Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligences and Critical Thinking Skills

The use of Information Literacy Skills allows you to access, use, manipulate, present and evaluate information across the curriculum. Understanding your learning style is a useful tool to include with the use of Information Literacy Skills.

There are several theories about the learning styles and intelligences of students today which can be easily accessed to determine the type of learners within a class group. Most people are a blend of different learning styles and intelligences, often with a strong preference towards one or two styles of learning. Knowing which styles suit learning best can aid students in their academic pursuits. Also teachers are able to help students to develop skills in other styles of learning to increase the students' use of information within a task.

One theory of Learning Styles is used as a proponent of The Big 6 - an Information Literacy Skills programme. There are 3 styles of learning, referred to as - Visual, Audio and Kinesthetic. These styles of learning are also referred to as Modalities.

Visual Learners: learn from written directions; use pictures, books, and
diagrams; need to see materials to learn.

Audio Learners: learn by hearing instructions; listening to lessons, notes;
recite information to learn.

Kinesthetic Learners: learn by using a hands on approach to their work; like to move
while learning.

Next is Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which is an expansion on the 3 Learning Styles above. As with any learning styles and intelligences, people are a combination of more that one style of learning.

There are 7 Multiple Intelligences:

Verbal/Linguistic: uses words in speech and writing.

Visual/Spatial: uses pictures, diagrams, images,and spatial understanding.

Musical/Aural: uses sound and music; involved in performing, composing and listening.

Logical/Mathematical: uses logic, solves puzzles, and performs calculations.

Bodily/Kinesthetic: uses body, sense of touch, involved in movement.

Social/Interpersonal: high social skills, learns well in groups or with other people.

Solitary/Intrapersonal: self-understanding, works well alone, uses self-study.

By using these Intelligences, students can see themselves as having particular learning styles and intelligences with which they can approach academic tasks and use ICTs. It is of course helpful to know about the other intelligences so as to develop strengths within these areas as well.