Research on hemispheric and modality preference and implications for children with specific learning disabilities is reviewed. A chart lists information concerning performance of left and right hemisphere for modes of information processing. General and specific skill enhancement strategies for reading and general development are suggested. (CL)

Procedures for identifying learning styles are described and possible cultural influences on learning styles are noted. Practical guidelines for instructional placement are suggested. (Author/DB)

4MAT is an eight-step instructional cycle that capitalizes on individual learning styles and brain dominance processing preferences. The four major learners (imaginative, analytic, common sense, and dynamic) can use 4MAT to engage their whole brain. Learners use their most comfortable style while being challenged to function in less comfortable…

Analyzes three common learning style inventories (LSIs)-- 4MAT System, Dunn's LSI, and Renzulli and Smith's LSI--matching them to the most compatible teaching strategies. The paper presents tables to help teachers select the most appropriate teaching strategies, makes suggestions for selecting and designing LSIs, and discusses practical…

Noted educator Carol Ann Tomlinson shares the insights that shaped her thinking about informative assessment. Informative assessment goes beyond tests and the grade book. It means assessing students both formally and informally in multiple ways and giving frequent, productive feedback on student work. Informative assessment isn't separate from…

Most teachers can respond to differences in student learning styles. Eighteen elements of learning style, categorized as environmental, emotional, sociological, and physical are described. (Author/MLF)

To determine optimal and least effective response modes of learning disabled children, the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities was used. Results suggest that learning disabled children may do poorly on academic tasks because they may not have enough optimal response modes, or are unable to select the appropriate one. (Author/SJL)

Summarizes research findings on relationships among modality strengths, learning, and personal characteristics. (Author/MLF)

Cognitive style of 70 students in fashion merchandising or education was compared to their choice of media in a hypermedia lesson on costume using HyperCard. Students used hypermedia effectively to accommodate preferred style; 56% chose visual, 30% text, and 14% auditory. (SK)

Educators have three approaches to learning styles: focusing on the individual, using comprehensive models to adapt instruction to major learning differences, and identifying key elements of an individual's learning style and matching instruction and materials to these differences. One controversial aspect of learning styles is the use of…

Examines the relationship between student learning styles, preference for different teaching approaches, and student outcomes in general chemistry courses at Coastal Carolina University. Finds a negative correlation between learning styles for individual students, especially between visual and kinesthetic styles. Concludes that diversity in…

Study tours can help internationalize curricula and prepare students for global workplaces. We examine benefits of tours providing deep-level learning experiences rather than industrial tourism using five main theoretical frameworks to highlight the diverse learning benefits associated with intensive study tours in particular. Relevant theoretical…

In a study designed to relate research on cognitive style to study technique effectiveness, a group of 129 college freshmen was given a test to assess the cognitive style of each. The 93 students who scored in the upper l/3 and in the lower l/3 of the distribution were classified as field independent and field dependent. These 93 students were…

Suggests 11 dimensions of cognitive style which influence learning, and proposes a three-step instructional design plan to move beyond individual instruction to individualized instruction, so that differences in learners need not result in differences in learning. (Author/JEG)

Seventy-two 11-year-old students were tested on 32 dictated words containing two levels of both visual and phonemic complexity. Students were grouped within sexes on their extraversion scores on the Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory and quotients on the Raven's Matrices. Spelling performance was found to interact significantly with level of…