Published in 2010, the article Do They Really Get It? Using the Kolb LSI to Reach Every Student by Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk claims that Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) helps teachers design lesson plans capable of engaging students with different learning styles. The author explains Kolb’s learning cycle, describes four main learning preferences (GTP), and ultimately explains how this knowledge can be applied in classroom or studio teaching. Hurst-Wajszczuk tries to convince using her own experience that LSI is a great tool for teachers of singing, although it requires more thoughtful planning and more time. This article is published in the Journal of Singing, which shows that the author writes for her colleagues who understand the main concepts and language used.
II. According to Kolb and Fry, learning depends on how students process the learning experience and which preferences they developed. The author presents the main learning activities (processing and perceiving) and four learning processes developed by Kolb: abstract conceptualization, reflective observation, active experimentation, and concrete experience. Hurst-Wajszczuk negates Kolb’s notion that learners usually enter the process at either reflective observation (stage 2) or concrete experience (stage 1) and proceed to the next stages in a clockwise direction. Based on her own observations and experience in the studio, the author claims that students may step into the process at any point and follow in any order. Nevertheless, she agrees with theorists that all stages are essential for successful learning.
The ideal match of teacher’s learning preferences to students’ ones ensures the learning process’s success. Using the LSI and understanding four different learning approaches may help educators reach every student, not only those with similar styles. In this part of the article, Hurst-Wajszczuk elaborates on the qualities of every quadrant of the LSI test. For instance, Accommodator is usually a group leader who values specific experience and prefers to do something first before theorizing about it (Hurst-Wajszczuk, 2010). Reflectors are imaginative students who need a mentor’s support, feedback from peers, and reflective observation to understand things and find solutions to them. On the contrary, Activists do not stand group work, choosing to try it themselves in lab work making mistakes. Assimilators, also known as Theorists, are rational and organized learners that prefer doing research, reading, and analyzing information over talking or lab work. These specific characteristics and behaviors should be taken into consideration by teachers when they design the lesson plans.
Although every student may have a unique learning preference, the students’ groups organizing based on the LSI test helps to plan lessons capable of grabbing the attention of them all. For instance, the author usually encourages the Hearts by telling the applicable story, whereas the Equations are motivated by thorough syllabi availability, including timelines and a class calendar. The Questioners (Active Experimenters) should receive examples to try by themselves (Hurst-Wajszczuk, 2010). For the Products, trial and error are even more critical elements as they appreciate multiple examples with the ability to make mistakes and the absence of penalty. The author applied Kolb learning preferences in a studio setting in a specific weekly assignment. Every student should write a one-page entry, including reflections on the theoretical part (lessons) and further practice sessions, giving room for students with each learning preference. Although such course designing requires more effort and time, advantages outweigh any possible drawbacks. The author concludes that Kolb’s LSI helps to reach more students and consequently keep them in music, college, and continuously learning.
Reference
Hurst-Wajszczuk, K. (2010). Do they really get it? Using the Kolb LSI to reach every student. Journal of Singing, 66(4), 421-427.