Inventories

1. Inventories It’s All About You

2. How do you Learn? To gain a better understanding of yourself as a learner, you need to evaluate the way you prefer to learn or process information.

3. Benefits • The main benefit is to get you to think about yourself and to consider learning alternatives. • It is NOT meant to rigidly classify you.

4. Knowing your learning style will help you develop coping strategies to compensate for your weaknesses and capitalize on your strengths. Grade 10 Inventories

5. VARK http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

6. Multiple Intelligences

7. MI Inventory http://surfaquarium.com/MI/inventory.htm

8. Your VARK (Visual, Aural, Read/Write &/or Kinesthetic) preferences can be used to help you develop additional, effective strategies for learning and for improving your communication skills. Study Practices Keyed to VARK Preferences

9. Visual Study Strategies

10. Visual Continued

11. Visual Continued You want the whole picture so you are probably holistic rather than reductionist in your approach.. You are often swayed by the look of an object. You are interested in color and layout and design and you know where you are in your environment. You are probably going to draw something.

13. Aural Study Strategies Intake To take in the information: • attend classes • attend discussions and tutorials • discuss topics with others • discuss topics with your teachers • explain new ideas to other people • use a tape recorder • remember the interesting examples, stories, jokes... • describe the overheads, pictures and other visuals to somebody who was not there • leave spaces in your notes for later recall and 'filling'

14. Aural Continued SWOT - Study without tears To make a learnable package: Convert your "notes" into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1) • Your notes may be poor because you prefer to listen. You will need to expand your notes by talking with others and collecting notes from the textbook. • Put your summarized notes onto tapes and listen to them. • Ask others to 'hear' your understanding of a topic. • Read your summarized notes aloud. • Explain your notes to another 'aural' person.

15. Aural Continued OUTPUT To perform well in any test, assignment or examination: • Imagine talking with the examiner. • Listen to your voices and write them down. • Spend time in quiet places recalling the ideas. • Practice writing answers to old exam questions. • Speak your answers aloud or inside your head. You prefer to have these pages explained to you. The written words are not as valuable as those you hear. You will probably go and tell somebody about this.

17. Read/Write Study Strategies INTAKE To take in the information: • lists • headings • dictionaries • glossaries • definitions • handouts • textbooks • readings - library • notes (often verbatim) • teachers who use words well and have lots of information in sentences and notes • essays • manuals (computing and laboratory)

18. Read/Write Study Strategies Continued SWOT - Study without tears To make a learnable package: Convert your "notes" into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1) • Write out the words again and again. • Read your notes (silently) again and again. • Rewrite the ideas and principles into other words. • Organize any diagrams, graphs ... into statements, e.g. "The trend is..." • Turn reactions, actions, diagrams, charts and flows into words. • Imagine your lists arranged in multiple choice questions and distinguish each from each.

19. Read/Write Study Strategies Continued OUTPUT To perform well in any test, assignment or examination: • Write exam answers. • Practice with multiple choice questions. • Write paragraphs, beginnings and endings. • Write your lists (a,b,c,d,1,2,3,4). • Arrange your words into hierarchies and points. You like this page because the emphasis is on words and lists. You believe the meanings are within the words, so any talk is OK but this handout is better. You are heading for the library.

21. KinestheticStudy Strategies • all your senses - sight, touch, taste, smell, hearing ... • laboratories • field trips /field tours • examples of principles • lecturers who give real-life examples • applications • hands-on approaches (computing) • trial and error • collections of rock types, plants, shells, grasses... • exhibits, samples, photographs... • recipes - solutions to problems, previous exam papers

22. Kinesthetic Study Strategies SWOT - Study without tears To make a learnable package: • Convert your "notes" into a learnable package by reducing them (3:1) • Your lecture notes may be poor because the topics were not 'concrete' or 'relevant'. • You will remember the "real" things that happened. • Put plenty of examples into your summary. Use case studies and applications to help with principles and abstract concepts. • Talk about your notes with another "K" person. • Use pictures and photographs that illustrate an idea. • Go back to the laboratory or your lab manual. • Recall the experiments, field trip...

23. Kinesthetic Study Strategies • Write practice answers, paragraphs... • Role play the exam situation in your • own room.

25. Multimodal Study Strategies • If you have multiple preferences you are in the majority, as approximately 60% of any population fits that category. • Multiple preferences are interesting and varied. For example you may have two strong preferences Visual and Aural (VA) or Read/write and Kinesthetic (RK), or you may have three strong preferences such as VAR or ARK. Some people have no standout scores. Their scores are almost even for all four modes.

26. Multimodal Study Strategies Continued • So multiple preferences give you choices of two or three or four modes to use for your learning and for your interaction with others. • Positive reactions mean that those with multimodal preferences choose to match or align their mode to the significant others around them. • See Study Strategies for V &/or A &/or R &/or K

27. “Intelligence is the capacity to do something useful in the society in which we live. Intelligence is the ability to respond successfully to new situations and the capacity to learn from one’s past experiences.” What the MI Learning Preferences Results Mean

28. If you are a Linguistic Learner, you: • value books and like to talk about what you've read • "hear" words in your head before speaking or reading them • have a good memory for names, places, dates and/or trivia • enjoy word games, puns and tongue twisters • are a good speller • have a good vocabulary • write well • communicate with others in a highly verbal way

29. If you are a Logical-mathematical Learner, you: • are curious about how things work • mentally compute measurements and formulas • enjoy logic puzzles, brainteasers and games of strategy, like chess • look for rational explanations, think logically and seek logical answers • feel more comfortable when something has been measured, categorized, analyzed, or quantified in some way • like to experiment in a way that uses higher order cognitive thinking processes • have a good sense of cause and effect

30. If you are a Spatial Learner, you: • draw or doodle • read charts, maps, and diagrams more easily than text • enjoy artistic pursuits • see clear visual images • have a strong sense for colors • often have vivid dreams at night • enjoy taking (and looking at) photographs or movies • can get around easily in unfamiliar territory • can comfortably imagine how objects appear from different angles • prefer reading material that is heavily illustrated • enjoy doing puzzles, mazes and similar visual activities

31. If you are a Bodily-Kinesthetic Learner, you: • are physically active and enjoy the outdoors • excel at one or more sports/athletic pursuits • find it difficult to sit still for long periods • like working with your hands • enjoy taking things apart and putting them back together • have a need to touch things when learning about them • are well coordinated • need to practice skills by doing them rather than simply reading/hearing about them

32. If you are a Musical Learner, you: • sometimes hum, sing, or make tapping sounds while working • enjoy listening to music on radio, cassette, or CD • can tell if a musical note is off key • may play a musical instrument or sing well • find music enriching • know the tunes to many different songs • have a good singing voice • have a rhythmic way of speaking or moving

33. If you are an Interpersonal Learner, you: • enjoy socializing with others • are sought out by others for advice and counsel • enjoy group games and sports • prefer to talk over problems with another person, rather than solving them alone • have at least three close friends • seek the company of coworkers both during and after hours • voluntarily tutor coworkers in new skills • show leadership ability • are an active member of one or more clubs, committees or other organizations

34. If you are an Intrapersonal Learner, you: • are strong willed and independent • are self-directed and prefer working alone • are interested in learning more about yourself • at times may say or do things that others have difficulty understanding • may be a loner • have strong opinions about things • have a rich inner life • have high self-esteem

35. If you are an Naturalist Learner, you: The Naturalist intelligence has to do with how we relate to our surroundings and where we fit into it. • Bothered by pollution • Enjoy having pets • Like to learn about nature • Enjoy gardening • Appreciate scenic places • Feel alive when in contact with nature • Like to camp, hike, walk and climb • Notice nature above all other things • Conscious of changes in weather

36. “Learning without reflection is a waste, reflection without learning is dangerous.” – Confucius Reflection Questions

37. What type(s) of Learner are you? ______________________ ________________ What are your 3 top Multiple Intelligences? _____________ _______________ ______________ To what extent do the results describe you? (Were the results an accurate portrait of you?) Provide evidence using information from your learning experiences. Were there any surprises? Give details. Do your two inventory results support one another? If there was a difference, what could explain this? If they were compatible, do you agree? List your three top categories from Multiple Intelligences AND at least five careers that would interest you and suit the results.

38. Where do your Learner traits show themselves in your schooling? How can you use this information to assist you in your learning. Do you know people with 3 different intelligences to you? Do your friends have similar intelligences to you? What was the most significant thing you learned about yourself from completing these inventories?

39. Who are you? If I had to answer Who am I? If I were a colour, I would be Red because I am passionate, bold and definitely not wishy-washy:)). If I were a song I would be ‘Volare’ sang by Dean Martin because it is romantic and joyous. If I were a city, I would be Barcelona because I am a little bit olde-worlde and a little bit modern, a little bit arty and a little bit sporty, a little bit classy and a little bit messy. If I were an object, I would be a PC because I like to connect people, and I am pretty helpful and resourceful. If I were a season, I would be Summer becauseI am warm, friendly and open to new experiences. If I were a maxim, I would be ‘It’s never too late.’ as I am a true believer that it is never ever too late. What about you??? Something to THINK About

40. Prepared for Mentorship Program at Dr. E.P. Scarlett June 2011 By Pamela Singletary, LL of Mentorship Helping students discover and connect who they are with what they do in life and work