Here are my results of the Felder and Soloman learning styles test. Having not done this specific learning style test before, I was unfamiliar with the category terms they use to describe learners. Therefore, I have provided a link for those who may also be unfamiliar with the terms.
I have to say, I definitely thought I was an active learner (but the results here show I'm on the fence between active and reflective). I'm a doer, and struggle if I just have to sit and listen, however, I do like to work through problems or new concepts on my own at times, so maybe that's what swayed me to be a bit of both active and reflective. I wasn't surprised by my strong sway towards being a sensing, visual and sequential learner. To me, pictures do tell a 1000 words ... so show me, don't tell me!
I suppose in teaching, the challenge will be to cater for all students and their many different learning style combinations. Obviously there is no way you can accomodate all the learning styles in every class, so the key will be to ensure a wide mix of activities throughout the unit to ensure students of all learning styles are catered for. However, I need to remember that some activities will appeal to some students, while others may become disengaged ... for example, the repetition of practicing to balance science equations may appeal to the sensing students, however, the intuitive students may struggle with boredom. Thankfully there are masses of ICT tools that can be used for all learning styles, so hopefully there will be tools out there that may help engage those students.
The other consideration is that I need to ensure I don't sway towards my own learning style. Effective teaching must be student-centred, so I must cater to the needs of my students (and not my learning preferences). Doing a test similar to this would be useful for a class - to determine how the students best learn, what what mix of styles you have in one class.
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