LEARNING STYLES OBSERVATION INVENTORY
Place a Check beside the statements which describe the student best. The column with the greatest number of checks indicates the student’s strongest learning preference. Some students will have more than one strong style.
TACTILE/KINESTHETIC / AUDITORY / VISUALFolds paper when told to make columns / Loves to talk / Ignores spoken directions
Rocks in chair / Loves to listen / Asks for directions to be repeated
Shakes or swings legs / Talks to self / Looks to see what others are doing
Taps pen, pencil, etc. / Reads aloud / Gets the words to a song wrong
Wiggles or fidgets with objects / Uses finger to trace along while reading / Turns T.V. or radio up loud
Reaches out to touch things and people / Puts head near work / Good speller for words that have been seen
Grabs the doorframe to “fling” into a room / Hoods eyes with hand / Writes a lot of notes
Does not trust ears or eyes until an object is felt / Doesn’t do well with charts and graphs / Focuses intently on speaker-watches mouth
Is considered hyperactive / Needs words to go with cartoon / Does not like to talk on phone
Collects “things” / Lacks visual or word recall / Goes off into another world when lectured to
Breaks up toothpicks, straws, wads napkin / Can’t draw without something to copy / Does well with charts and graphs
Takes things apart, puts things together / Does not follow maps well-needs oral directions / Needs a map-does not do well with oral directions.
Takes a lot of baths or showers / Uses jingles to remember things-remembers songs / Remembers what has been seen
Paces / Doesn’t do well with symbolic information / Usually good at labeling diagrams, maps, and pictures
Talks fast, using hands / Can’t stand silence-needs to talk or needs you to talk / Tends to be distracted visually during oral tasks
Tends to interrupt / Appears to not pay attention to lecture but remembers most of it / May have difficulty shifting from a visual activity to an auditory one
May do math or spell with finger on tactile surface / May talk out loud to organize tasks for self-talks through procedures / Can “tune out” noise when engaged visually
Prefers to work standing up / May not appear to focus on speaker / Notices changes in room
TOTAL: / TOTAL: / TOTAL:
WHAT KIND OF A STUDENT ARE YOU?
ALWAYS SOMETIMES NEVER
1. I finish all of my homework assignments. ______
2. I have all of my materials when I get to
Class (pencil, paper, book, pen, etc.) ______
3. I use the time teachers give us in class to
Start on homework. ______
4. I write things down so I do not forget. ______
5. I ask questions in class. ______
6. I use tricks to help me memorize things. ______
7. After reading an assignment, I can tell
about what I have read. ______
8. I get along well with my teachers. ______
9. I study for tests and do pretty well on them. ______
10. I feel my grades are pretty good. ______
Total: ______
Give yourself 2 points for every Always response, 1 for every Sometimes response, and 0 for every Never response. Add up your score.
WHAT YOUR SCORE MEANS
15-20 points You are a very good student, with good habits.
10-14 points You could be getting better grades with good habits.
4-9 points You could do a lot better, and feel better about school, if
you make some changes.
0-3 points You are probably grounded or failing! You had better change, FAST!!!
Multiple Intelligence Inventory
Linguistic Intelligence
□ I love books.
□ I can hear words in my head before I read, speak, or write them down.
□ I enjoy speaking to groups of people.
□ I enjoy word games like Scrabble, Wheel of Fortune, or crossword puzzles.
□ I like tongue twisters and rhymes, and I like to use and hear puns.
□ I have a great vocabulary.
□ English, Social Studies, and History are easier for me than Math.
□ When people give me directions, I prefer street signs over landmarks.
□ On the freeway, I notice billboards more than scenery.
□ In my conversations, I frequently include things I’ve read or heard.
□ I am a good writer.
Total:______
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
□ I can easily compute numbers in my head.
□ I like and do well in Science and Math at school.
□ I enjoy playing problem solving games.
□ I like to analyze “what if” scenarios
□ My mind notices patterns, similarities, and logical sequences in things.
□ I enjoy keeping up with new developments in science.
□ I prefer information in an orderly manner, from first to last.
□ I believe that just about everything has a logical, rational explanation.
□ I sometimes think in abstract, clear, wordless, imageless concepts.
□ I like finding flaws in things people say and do at home and at work.
□ I feel more comfortable when something has been measured, categorized, analyzed, or quantified in some way.
Total:______
Spatial Intelligence
□ When I’m explaining something to someone, I usually draw it out.
□ At school, I like using graphic organizers, like graphs and charts.
□ There are lots of pictures in my room.
□ When I close my eyes, I can picture what things look like.
□ I am sensitive to color.
□ I enjoy using a camera or video recorder to record what I see around me.
□ I enjoy jigsaw puzzles and other visual games.
□ Most of the time, I can remember my dreams vividly.
□ I can generally find my way around in unfamiliar territory.
□ I like to draw and doodle.
□ Geometry is easier for me than algebra.
□ I can imagine what this building would look like from a bird’s eye view.
Total:______
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
□ I prefer to be up moving around rather than sitting for long periods of time.
□ I learn best by touching the thing I’m learning about.
□ When I teach people, I have them practice, practice, practice.
□ I have good hand-eye coordination, and I am good at sports.
□ I like working with my hands to build and do things.
□ My best ideas often come to me when I am out for a walk or doing some activity.
□ I enjoy the outdoors.
□ I use hand gestures and body language to communicate.
□ I learn better through doing rather than hearing or reading about something.
□ I have good balance.
□ I like to take things apart, and I can usually put them back together.
Total:______
Intrapersonal Intelligence
□ I prefer to work alone.
□ I learn best with self-study materials.
□ I regularly spend time alone thinking.
□ I like to do things to learn more about myself.
□ I prefer to set my own goals.
□ I do not usually enjoy group projects or class participation.
□ Am good at bouncing back from setbacks.
□ I have an interest or a hobby that I do alone.
□ I have a realistic view of my strengths and weaknesses.
□ I keep focused on my goals.
□ I consider myself independent and strong willed
Total:______
Naturalistic Intelligence
□ I enjoy the great outdoors.
□ I am aware of my natural surroundings.
□ I enjoy sorting and classifying natural things, like leaves, shells, rocks, etc.
□ I know the names of many animals, trees, plants, and flowers.
□ I find it easy to tell different plants and animals apart.
□ I have keen observational skills, especially outdoors.
□ I am curious about natural happenings, like storms and tidal waves.
□ I enjoy working outside.
□ I have a pet and enjoy taking care of it.
□ I like to go hiking and camping.
□ I would rather go to a park than to a movie.
Total:______
Musical Intelligence
□ I sometimes catch myself tapping a pencil or my fingers.
□ I can see a rhythm to many jobs.
□ I can keep a tune pretty well.
□ I can tell when a musician or singer is off key.
□ I frequently listen to music.
□ I play a musical instrument.
□ My life would be less pleasant without music.
□ I sometimes catch myself with a tune running through my head.
□ I can keep the beat to most songs.
□ I know the tunes to many different songs or musical pieces.
□ I remember tunes after hearing them only a few times.
Total:______
Interpersonal Intelligence
□ I enjoy working and communicating with other people.
□ People tend to tell me their personal business.
□ I get more out of talking to another person than keeping things inside.
□ I can often tell what another person is thinking or feeling.
□ I can talk people into things, and I am a good salesman.
□ I prefer group to solo sports.
□ I have at least three close friends.
□ I would rather play cards with my friends than play a game alone.
□ I feel comfortable in crowds.
□ I would rather spend my evening in a lively party than at home.
□ I enjoy participating in social activities at school and other places.
Total:______
HELPING YOURSELF LEARN
Using your unique intelligence and learning style will help you to learn more quickly and retain more information.
1. LINGUISTIC- “How can I use the written or spoken word?”
Read, read, read. Paraphrase into your own words. Brainstorm with others, talk things through, role-play, tape yourself, read and speak aloud, make up stories, listen to audio books or materials on tape, generate possible questions and answer them.
2. LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL “How can I bring in numbers, calculations, logic,
classifications, or critical thinking skills?”
List, organize, outline, use diagrams, use graphic organizers, make graphs, use numbers when possible, make up brain teasers, write facts on cards and organize them, look for patterns, trends, etc., test ideas and experiment.
3. VISUAL/SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE “How can I use visual aids, visualization,
color, art, or metaphor?”
Sketch, color code, make models, use graphic symbols, develop imaginative stories, create collages, make mind maps, use graphs, charts, diagrams, maps, use picture task analysis.
4. MUSICAL INTELLIGENCE “How can I bring in music or rhythm?”
Create songs, recite materials to a beat, develop chants and raps, play background music while learning, sing material out loud, clap, chant, write limericks and rhymes.
5. BODY-KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE “How can I involve my whole body or
“get my hands on” the material?”
Manipulate materials, use concrete materials as aids, move around while learning, incorporate texture, write ideas down, cut them up, and move them around, write new material several times, walk through patterns, trace things on texture.
6. INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE “How can I work with others while I learn?”
Find a study group, bounce ideas off friends, tutor or peer teach, brainstorm, debate issues, discuss with a group, find a mentor and work with them, do a demonstration, tell a story, play a game, role play, write a play or a scenario.
7. INTRAPERSONAL INTELLIGENCE “How can I plan my own learning?”
Work alone, write down you goals, make lists of what you want to accomplish and check them off as you do them, evaluate your strengths and use them as you work, plan to study alone, research material on you own to “make it yours”.
8. NATURALIST INTELLIGENCE “How can I make the natural world a part of my
studying?”
Sort and classify information, use your visual skills to observe, work in nature whenever possible, group materials in ways that make sense to you to remember them., play tapes of natural sounds while studying, study with a pet, study with an aquarium.
IN THE SPACE BELOW, WRITE DOWN YOUR TWO STRONGEST INTELLIGENCES AND 4 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOU LEARN BETTER FOR EACH OF THEM.
1. ______INTELLIGENCE
______
______
______
______
2. ______INTELLIGENCE
______
MIND MAP
A mind map is a creative pattern of connected ideas. It is much like a road map or a blue print, or even a computer flow-chart. Although is is sometimes called “Clustering” or “Mapping”, there are some important differences.
WHY MIND MAP?
While any note-taking system can store material, a mind map will help you to understand your material far better and boost your recall of it dramatically. WHY? When done properly, mind maps appeal powerfully to the right side of the brain, (which processes colors, relationships, pictures, and symbols). This teams up with the more traditional appeal of words (which is primarily a left brain activity). When done with a partner, mind maps also appeal to the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic types of learners. Use them for personal note taking, planning, review, problem solving, speeches, studying, organizing papers, and more!
The steps to making a mind map are simple.