When to Ignore Learning Styles

When you are about to learn something new, your learning style does not matter. Whether you are a visual learner or a hands-on type, or any of the other learning styles, we all need to start at the same place.

• We need to begin with the end in mind

Begin with the end in mind

To accomplish this, we need an advance organizer.

An advance organizer presents information before taking a course, and it is not just an overview. The goal is to help the learner begin with the end in mind, because this approach:

• prompts the connection of new information to what is already known,

• triggers organizational cues, and

• provokes a mental image of the tangible result, or

• provides that image with pictures.

Jump-start the learner’s ability to store and retrieve details

By facilitating the comprehension of new information and illustrating a path forward towards the completion of a set of complex new tasks:

• The advance organizer improves the learner's ability to store and retrieve the necessary details.

Reduce frustration when learning to use new software

The benefits of an advance organizer are especially evident when it comes to learning to use new software.

Before you jump in to play around because you need to learn by doing, or before you start reading the instruction manual because you need to take in all the information:

• Start by taking time to use the advance organizer if provided.

If you are building instruction

Help yourself and your learners by making an advance organizer.

Nothing clarifies your goal like creating that visual of the result.