Different Styles Of Cognition And Their Uniqueness

By Frances Green


Each individual receives and processes information in a unique way. This is what scholars have termed as styles of cognition. This uniqueness is influenced by individual personality, brain health and hereditary factors, among other factors. The combination of these elements is responsible of producing the uniqueness in each individual. In a class setting, the responsibility of an instructor is to find a middle ground that accommodates all these types of learners.

Children in the society are first judged by their academic performance. However, as years go by, a natural balance develops between those who take personal initiative and those that play by the rules. You can thus divide the world between quick actors and those who take their time, does and theorists, the organized and chaotic, etc. The existence of each of these categories is proof that each kid is a genius, if you press the right button.

The existence of different cognitive styles is a confirmation that even the students who are experiencing challenges with learning have their ability intact. The only problem is that the classroom is set or the content is being delivered in a manner that does not conform to their ability. If a matching strategy is used on the student, it will be easier for them to understand a lot of concepts.

In most cases, each style has an opposite. Impulsive and reflective learners are opposites. The impulsive is quick acting whenever he comes into contact with information. Such learners rarely stop to consider their insights. The reflective learner ponders over information before acting. One will be better at participating in class while the other will perform better in homework.

There are high conceptual learners and low conceptual learners, each displaying unique characteristics. The low conceptual is a lover of rules and is always very methodical. He analyses ideas deeply before providing a conclusion. High conceptual individuals jump into conclusions and cannot stand rules. They want to develop own rules and will provide an alternative immediately an obstacle arises. Low conceptual individuals have been associated with learning difficulties.

Successive and simultaneous learners are the other opposites. The successive thinks deep into ideas and follows laid methods before providing an answer. This obviously takes time. For the simultaneous learner, there is always a rush to make decisions and ideas are viewed as opposites. As such, for example, the line will either be longer or shorter than the other, despite the fact that one has only increased the distance between them.

It is the learning style that provides direction on the most appropriate method to use on an individual student. A class can never accommodate the needs of each student. For a teacher, you are required to attempt to combine different delivery methods to accommodate differences in students. If a student fails to understand during theoretical explanation, the practical demonstration will suffice.

There is an explanation while some students excel in theoretical work while others do better in practical tasks. It is easier when an operation is demonstrated for some like in a physics practical class. However, theories of history and philosophy are more interesting for others. As an instructor, your role is to find a balance.




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