Learning Styles
Learning Styles (VARK) - It doesn't work
- Visual
- Auditory
- Reading/Writing
- Kinesthetic
It depends on what are you learning
Reading vs Listening vs Watching for learning
When it comes to learning, reading generally offers better comprehension and retention of information compared to listening or watching, as it allows for active processing and re-reading when needed, while listening can be more convenient for certain situations and watching can be beneficial when visual elements are crucial to understanding the topic, but can sometimes be less focused due to distractions; ultimately, the best method depends on your individual learning style and the complexity of the material you're trying to learn.
Key points to consider:
Reading
- Pros: Deep processing, ability to re-read, good for complex concepts, better information retention.
- Cons: Can be slower, requires more focus, might not be suitable for topics requiring visual aids.
Listening
- Pros: Convenient for multitasking, good for absorbing information on the go, can be engaging with a good narrator.
- Cons: May not be as effective for complex information, can be harder to retain details.
Watching
- Pros: Excellent for visual learning, can incorporate demonstrations and real-life examples, more engaging for some learners.
- Cons: May be distracting with unnecessary visuals, can be less effective for deep learning if not focused.
Factors to consider when choosing a learning method
- Learning style: Identify whether you are primarily a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner.
- Complexity of the material: For complex topics, reading may be more effective while simpler concepts can be easily grasped through listening or watching.
- Time constraints: Listening might be better for quick learning on the go, while reading allows for more thorough understanding if you have time to dedicate.
Reading vs. Listening – Which is More Efficient for Studying | GoTranscript
Learning by Reading vs Watching/Listening: Which One is Better?
What Are the Differences Between Reading and Listening?
The first distinction between reading and listening is that reading involves cognitive processes that occur on the left side of the brain. Listening, on the other hand, activates both hemispheres. This happens because, when listening to an audiobook, you need to process speech and its meaning simultaneously.
While reading and listening are processed in the same brain area, interpreting the speech takes place in different sections of the brain. This is why you can read a book while listening to music. You cannot, however, do the opposite. There is no way to listen to an audiobook while reading.
Andragogy (Adult Learning Theory)
Adults don't learn the same way children do (pedagogy)
Adult Learning Theory is a set of guiding principles that explain how adults learn, in contrast to how children learn.
6 principles of Knowles' Adult Learning Theory
Knowles organized his theory around six assumptions that distinguished the novel andragogy from pedagogy:
- The need to know: Adults must understand the utility of the material they're learning. Children are told to learn for the sake of it, and only what the teacher deems necessary. This means it's often the trainer's role to guide an adult learner to seeing that a skill gap, or a 'need to know,' exists.
- Learner's self-concept: Adult learners do not like feeling imposed upon by a trainer, or that they aren't in control of their own learning. In classrooms, however, teachers are undoubtedly the ones in charge.
- The role of the learner's experiences: Adults bring more experiences to a learning environment than do children. This means that a group of adults will contain more varied backgrounds, and so teaching should be more individualized. It also means that they can more actively participate as sources of knowledge.
- Readiness to learn: Children are 'ready to learn' when teachers tell them they have learned enough to move to the next grade. For adults, learning should coincide with a developmental stage in their personal or work lives.
- Orientation to learning: Adults approach learning as a way to solve a problem in real-world contexts, and are more receptive to learning when material is applied to real-life situations. Children, on the other hand, are expected to learn material for the sake of it.
- Motivation: Adults are more motivated by internal factors, like a desire for higher self-esteem, than external ones, like a pay raise. Children are motivated primarily by external factors, like achieving a good grade or avoiding a parental reprimand.
Adult Learning Theory in practice
- Use a bottom-up approach to training needs analysis
- Decentralize course creation
- Embrace self-directed learning
https://360learning.com/blog/adult-learning-theory
Brain on ChatGPT
- "Wow, MIT just proved ChatGPT weakens your brain!" -- No, they didn't even claim that, let alone prove it.
- "This is mind-boggling research!" -- It was conducted with 54 students over 4 months. Good enough to publish, but not exactly the gold standard.
- "ChatGPT should be banned in schools!" -- The study found that students who used ChatGPT after trying to write an essay on a topic performed better than everyone else.
These students had stronger neural activation and higher memory recall than students who used ChatGPT before writing the essay.
So what does it say?
- ChatGPT seems to keep our System 2 on standby for longer
- So lesser critical thinking is used when generating essays with GPT
- Leading to poorer memory and recall for the students
- AI-generated essays were similar to each other (echo chamber)
- The order of usage (
GPT <--> Brain) affects essay quality the most
My thoughts after reading the paper:
- ChatGPT has students come up with generic, rambling essays instead of having them explore a topic deeply.
- People tend to flow from one thought to another.
- But ChatGPT stays anchored to the original topic without purpose, spitting out facts and data, but little knowledge transfer.
- This is not a problem if students use ChatGPT after researching a topic. The order should be:
- Think --> Ideate
- Google Search --> Research
- ChatGPT --> Formulate