8 Learning Styles: What's in it for Them?
Posted on February 11, 2013 by Sharon Beyer, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.
How hard is it to answer "what's in it for me" for 16 unique MBTI learning styles? Find out more about the "why" for each MBTI type in this article.
As I was being educated to become a teacher, I remember hearing about the acronym WIIFM (What’s in it For Me?). We were informed that this question is what all good teachers consider when developing lesson plans. What will the student gain from learning the information you are teaching? Seems obvious, right? I certainly never questioned it because it made sense. It seems I should have been asking my own questions.
Knowing what I know now, I didn’t realize what a hard task that really was. As I have grown, obtained certification in the MBTI instrument, and experienced different students and learners, I realize that it is one tough job to be able to connect to each student in a lesson plan. What I also learned is that the answer to that question was likely my own answer, not the ones the students needed.
There are 16 different type codes. According to some, that means that there are 16 different ways to approach learning. Others think that the learning styles can be grouped together. The information I share here is from Donna Dunning’s book Introduction to Type® and Learning. She concludes that there are 8 styles of learning, identifying them as Responders, Explorers, Expeditors, Contributors, Assimilators, Visionaries, Analyzers, and Enhancers.
While I do believe that each of the 16 learners has a unique approach to learning, the 8 styles is a good foundation in which to begin. For teachers, it allows them to consider 8 styles rather than 16 styles. For students, it provides style names – like Responders – that students can associate and connect with.
Given how hard it is for teachers to build lessons that appeal to 16 or even 8 different styles of learners, I propose that young adults and parents of young students learns how they learn. As a first step, explore the “why” of learning. Thinking about the “why” of learning will provide you with some answers as to personal intrinsic motivation to learn material. Below is a listing of the 8 learning styles, the associated type codes, and questions that those with a specific learning style can ask in order to consider “what is in it for them”. As you read the list below, notice how each style values something different when it comes to learning.
ESTP &ESFP (Responders): How can I use this information now?; How will what I am learning help me function better in my current roles?
ENTP & ENFP (Explorers): Will this learning broaden what I already know?; Will this learning increase my options and opportunities in the future?
ESTJ & ENTJ (Expeditors): How will this learning make me more competent at what I do?; How will this information help me do my work more efficiently and effectively?
ESFJ & ENFJ (Contributors): How will what I am learning promote understanding and cooperation between people?
ISTJ & ISFJ (Assimilators): What do I already know about this topic?; How can I apply this information?
INTJ & INFJ (Visionaries): How does this material relate to other ideas and concepts?; How will this information broaden my overall understanding of this topic?
ISTP & INTP (Analyzers): Why am I learning this?; What do I need to get out of this?
ISFP & INFP (Enhancers) Is what I am learning important to me?; How will this information benefit me or others?
