The thing to remember at the outset is that no one learning style is better or worse than another.  The preferences that comprise an individual learning style are simply part of being a person, being unique.

The Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles identify a learner’s set of preferences in terms of being with other people under the category of sociological.

Among these preferences are:

• Learning alone
• Learning with one other person
• Learning with a group of fellow learners.

Certainly, one objective of education should be to enable all learners to function well in any situation. Nonetheless, provision must be made for individual learning styles as much as possible.

SOLOISTS or “lone learners,” must be given plenty of opportunities for self-study and self-pacing.  Maybe the learner is easily distracted, or just basically shy.  No matter the reason behind the preference, give the learner the needed personal space, and slowly encourage positive interaction with other learners.

SOCIALIZERS on the other hand, will benefit much from pair or group activities that involve shared planning and collegial decision-making.

PAIR OR PEEL LEARNERS will also have to be taught, over time, to study well by themselves.
To top it all, a learning styles teacher must teach students to recognize and respect one another’s learning style and to help each other grow socially.  In this way, the loners will slowly learn interdependence and be comfortable in the company of others, while socializers will learn independence and be comfortable with being alone.

In this way also, a bit of the teaching burden becomes shared by the teacher and the learners. This is one instance when many cooks would not spoil the broth.

(Henry S. Tenedero is the president of the Center for Learning and Teaching Styles and MINDful IDEAS, an affiliate of the International Learning Styles Network, based at St. John’s University in New York. He is a graduate of the AIM Masters in Development management and of the Harvard Graduate School for Professional Educators. He can be reached at htenedero@yahoo.com.)