A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

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Teaching, supervising, learning
1. Abstract reflective
AC-RO
Hard pure
Natural sciences
Mathematics
3. Abstract active
AC-AE
Hard applied
Science-based professions, engineering
Medicine and other healthcare
professions
Table 2.2 Classification of academic knowledge
2. Concrete reflective
CE-RO
Soft pure
Humanities
Social sciences
4. Concrete active
CE-AE
Soft applied
Social professions
Education, social work
Law
Source: Based on the Kolb-Biglan Model and subsequent work by Becher and Trowler (2001)
to a different quadrant (e.g. numeracy by humanities students or team working by
mathematicians) (academics may also feel disconnection if asked to incorporate ‘alien
perspectives’ into their teaching). However, we know of no robust research evidence to
support or refute this hypothesis.
Approaches and styles
When encountering the term ‘learning style’, it is important to be clear about exactly
which categorisation, if any, is being referred to, and whether or not learning style is being
confused with approaches to study (for which the research evidence is more robust). It is
also important to remember that a major contrast between styles and approaches, at least
in the view of their main proponents, is the degree of immutability of these qualities. The
contrast is between approaches to study (which are modifiable) and learning styles (which
are usually held to be part of personality characteristics and traits and therefore more
fixed). The current state of play dictates that neither approaches nor styles should be
regarded as fixed, i.e. both may be modifiable, but that both may be habituated and hard
to change. Teachers may wish to encourage their students to employ a range of strategies
on different occasions.
Many of those who have worked with learning styles and approaches to learning have
developed questionnaire-type taxonomies, or inventories, for identifying the approach
(e.g. Marton et al., 1997, originally 1984) or style being used by the learner. These should
be used appropriately and interpreted with caution if one regards the underlying concepts
or characteristics as in a state of flux. This has not prevented lecturers from using them
to ‘diagnose’ student learning. Their use does have the advantage of helping students to
think about how they best learn and whether they would benefit from trying to modify
their behaviour; and for the teacher to consider if changing the curriculum design,
especially the assessment, would change student behaviour.