken instructions. Encourage the employee to take as
many notes as possible and allow time to go over these.
Sequential
1. Focus on teaching processes as a series of logical steps. 2.
Allow the learners substantial time to make connections between
processes that are seemingly unrelated.
Spatial (Global)
1. Focus more on "big picture" ideas and work downwards to
individual processes.
2. Present learner with overviews of each section before getting
started.
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