ACTIVE AND REFLECTIVE LEARNERS IN ORGANIZATIONS: WHICH ONE IS YOU?
Have you ever thought about your learning style?
Do you know what kind of learner you are?
It is possible to discover your style as a learner. In education literature, there are multiple ways and categories that describe the learning styles and the types of learners.
In this article, two common types of learners will be explained in order to broaden the perspectives and to give an idea about personal learning styles.
Under some specific circumstances, you can be an either active or reflective learner. Furthermore, it is possible to use the combination of both styles and adapt the learning according to the conditions. With the other words, learning style can be contingent and may change from situation to situation.
Active and reflective learners are basically different from each other in terms of training priority, action, cognition, information process, learning choice, and focus area. While active learners tend to be in action during a training process; reflective learners want to be the thinker instead of doer. The main differences between these two types of learners can be explained as the followings:
Active learners:
-They are active in the learning process,
-They take proactive actions,
-They combine learning with doing,
-They use information externally,
-They are open to try and do,
-They discuss, apply, and explain while learning.
-They are talkative and assertive.
Reactive learners:
-They want to be responsive in the process,
-They react if needed,
-They think then act,
-They process information internally,
-They tend to complete their cognitive processes initially,
-They want to work alone,
-They are quite and good (active) listeners.
