Andre Tjoa and Bert Goos wrote the first draft of a new test in March to look at how people learn. 4 months, several hundred candidates, a rewrite, and a lot of statistical analysis later, the Learning Styles Test was put into our customer test suite. This instrument is now live for our Dutch customers and we will translate and validate the test for English speaking candidates early in 2012.
At the HR Tech Conference and on HR discussion forums, there were a lot of companies marketing Learning tools and systems. We now have some solid psychological research describing how people absorb information, a model for talking about it, and a test to measure it.
The Learning Styles Test is looking at how a candidate learns in terms loosely associated with the Octogram Model. We were originally hoping to draw a direct line between how a person works and how they learn. This didn’t work. How a person works and how they learn are loosely correlated, they are not the same thing and a particular work style does not automatically predict how a person learns. This means that the Learning Styles Test will remain a separate instrument in the OTM catalog.
So, how do people learn?
If you look at the graphic, you will see the names of the different styles starting at ‘Avonturier – Adventurer’ and moving clockwise around the circle. The general model is still following the Competing Values Framework, so read up on that if you need a refresher. This test is still only available in Dutch, so I will translate as we go!
Description of Learning Styles
Avonturier => Adventurer
Learns by doing and playing. Experiences learning as an exciting adventure and learns mainly by trying things for themselves. Driven by curiosity and wants to ‘jump in the deep end’ right from the beginning.
Koopman => Salesman
Social learner, likes to copy someone else. Wants learning to be a game. And if it is a competitive game, all the better!
Pragmaticus => Pragmatist
Learning must be an activity that delivers direct benefits. Prefers to get taught by experts with plenty of experience and wants to see what they are learning applied and in action.
Systeembouwer => System Builder
Whatever this person learns is placed in comprehensive theoretical framework. Information should be given to this person at a higher level of abstraction so that they can see how it ‘fits’ with everything else.
Perfectionist
Wants to learn things in a disciplined and systematic way. Learning requires lots of practice and repetition.
Kenniswerker => Knowledge worker
Attaches a great deal of importance to learning. Spends a lot of time analyzing the subject and also tries to learn more about the topic on their own.
Teamwerker => Team worker
Prefers to learn in a group so that others can provide feedback and share experiences.
Hulpvrager => Help me (literally a ‘help asker’)
Prefers to receive private lessons. Strong need for personal attention and guidance in the acquiring of new knowledge or skills.
So that’s a framework for describing how people learn. And what is common in our research is that a candidate will have 1 or 2 strong learning styles and several middle of the road styles and 1 or 2 very weak styles. A person with a weak score on, for example, Team Worker, would find a group learning situation boring and uncomfortable and would resist participating. A person with a strong Team Worker score would be bored and stressed in an isolated learning situation. Stress is bad for learning.
Even without the test, this information will hopefully give you a framework for talking about learning in your workplace. Knowing how people learn will help you get the most out of your training budgets by connecting people with their optimal learning situations.
