L&D Blog » Learning Needs Analyses. Despite the slightly macabre saying, “Only lemmings jump to conclusions,” it’s all too easy to decide the answer to an issue and then look for evidence to back up that view. This temptation occurs in all areas of life – and L&D is certainly no exception. L&D professionals and their clients (be they in-house or external) might be under time or budget constraints, and opt to develop some learning materials before carrying out a thorough Learning Needs Analysis (LNA).
An LNA – or, in less enlightened days, a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) – compares a worker’s current level of knowledge, skills or attitude with the organization’s current, or anticipated, needs. According to the U.K.’s Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, “such an analysis will enable decisions about what learning provisions are needed at individual, team or organizational level. These gaps should be interpreted and prioritised in connection with the wider organizational strategy.” Learning Styles - Learning skills from MindTools. Understanding Your Learning Preference Understand different learning styles, with James Manktelow & Amy Carlson.
Have you ever tried to learn something fairly simple, yet failed to grasp the key ideas? Or tried to teach people and found that some were overwhelmed or confused by something quite basic? If so, you may have experienced a clash of learning styles: your learning preferences and those of your instructor or audience may not have been aligned. When this occurs, not only is it frustrating for everyone, the communication process breaks down and learning fails. Once you know your own natural learning preference, you can work on expanding the way you learn, so that you can learn in other ways, not just in your preferred style.
And, by understanding learning styles, you can learn to create an environment in which everyone can learn from you, not just those who use your preferred style. The Index of Learning Styles™ You can see these in figure 1, below. Figure 1: Index of Learning Styles. Felder & Soloman: Learning Styles and Strategies. Richard M. Felder Hoechst Celanese Professor of Chemical Engineering North Carolina State University Barbara A. Soloman Coordinator of Advising, First Year College North Carolina State University Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it--discussing or applying it or explaining it to others. Reflective learners prefer to think about it quietly first. "Let's try it out and see how it works" is an active learner's phrase; "Let's think it through first" is the reflective learner's response.
Active learners tend to like group work more than reflective learners, who prefer working alone. Everybody is active sometimes and reflective sometimes. How can active learners help themselves? If you are an active learner in a class that allows little or no class time for discussion or problem-solving activities, you should try to compensate for these lacks when you study. How can reflective learners help themselves? Learning Styles - Learning skills from MindTools. Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire.