© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Recognizing How You Learn, Who You Are, and What You Value

Chapter 3

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Discovering Your Learning Styles

• Learning styles– How we acquire and use

knowledge– Many different methods– What is your preferred

receptive learning style?• Read/write style• Visual/graphic style• Auditory verbal style• Tactile/kinesthetic style

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Discovering your Learning Styles • Theory of Multiple Intelligences –

How are you smart?– Logical-mathematical

• Problem solving and scientific thinking

– Linguistic intelligence• Production and use of language

– Spatial intelligence• Spatial configurations, such as those

used by artists and architects

– Interpersonal intelligence• Interacting with others and a sensitivity

to moods, temperaments, motivations of others

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Discovering Your Learning Styles• Theory of multiple intelligences –

How are you smart?– Intrapersonal intelligence

• Strong understanding of the internal aspects of oneself and access to emotions

– Musical intelligence• Skills related to music

– Bodily kinesthetic intelligence• Skill in using the body in the solution of

problems – dancers, athletes, actor, surgeon

– Naturalist intelligence • Skills in identifying and classifying patterns

in nature

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Personality Styles

• Four major personality dimensions– Most of us fall between the end

points of each dimension– Introverts vs. extroverts – Intuitors vs. sensors– Thinkers vs. feelers– Perceivers and judgers

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

The Origins of our Learning Styles

• Left-brain processing– Verbal competence (reading,

speaking, thinking, and reasoning)

– Information is processed sequentially

• Right-brain processing– Nonverbal competence (spatial

relationships, recognition of patterns and drawings, music, and emotional expression)

– Information processed globally

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Brain Dominance Test

http://frank.mtsu.edu/~studskl/hd/learn.html

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

The Origins of our Learning Styles

• You have a variety of styles• Your style reflects your

preferences you like to use• Your style will change throughout

your life• You should work on using less-

preferred styles• Work cooperatively with others

who have different styles

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Self-Concept: “Who Am I?” • Self-concept has 3 parts:

– Our physical self – how we look, and our opinion of our physical self

– Our social self– they roles we play in our lives. Each are an important part of who we are

– Our self-concept contains our personal self, our inner core – contains our innermost thoughts and experiences

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Self Concept and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies• Self-fulfilling prophecy – how our

beliefs and expectations effect our behavior

• To get a clearer picture of who you are:– Examine the roles you play– Identify your strengths and

weaknesses– Construct your own definition of who

you are– Accept your entire self-concept

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Self-Esteem: Building a Positive View of Yourself • Self-esteem is the overall

evaluation we give ourselves as individuals

• People with high self-esteem are generally happier and cope better

• Self-efficacy – the expectation that you are capable of achieving goals

• Low self-esteem can produce a cycle of failure

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Breaking the Self-Esteem Cycle of Failure• Accept who you are• Accept that everyone has value and

self-worth• Distinguish the different parts of who

you are• Don’t be dependent upon others’

praise• Building self-esteem is a life-long

undertaking

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Preparing a Personal Mission Statement• Prepare

– Identify your values• Organize

– Impose order on what motivates you

– Understand Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (insert Maslow’s pyramid here)

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Preparing a Personal Mission Statement• Work

– Move from our abstract values and motivational needs to concrete and specific goals

– Summarize your most important values and needs

– Consider what you want your major outcome to be

– Reflect on the kind of person you want to be

© 2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.McGraw-Hill

Preparing a Personal Mission Statement • Evaluate

– Does your personal mission statement reflect who you are?

– Does it take a long-term view?– Is it general enough?

• Rethink– Your personal mission statement is a

living document– It changes as your goals become

clearer– Periodically revisit your mission

statement