How to Coach Yourself and Others How To Perform On The Job Coaching | Page 56

Ideally, a trainee's learning style preference can be assessed in a reasonably objective way by means
of a questionnaire prior to the beginning of a series of one-to-one or coaching sessions.
The information could be of benefit to you for the following reasons:

it would help you to design sessions that fit in with the main learning style of the trainee;

if the results of the questionnaire were 'fed back' to the trainee, it could help them to appreciate
the difficulties they might experience with the training methods that, out of necessity, have to be
used in their training;

it would enable you to identify those trainees who may need special attention because their
learning style contrasts greatly with the methods that the trainer needs to use;

it could allow you to put into perspective the trainee's observations and comments about the
training/coaching content and approach.
If you are interested in finding out more about learning styles and would like to find out your own
particular style of learning, the work carried out by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford is the most
authoritative. Their work can be found in the "Manual of Learning Styles", first published in 1986
and available from most bookshops.
More Information about Kolb Learning Styles
David Kolb's learning styles model and experiential learning theory (ELT)
Having developed the model over many years prior, David Kolb published his learning styles model
in 1984. The model gave rise to related terms such as Kolb's experiential learning theory (ELT), and
Kolb's learning styles inventory (LSI). In his publications - notably his 1984 book 'Experiential
Learning: Experience As The Source Of Learning And Development' Kolb acknowledges the early
work on experiential learning by others in the 1900's, including Rogers, Jung, and Piaget. In turn,
Kolb's learning styles model and experiential learning theory are today acknowledged by
academics, teachers, managers and trainers as truly seminal works; fundamental concepts towards
our understanding and explaining human learning behaviour, and towards helping others to learn.
See also Gardner's Multiple Intelligences and VAK learning styles models, which assist in
understanding and using Kolb's learning styles concepts.
In addition to personal business interests (Kolb is founder and chairman of Experience Based
Learning Systems), David Kolb is still (at the time I write this, 2005) Professor of Organizational
Development at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, where he teaches and
researches in the fields of learning and development, adult development, experiential learning,
learning style, and notably 'learning focused institutional development in higher education'.
A note about Learning Styles in young people's education: Towards the end of the first decade of
the 2000s a lobby seems to have grown among certain educationalists and educational researchers,
which I summarise very briefly as follows: that in terms of substantial large-scale scientific research
into young people's education, 'Learning Styles' theories, models, instruments, etc., remain largely
unproven methodologies. Moreover Learning Styles objectors and opponents assert that heavy
reliance upon Learning Styles theory in developing and conducting young people's education, is of
questionable benefit, and may in some cases be counter-productive.
Despite this, many teachers and educators continue to find value and benefit by using Learning
Styles theory in one way or another, and as often applies in such situations, there is likely to be
usage which is appropriate, and other usage which is not.
Accordingly - especially if you are working with young people - use systems and methods with
care. It is wrong to apply any methodology blindly and unquestioningly, and wrong not to review
and assess effectiveness of methods used.

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