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The following is my response to my course forum on the results of my using the Memletics Learning Styles Inventory:

1. This entire exercise was self-revealing for me. I was somewhat familiar with the nomenclature only because terms such as "visual learner" have entered the vernacular; otherwise, this was uncharted territory for me. Consequently, I was both amazed and appalled at the results (grin).

I scored 50% or higher on 5 of the 7 learning styles: visual, aural, logical, solitary, and verbal. While you might think this would indicate that I am a well-rounded learner, it left me thinking that the styles for which I scored less than 50%, physical and social, have been challenges that I have had to deal with all my life as a learner and, now, will have to deal with again as a teacher.

What also intrigued me was the apparent -- at least to me -- correlation between my learning styles and my personality and temperament as scored by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Keirsey Temperament Sorter, respectively: i.e., the learning styles on which I scored the highest are all indicative of an Apollonian temperament; while the styles on which I scored the lowest are indicative of a Dionysian temperament. In Greek mythology, Apollo and Dionysos were rivals, and I wondered if this "rivalry" was also inherent in learning and how it could be overcome.

2. If I were instructing a fellow Apollonian, I believe the most effective teaching strategies would be those that stimulate critical thinking and judgment. However, in order to accommodate all styles of learning, and to nudge the Apollonian learner out of his/her comfort zone, I would employ physical and social elements, such as in-class whiteboarding, flipcharting, and group discussion to "humanize" the learning outcome, rather than merely "crystallize" it in the form of homework or other individually produced deliverables.

3. The teaching strategies I believe would be least effective with an Apollonian learner are those which are purely sense-based or which favor the gestalt at the expense of the individual. For example, multimedia presentations have the bipolar capacity of engaging the senses and heightening the emotions while often suppressing the intellect. Accordingly, I would want to pause the presentation in order to allow the class to ask or answer questions of me or each other. As for achieving group consensus, having recently completed a three-year stint as a court reporting student, I can't help but compare group exercises to jury deliberations. Obviously, everyone on a jury panel has a say in the verdict, but the jury's decision must be unanimous. Also, the jury must not be swayed by sympathy, bias, or prejudice for or against the defendant. This suggests to me that in group exercises, less-than-social learners must not suppress their individuality simply to avoid contention or debate while, at the same time, remain open-minded to points of view they might not otherwise have considered.