An Analysis Of My Learning Style Education Essay

The following paper will attempt to analyze the intelligences that I fall under according to Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence Theory. After careful review of the different intelligences, I concluded that there were 5 that I could particularly relate to. I will attempt to analyze my different learning styles and explain why I feel that I fall under these 5 particular intelligences.

Understanding your learning style is essential in order to help you advance in life. Recognizing your learning style or styles can help you to learn how to reason and communicate more effectively with others. It may also help you to identify other ways to learn and/or teach others. Therefore, I have decided that analyzing my learning styles using Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences would be a great way to reflect upon my learning styles and help me immensely in the profession that I currently work in.

After analyzing Gardner’s multiple intelligences and scoring myself, I realized that I use a variety of Multiple Intelligences and am quite equal in 5 different areas. Those areas are the Spatial Intelligence, The Music Intelligence, The Interpersonal intelligence, the Intrapersonal Intelligence, and the Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence. I will use my results to analyze myself and how I fit into my preferred learning styles.

I am starting with the spatial intelligence, also referred to as the visual style (McKenzie, 1999). I work in the Human Resources department of a Kellogg’s plant. I am actually the intern, which means that I am there to learn and perform the Human Resources Management position. When being assigned to new projects, I prefer using images, pictures, colors, and maps to organize information. I tend to learn more from visuals then I do from verbal instructions. I also prefer to use the visual methods for communicating with others. I am great at creating PowerPoint presentations for the employees and am required to do it often. I often visualize plans, objects, and outcomes in my mind. I also have a very good spatial sense, which I feel gives me a good sense of direction. Another visual style I use is maps. I just moved to the area I live in now a couple of years ago but I can easily find my way around using maps, and I rarely get lost. According to McKenzie (1999), these types of behaviors classify me to fall under the Spatial Intelligence category.

The second learning style I fell under was the Musical intelligence, also referred to as the aural style (McKenzie, 1999). I like to work with sound and music. I have a good sense of pitch and rhythm. When I play the Singstar video game with my family, everyone gets mad at me because they can not beat me. I typically can sing, or identify the sounds of different instruments. Certain songs or sounds invoke strong emotions for me. There are also many different songs I hear that will invoke memories for me. I also tend to be aware of music playing in the background of movies, TV shows, and commercials. I also tend to make a song out of things I want or need to remember. I find it much easier for me to learn when I have created a song out of the material. Music is something I really enjoy and now that I have discovered that I use this style to learn, I understand how much music really does influence my learning.

The third style I fell under was the Interpersonal intelligence, also referred to as the social style (McKenzie, 1999). I believe that I communicate well with others, both verbally and non-verbally. People listen to me and/or come to me for advice. They will actually come and talk to me first before attempting to even talk to the actual HR manager. I really enjoy mentoring or counseling others. I believe that this is related to the fact that I am more sensitive to their feelings or moods. I also feel that I listen well and understand other’s points of view. I gladly welcome listening to others opinions because the other person may be able to offer something to the situation that I had not thought of.

I believe that I heighten my learning through sharing my thoughts with other people and listening to how they respond to my thoughts. I strongly prefer to work through issues, ideas and problems within a group rather than by myself. Another indication of the social style for me is that I like games that involve other people, such as card games, sports, and board games. Therefore, I believe that I show more signs of the social style of learning then any of the other styles.

Another intelligence that I fell under was the Intrapersonal Intelligence, also referred to as the solitary style. I can see where I fall into this style as well. I am a private, introspective, and independent person at times. I concentrate well, and focus on my thoughts and feelings about the current topic. I am very aware of my own thinking, and have a tendency to analyze the different ways that I think and feel. I spend a great deal of time doing self-analysis and sometimes I will reflect on past events and the way I approached them. I also take time to reflect upon my accomplishments and/ or challenges.

I do also tend to prefer staying away from large crowds. I wouldn’t necessarily say that I like to do many things alone, but that may be due to the fact that I don’t have much of an opportunity to do things alone. I am almost always taking a child with me on most outings and when I do go alone, it feels strange.

I do feel that I know myself very well. I think independently, and I know my mind. I like to read self-help books and actually set out to cure myself of my OCD. I did have professional help in the beginning but decided that I could teach myself how to deal with it. I eventually did so, and helped myself overcome my OCD and anxiety. The self-help books that I read give me direction that helps me to develop a deeper understanding of myself. At times, I prefer to work on problems by retreating to somewhere quiet and working through possible solutions. And at times I will spend too much time trying to solve a problem that I could more easily solve by talking to someone about. I also enjoy making plans and setting goals for myself. I know the direction in life and work that I would like to go. I would prefer to eventually work for myself.

The last intelligence that I fell under was the Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence, also referred to as the physical style. I like to use my body and sense of touch to learn about the world around me. I really like physical activities such as gardening and yard work, hiking, and walking. I am able to clear my mind and think things out while I am engaging in these types of activities. I am sensitive to the physical world and I love to appreciate textures of materials. I also use my hands and body gestures when I communicate with others. When I was younger, I took dance classes and really enjoyed them.

This self-analysis of multiple intelligences has made me understand myself more. I believe that it has made me realize the best methods for me to learn and understand things. This will help me develop my skills more in my educational and professional life.