Learning Profile J

Recently, Mr. Whiting came into our humanities class and helped us to determine our learning profile. We took a variety of tests to find out which ear, eye, hand and foot were dominant and after completing these tests, I learnt that I had my right eye, hand and foot were stronger than my left but that my left ear was stronger than my right ear. Mr. Whiting described a logical learner as a learner who follows a set of directions, carefully and with precision and that a gestalt learner was quite the opposite. He said a gestalt learner looked at the bigger picture, instead of following directions; they would look at the final result and figure it out from there. Mr. Whiting asked us to close our eyes and think about what we would do if we woke up to find a new Lego box sitting on our table. He then asked us to explain our reactions to the box. My instant reaction was to look on the front and back and then open the box up and look at the colors of the Lego pieces. He then explained to us that if we were to open up the box and look for the instructions, that meant we were left brain dominant (logical) and if we just looked at the pictures and did as I did, they were right brain dominant (gestalt). Then he showed us a chart which we used to discover our specific learning profile. Because I have a dominant right eye, hand and foot and a dominant left ear, I have the learning profile J. This learning profile helped me to understand when I learn best and what I could do to improve my learning.

Being gestalt, I learn best through a wide variety of techniques such as visualization, movement and other kinesthetic styles. I would be more able to understand a concept using a hands-on exercise than a reading exercise. For example, I enjoy and am able grasp key concepts easier when reading out loud Julius Caesar and actively participating in discussions rather than if I were solely read each scene. The Socratic seminars are very effective for me as verbal communication is critical for me. I am an auditory learner, which means I also learn well while listening to discussions and people talking. I usually learn best when not under any pressure and can think about what I am learning.

Although very creative and intuitive, I have trouble with my organization. I know this to be true because often I lose track of time, for example when I go shopping with my friends, I set a meeting point and place. However, often I forget where and when we are meeting and I lose track of time. I should start to learn time management, make lists and prioritize because it would help me greatly. It would improve my lack of organization and the sequencing of steps will help communicate my ideas easier. Some strategies include forcing myself to finish what I start, practicing observing details and other techniques.

I would like my teachers to know I have always learnt best through visuals such as posters and acting concepts out, it helps me to understand the main ideas and emotions involved with the concepts, as well as the conflicts.