Does learning style matter? How two different situations show that it does.

In the last couple of days I came across two totally different scenarios that confirmed my belief that style matters. You can try one for yourself, the other was a report on ways to help children learn.

OK – the research first.

Children who suffer from FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) have real problems learning because they have ‘blockages’ in their brain. These ‘blockages’ are very hard to pinpoint and you never know what effect FAS will have on as child’s ability to learn.

It can be very frustrating trying to help these children learn. Their brains never seemed to hold information, or be able to process it in a ‘normal’ way. When I taught children like this I felt that there was very little hope of them ever making any significant progress. It was very disheartening.

But new research gives these children hope. Researchers have found that using and strengthening the motor skills of these children can create new brain pathways that help them overcome some of the bad effects of FAS. By helping these children use the skills they have they are helping them develop new ways of learning.

Great stuff.

OK. Onto the next ah-ha moment.

I was at a seminar this weekend. It was about helping prospective clients understand exactly what you are offering them. (Howard Olsen – High Output, look him up).

Howard was trying to get us to understand that developing a new habit takes time and can be uncomfortable, and he made us do a very simple exercise to demonstrate this. You should try it too.

Using your right hand, if you are right handed, and your left hand, if you are left handed – write your name on a piece of paper.

Now try writing it again, but with the other hand.

Not so easy, right?

As Howard stated, you probably felt awkward and uncomfortable, it took you extra time and effort, and you still did a lousy job of it!

Now I understood what Howard was demonstrating but I saw this exercise in a different way. If you try to do something that is not natural to you, in a way that is unusual for you, it becomes much more difficult to do well.

When children try to learn in ways that do not fit their learning style they find it difficult, and do a lousy job of it.

What links these two situations?

Well, they are both about using a person’s preferred way of learning to make learning easier.

Does style matter – you bet it does!