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72LEARNING STYLES IN ENGLISH
Mokhinur Uzakova Khursandoy Azimova
Students of Samarkand State Institute of foreign languages
ABSTRACT
The focus of this article, namely, to teach what kind of styles we have in English lessons and differences between them. As students learn in various ways, it appears impossible to change the learning style of each student in the classroom. The article avoids some problems and mistakesalso it seeks the way how to improve our learning styles.
Keywords: learning styles, teaching styles, writing, learning process.
Teaching and learning situation directly or indirectly depends upon learning styles. Different theorists and educationists have defined learning styles in their own way. They believe that this is an important concept to be studied. The concept of style helps to understand that how the learners are same with each other, and how they differ in terms of learning. There are various definitions about what learning style is. Firstly "learning style" concept was introduced by Rita Dunn in 1960. Recently in the education area, the concept of "learning style" has gained great impact too. According to Kefee learning styles, "are characteristic cognitive, affective and physiological traits that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with and respond to the learning environment"[4].The VARK model of learning styles according to Desire (2019) suggests that there are four main types of learners. These four key types are: visual, auditory, reading and writing preference and Kinesthetic. Dunn and Dunn (1989) learning styles model comprises of visual, auditory, kindergarten, global analytical impulsive, reflective, individual and group.
Visual learners. These are learners who prefer to learn using sense of sight. Materials in the learning environment that will appeal to the sense of sight like charts, diagrams, graphs, maps and other pictures or graphically based forms of communication are important. Media movies, PowerPoint presentations or videos are necessary to assist visual learners in learning.
Aural/Auditory Learners. These are learners who prefer instructions that deal with sense organ of hearing. Spoken words during lectures, recordings, discussions are mechanisms that allow people with the sense of hearing to learn in their environments.
Read/Write learners. Learners under this group learn best when they readand write down on a paper or board what they have read. Their tools of choice are dictionaries, the Internet, PowerPoint, written responses and text signs.
Kinesthetic learners. This group learn by being involved in the activities of the learning process. The method of instruction in this group includes demonstrations, simulations, videos and case studies [1] .
Broadly speaking, learning styles can be categorized into three main types: cognitive, personality (psychology), and sensory. Cognitive encompasses analytical/ global, field dependent/field independent, impulsive/ reflective learning styles, Kolb's model of learning styles and Ehrman and Leavers' construct. Personality learning styles include extroverted/introverted, random-intuitive/concrete sequential, and closure-oriented/ open oriented. Sensory 242 Hawkar Akram Awla: Learning Styles and Their Relation to Teaching Styles learning styles are divided into three subtypes: visual, tactile/kinesthetic and auditory (Dornyei, 2005; Oxford, 2001). In the following section, only those learning styles are explained which will be covered in the research part.
Intuitive (random) versus Sensing (sequential). Intuitive learners prefer information that originates from their imagination, reflection and internal memory. They think in futuristic, no-sequential and large-scale ways and enjoy creating new theories and possibilities. Conversely, sensing learners prefer information that arises from senses. They think about here and now, and prefer facts to theories. They would like to be guided and instructed by teachers (Felder, 1993; Oxford, 2001).
Global versus analytic. Global learners concentrate on the big picture and follow their instincts or guess the main idea of a text. They like short answers rather than long explanations. On the other hand, analytic learners focus on logical analysis and thinking to tackle problems. They break ideas apart and tend to place more emphasis on grammar rules (Dornyei, 2005).
Active versus Reflective. Active learners enjoy doing tasks directly by applying and discussing them with others, while reflective learners understand and remember information best by reflecting on it in advance. Active learners prefer to work in groups, while reflective learners enjoy working alone or in pairs (Felder, 1993)
Individual versus group preferences. Individual learners prefer to work and learn independently on their own. On the other hand, learners with a group preference like to study and learn in groups (Dornyei, 2005) [3]. Different terms have been used in literature such as learning style, cognitive style, sensory preference, and personality types. Some of these terms, in some instances, have been used interchangeably, while in other occasions they have been differentiated (Cassidy, 2004). Learning style are defined as "the complex manner in which, and conditions under which, learners most effectively perceive, process, store, and recall what they are attempting to learn" (James and Gardn er, 1995: 20), while cognitive styles are defined as "an individuals' natural, habitual, and
preferred way (s) of absorbing, processing and retaining new information and skills" (Reid, 1995: viii). Mortimore (2003) makes a distinction between learning styles and cognitive styles. He indicates that learning styles are seen more in terms of the strategies that learners use to deal with learning, and are considered to be less stable. On the other hand, cognitive styles are relatively stable. Thus, learning styles, as opposed to learner preferences, can be stretched with the passage of time. It is to be noted that the distinction between cognitive and learning style is not crystal clear as some authors employ cognitive style as a more general term that includes learning styles (Williamson and Watson, 2006), [5].
Most proponents of the learning-styles idea subscribe to some form of the meshing hypothesis, and most accounts of how in-108 Volume 9—Number 3 Learning Styles instruction should be optimized assume the meshing hypothesis:For example, they speak of (a) tailoring teaching to ''the way in which each learner begins to concentrate on, process, absorb, and retain new and difficult information'' (Dunn & Dunn's framework; International Learning Styles Network, 2008), (b) the learner's preferred modes of perception and processing (Kolb's, 1984, 1985, framework), or (c) ''the fit between [people's] learning style and the kind of learning experience they face'' (Hay Group, n.d., p. 11). Note that the learning-styles hypothesis, as defined here, could be true without the meshing hypothesis being true—if, for example, individuals classified as visual learners profited more from verbal instruction in some situations or if individuals classified as verbal learners profitedmore from visual instruction. In our review, we searched for evidence for both this broad version of the learning-styles hypothesis and the more specific meshing hypothesis[5].
REFERENCES
[1] Dunn R, Dunn K (1989). The Dunn and Dunn learning style model of instruction. https://tracyharringtonatkinson.com/dunn-and-dunnlearning-style/
[2] International Learning Styles Network. (2008). About learning styles. Retrieved August 6, 2009, from http://www.learningstyles.net/index.php?option=com content&task=view&id=20&Item id=70&lang=e
[3]Oxford, R. (2001) Language learning styles and strategies. In. M. Celce-Murcia, Ed.Teaching English as a second or foreign language(3rded.). USA: Heinle & Heinle.
[4] UCLA Research Paper (2006). The Dunn and Dunn learning style model of instruction. Retrieved December from www.ethika. dk/eengelesk/news. asp
[5] Williamson, MF. & Watson, R. (2006) Learning Styles Research: Understanding How Teaching Should Be Impacted by the Way Learners Learn Christian Education Journal (pp. 27-43).
