Learning styles are determined by the dominance of a certain group of methods in the general system of learning methods and techniques. They act as a way of the teacher’s attitude towards teaching and communication.

Reproductive learning styles. The main feature of the reproductive style is to convey to learners a number of obvious knowledge. A teacher shall simply describe the content of the material and check its level of mastery. The main activity of a teacher is reproduction that does not allow alternatives. Within this model only regulated or dogmatized knowledge is taken into account. The opinions of students are simply not taken into account. The basis of reproductive training is a system of teacher’s requirements for fast, accurate and lasting learning of knowledge, skills and abilities. Teaching is mainly in a monological form: “Repeat”, “reproduce”, “memorize”, “follow the pattern”.

In reproductive learning, students’ memory is overloaded, while other mental processes – perception, imagination, alternative and independent thinking – are blocked. This can lead to increased fatigue and loss of interest in learning. As a result of such learning, the student is unable to make independent decisions, gets used to subordination (orders and bans), and becomes a passive executor and functionary. Reproductive training is akin to “disciplinary dressura” (army barracks, totalitarian regime). Read mire nere https://argoprep.com/blog/learning-styles-series-the-interpersonal-learner/

This type of training generates two dangerous syndromes. The first is a fear of making a mistake: “What if you misunderstand what the teacher said?”, “What if you offer the wrong answer that is expected of you?”. This is where human psychology comes from: “Don’t stick your head out. “Don’t get involved if you’re not asked more than anyone else?” As a result, students get used to listening, but they learn to talk, to reason. The second syndrome is the fear of forgetting. The sword of Damocles constantly weighs over the pupil: “You have to remember and be able to answer everything the teacher said and what is written in the textbook”.

A teacher may also develop a syndrome: “the fear of not having time to pass the program, not breaking the principles of learning.

There are three main lines in reproductive learning tactics. The first is, figuratively speaking, “do not unleash polemics, there is not enough time for this”. The second is the teacher’s ability to present complex material in an accessible manner. The third line of the teacher’s behaviour is to give preference to facts rather than generalizations (facts are simpler and clearer).

Emotional-value learning style ensures personal inclusion of students in the educational process at the level of empathic understanding and value-sense perception of educational material and spiritual and moral image of the teacher himself. This is only possible with the emotional openness of the teacher and a genuine interest in his subject. This style implies that the teacher has empathic abilities, as well as the ability to organize the learning process in a dialogical way. The effectiveness of this way of organizing learning is enhanced if the teacher builds relationships with students on the basis of emotional and trustful communication, cooperation and respect for each individual. In this style, the following forms of appeal to the student are most acceptable: “give an assessment”, “express your attitude, opinion, understanding”, “give your interpretation of the event, fact, phenomenon,” “imagine figuratively what is more valuable and meaningful to you”, “write up, invent. An emotionally-valuable teacher encourages pupils or students to reflexion, to “work of the soul” (according to V.A. Sukhomlinsky), to open up their attitude:

  • to the scientific and technological achievements of humanity;
  • to certain results of human activity;
  • historical events and works of art;
  • to the value and significance of knowledge and skills for professional activity.

This learning style is most vividly manifested in game forms of learning, in the process of dialogue and theatrical games. That is, in the performance of such tasks, which contribute to the identification of self-perception, self-knowledge, self-esteem.

In the tactics of emotional-value learning, typical lines of teacher behavior can be traced:

  • The former implies the prevalence of value-based information aimed at the spiritual and moral development of students;
  • the second reveals an orientation to the emotional and personal way of treating learning information and interacting with students;
  • the third is the selection of moral development tasks and the creation of assessment-mutual self-assessment situations in the educational process.

Emotional-Improduction Style (EIS). The explanation of the teaching material by such a teacher is logical and interesting, but he often lacks dialogical contact with students. In addition, the teacher focuses on a number of strong students, bypassing others. A teacher with an EIS is characterized by insufficient planning of the educational process: he focuses on more interesting material, leaving less interesting for independent work; he devotes little time to supervising students’ learning; he cannot always give an analysis of the work done. At the same time, such a teacher is distinguished by high efficiency, the use of a whole arsenal of different methods of teaching. He often practices collective discussion and stimulates spontaneous statements from students. The teacher is sensitive and perceptive towards his pupils.