Learning Styles & Strategies

Elaboration as described by Dr. Ormrod seems to me to be the most logical teaching and learning strategy. Elaboration is described as adding to already existing information or knowledge (Ormrod, 2009).
I recently applied idea with a class of clinical skills students where we began with demonstrating procedures for measuring (taking) blood pressures on several volunteers. The day prior to this we had discussed the dynamics of cardiac output so we had introduced a basic knowledge.
I noted that students previously bored out of their minds and rarely participating in previous discussions now were the first to grab the blood pressure cuffs (sphygmomanometers) with stethoscopes at the ready. These students reminded me of what was described as “concrete perceivers” or learners who absorb information by doing, acting, sensing, and feeling (Gilbert & Swanier, 2008). Others sat back and carefully noted the blood pressure results and quietly read through their notes from the previous session. These reminded me of the “active and reflective processors” as described in the same reference.
The discussions that resulted revealed unique though similar perspectives on the same subject. Almost every student participating in this exercise was able to explain, in very unique ways, how the blood pressure results related to cardiac output. One student brought up the concept of “Starling’s Law” which resulted in the rest of the class thumbing through their notes and textbooks for a quick refresher. The fact that I did not begin this session with a lecture but rather a demonstration appeared to have resulted in a one-hour discussion among students and student groups. My question was a very simple and probably unexpected one, “what is blood pressure?”.
This reminded me of what Dr. Gardner had written (Gardner, 2003) in the required readings article: “Efforts to cover too much material doom the achievement of understanding” and “we are more likely to understand if we probe deeply in a small number of topics”. It seems to me that our traditional education delivery systems have missed the bus for many generations who may have been labeled as lacking “intelligence” and unable to “understand” subject matter. Dry and boring lectures are a waste of time, energy, and money.
Instructional designs that focus on student participation with projects, both individual and group, as well as elaboration as described by Dr. Ormrod will be part of the focus for program improvements in my career as an instructional design professional


References:
Ormrod, J., Learning Styles and Strategies, 2010, Video
Gardner, H. Multiple Intelligences After Twenty Years, 2003
Gilbert, J. E., & Swanier, A., Learning Styles: How Do They Fluctuate, 2008