More than one way to learn - learning styles

Interpretation and the challenge of engaging with the public

Key points from the presentation of Mandy Sims, Losehill Hall

Download Mandy Sims' powerpoint presentation (ppt)

People do things in different ways. Although there is little scientific evidence to prove that different learning styles exist, there are over 80 different learning style models – one is  ‘VAK’, which:

• Has useful applications for educators and interpreters in national parks. It works on the premise that we take in information on the world around us through our five senses (touch includes emotions);
• Suggests that vision (visual), hearing (auditory) and touch (kinaesthetic) are dominant learning methods, and we all have a preference for one of these, although we all use all three.

How the brain works

• We have discovered 80% or what we know about the brain in the last 20 years. So our own experience of formal education has been superseded by modern knowledge.
• The brain is designed for survival – learning comes later down the line. Physical and mental security must be established before learning can take place.
• Brains develop best when processing many inputs at once, on different levels of consciousness
• In a human brain each neuron has the capacity to make a connection with any other neuron – the possible connections that a single human brain can make are more than the number of atoms in the known universe – i.e. limitless.
• Repeated information causes an electrical jump or synapse – we can make this happen by offering different sensory stimuli.
• The brain has a reptilian centre near the spinal cord, and a limbic part about it that is to do with memory; around this is the neo cortex, which is divided into two halves and makes patterns out of meaning and problem solves. If we can help our learners to use both sides of their brains then they learn better – brain gym helps strengthen connections across the brain.

Conclusions

• People visiting and living in national parks may have different learning styles – so we need to be giving them a range of stimuli – from audio trails to maps and puzzles. Outputs can be created to suit everyone, and there are subtle ways of incorporating this knowledge - for example, a leaflet can invite you to do something.
• The brain works best with lots of types of inputs, so we need to use a wide range of interpretive information – an enormous palette.
• We need to know our own preferences, to make sure we balance our outputs.
• There is a fabulously varied range of work going on in national parks – we need to continue to support excellent interpretation with time and resources.