C2 Workshop's E-Learning Blog

The Grid - A Revolution In The Making

“The internet could soon be obsolete”, so went the morning newspaper.

"Blistering Barnacles!!” was the reaction of those like me, who had just kind of got the hang of things. Frantic googling led me to this - it seems scientists at CERN (the particle physics centre that created the web) have now built a lightning-fast replacement for the internet which can download entire feature films in five seconds. This super fast replacement (a project begun 7 years ago) is called the Grid. And eat this - at speeds about 10,000 times faster than your regular broadband connection, the Grid will be able “to send the entire Rolling Stones back catalogue from Britain to Japan in less than two seconds.”

Ian Bird, project leader at CERN, believes the Grid technology could make the internet so fast that people would quit storing information on desktops and instead transfer it all to the internet. “It will lead to what’s known as cloud computing, where people keep all their information online and access it from anywhere,” he said. Computers on the Grid will also be able to transmit data at lightning speed, enabling people with heavy processing tasks to “call on the assistance of thousands of other computers around the world”. Here’s how I see it. While the web only shares information on computers, the Grid also shares computing power and data storage capacity.

Going forward, the Grid could host holographic video conferencing (go on, google tele-immersion), allow online gaming to include millions of people, and enable high-definition video telephony all for the price of a local call. Like David Britton, Professor of Physics at Glasgow University and a major contributor to the grid project, said, “With this kind of computing power, future generations will have the ability to collaborate and communicate in ways older people like me cannot even imagine.” Thundering Typhoons indeed!

But surprise, surprise. Apparently, the real goal of the Grid is to work with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC what??? “Billions of Blistering Blue Barnacles!!” I went, if you ask me. Another round of frantic googling and this is what I came up with. The LHC is the new particle accelerator designed to hunt the Universe’s most elusive particle, the Higgs boson (supposedly that which gives matter mass). When scientists at CERN switch on the LHC, the Grid will be activated to capture the data it generates.

So why not the Internet, I thought? That’s when I came to the clincher. The LHC, you see, is a mean machine, capable of generating annual data equal to 56m CDs – “enough to make a stack 40 miles high.” This obviously meant the Internet would not be able to support such mountainous data. If it did, it would lead to a global collapse, leaving you and me twiddling our thumbs. This is because the existing Internet network, consisting of numerous cables and routing equipments linked together, were originally designed for telephony networks and lack the capacity for high-speed data transmissions. Now, the Grid is the complete opposite of that. It has been built with dedicated fiber optic cables and modern routing centres, and does not contain any outdated component that would lead to slow data transmission.

While the Grid may not be available immediately for domestic internet users, numerous telecoms providers and businesses are already warming up to its offerings. It is also being made available in academic and research fields. In fact, it has already been used to help design new medicines to combat malaria. Researchers used the Grid to analyze “140 million compounds - a task that would have taken a standard internet-linked desktop computer 420 years!” How good is that?

As for me, I secretly believe the Grid endorses that line from Top Gun: “I feel the need… the need for speed.”

(Banshori Bhattacharya is Instructional Designer at C2 Workshop)

Multiple Intelligences

Meet 15 year old Christopher Boone - in his own words.

"My name is Christopher John Francis Boone. I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,507".

Yet, he has no comprehension when his teacher, Siobhan, shows him pictures like these…
In his own words, "I got Siobhan to draw lots of these faces and then write down next to them exactly what they meant. I kept the piece of paper in my pocket and took it out when I didn't understand what someone was saying. But it was very difficult to decide which of the diagrams was most like the face they were making because people's faces move very quickly".

But then again, if anyone asks Christopher, "What's 251 times 864?" he affirms, with just a moment’s thought, "216,864". This to him is a really "easy sum because you just multiply 864 x 1,000 which is 864,000. Then you divide it by 4 which is 216,000 and that's 250 x 864. Then you just add another 864 on to it to get 251 x 864 and that's 216,864".

And that is Christopher Boone, the unlikely autistic savant protagonist in Mark Haddon’s brilliant read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. On reading the book, I was struck by Christopher’s possibilities. Here’s a boy who solves complex quadratic equations whenever he gets into a jam, passes his A level in maths, likes the Monty Hall Problem, watches Blue Planet videos, can identify the constellation Orion, but has a tough time understanding people’s emotions or picturesque figures of speech, and hates people touching him.

I realized all of us resemble Christopher on many levels. We are plain good at certain things and just miserable at others. For starters, try asking me what’s 10 times 292 and you won’t be surprised seeing me all flustered in trying to come up with the right answer! But try asking me to read two books at a go and I won’t bat an eyelid. And then I came across an article on Howard Gardner which smoothed away all the relatively new-found confusion.

Howard Gardner, an American psychologist proposed the theory of multiple intelligences (MI) in 1983. Through his theory, Gardner has attempted to define the concept of intelligence and also to validate the scientific veracity of the prevalent methods which try and measure intelligence. According to Gardner, intelligence, as it is "traditionally defined", does not comprehensively include the wide extant of human abilities. For instance, Gardner reasons that a child good at memorizing multiplication tables does not necessarily mean he is more intelligent than a child who is in knots in his attempt to do so. (Is my maths teacher reading this?) Gardner opines that the second child may in fact, be stronger in "another kind of intelligence" and may:

1) learn the same material by way of a different approach

2) do exceedingly well in a subject other than mathematics, or

3) "even be looking at the multiplication process at a fundamentally deeper level, which can result in a seeming slowness that hides a mathematical intelligence that is potentially higher than that of a child who easily memorizes the multiplication table".

Keeping this in mind, Gardner went on to propose the following eight categories of intelligence:

Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart): Those with strong bodily–kinesthetic intelligence learn best through moving around and excel in physical activities such as dance, athletics, etc. Such people are good at making and doing things and would generally put up a fight if asked to learn something simply by reading or listening. They seem to "use what might be termed muscle memory - they remember things through their body such as verbal memory or images".

In a classroom, a bodily–kinesthetic intelligence child may be prompted to recognize a circle by cutting out circle shapes from a book.

Interpersonal (People Smart): People who have a high interpersonal intelligence thrive on interactivity, are extroverts, and seem to empathize with other people’s moods and feelings. They communicate successfully in a group and learn best when working in a team, delighting in discussions.

A pre-schooler, displaying interpersonal intelligence can be taught to recognize a circle by letting him slide his hand through a bangle.

Verbal-Linguistic (Word Smart): This type of intelligence revolves around the written or spoken word. People with high verbal-linguistic intelligence are good with languages, excel in writing, memorizing passages, and dates. They learn best through reading, writing of notes, listening to lectures and are usually good orators with excellent "verbal memory and recall", and find it easy to understand syntax.

A pre-schooler with verbal-linguist intelligence can be prompted to mouth the word circle, repeatedly.

Logical-Mathematical (Number/Reasoning Smart): A person excelling in "logic, abstractions, reasoning, and numbers" is supposed to display logical-mathematical intelligence. Don’t be surprised if they naturally do well in maths, chess, and other activities linked to numericals, scientific thinking, and solving of complicated calculations. People with such intelligence are traditionally regarded as those with high IQ.

Pre-schoolers displaying logical-mathematical intelligence can be taught to recognize the circle by pointing to different circles sizes.

Naturalistic (Nature Smart): This area of intelligence deals with anything to do with nature, "nurturing and relating information to one's natural surroundings", and analyzing. Gardner included this type of intelligence into his theory in 1997. People displaying such intelligence are in greater commune with nature, are able to nourish and sustain things, show remarkable ease in caring for and interacting with animals, and can easily classify types and different species. In order to learn, they usually "connect a new experience with prior knowledge" to understand something new.

A naturalistic pre-schooler can be encouraged to find circle shapes in nature.

Intrapersonal (Self Smart): People with Intrapersonal intelligence are introverts, preferring self-reflection, and are perfectionists by nature. They usually prefer to work alone, are highly self-aware and are in tune with their own emotions and musings. They have philosophical leanings and learn best when they can concentrate on a subject by themselves.

Children with intrapersonal intelligence can be encouraged to make circles using their own bodies/fingers.

Visual-Spatial/Spatial Reasoning (Picture Smart): People with strong visual-spatial intelligence are good at visualizing and mentally assimilating things and are also good at solving puzzles. Such people are good with directions, artistic, have strong visual memory, and demonstrate good hand-eye coordination. In fact, it seems spatial and mathematical intelligences are often intertwined.

A pre-schooler can me made to identify circle shapes in books.

Musical (Music Smart): This area has everything to with people with a natural tendency towards music, rhythm, sounds, and hearing. People with musical intelligence are good at singing, playing instruments, and composing rhythms. Such people learn best through auditory stimulation—as in lectures, or even with his i-pod plugged in.

Musical pre-schoolers can be taught to sing songs such as "round and round the mulberry bush/ring-a-ring-a-roses".

Going forward, Gardner and his colleagues suggested other intelligences including spiritual, existential and moral intelligences, but which were excluded due to their criteria limitations.

If we apply Gardner’s theory of intelligence in schools, where emphasis is given basically on reading and writing, students with wider abilities can thrive and learn at their own pace. In fact, through MI-oriented teacher training, a broader educational base can be built with various forms of active learning weaved in. The theory of multiple intelligences also strongly correlates with possibilities for adult learning and development. Many of us often find ourselves in careers that do not make use of our intelligences (for example, a linguistic individual stuck in a bodily-kinesthetic work area that of a PT teacher). Through MI, adults can tap avenues which will allow them to pursue their inner capabilities. Simply put, multiple intelligence teaches us how to learn effectively by being better able to connect with it. For example, if you are trying to learn about gravity you can read about it (linguistic), study formulas (logical-mathematical), go through pictorial examples (spatial), observe the law in the natural/human world (naturalist/interpersonal); examine the law physically (e.g. jump from a stool to see what happens (bodily-kinesthetic and intrapersonal)); or even compose a tune that explains the law (musical). It’s all about understanding and tweaking what works best for you!

So while in the real world we may limit Christopher Boone, in Gardner’s eyes he would be viewed as having exceptional spatial/mathematical intelligence but with interpersonal limitations, for, you see, Gardner used case studies of autistic savants to present his theory on MI. To me, this seems like a validation of Gardner’s strong belief: "I balk at the unwarranted assumption that certain human abilities can be arbitrarily singled out as intelligence while others cannot".

Click this link to know which intelligences are strongest for you. Have fun!

(Banshori Bhattacharya is Instructional Designer at C2 Workshop)

Twitter as a Learning Tool

You know, back then we would be mighty happy if our teachers rolled out colourful illustrated charts to reinforce the importance of say, Punjab, the land of five rivers. Sheer excitement defined the moment when the lucky one among us pleated and plaited souls got the chance of dotting the river pattern on the map with colourful board pins. The grainy, ten minute documentaries viewed in prayer halls were altogether another matter. Stuff we would look forward to weeks ahead. And blessed was the person who got the chance to change the slides with the presiding nun. Not to forget the girl who handed out the greasy but nevertheless heart-warming doughnuts.

Looking back it makes me want to laugh at our collective naiveté. It also makes me kind of nostalgic. I mean we had no access to pagers, mobile phones, texting, and computers. Permission to call a friend (even to exchange notes) from the contraption we called telephone, sounded like “hallelujah” to most. In brief, if we missed out in class, we were grounded.

But that was back then. “Now” is totally different. Now, students can map the world in an instant on the basis of a little tweet “What are you doing?”. You read right. Tweet it is, or maybe you would prefer twittering, twitting out, whatever… The end of the matter is, there is a new micro-blogging system which has morphed into a huge learning tool called Twitter. So what is Twitter? Rolling eyes notwithstanding, I am determined to answer the question. To be precise, Twitter is a free micro-blogging service where users can sign in, create a profile, and begin sending short messages, known as tweets, mostly related to what they are doing or thinking. The video below explains it all. Take a look.

Like someone said, “Twitter is a great tool to access knowledge and information, provided you follow the right people. It’s also a great place to get answers if the right people are following you.” No wonder learning professionals have voted Twitter the #1 learning tool. In fact, nowadays educators use micro-blogs to link students of a class around an activity or topic taught. To most teachers Twitter serves as a medium during class. “As an instructor, you can have immediate feedback on the relevance of your class,” opines Jane Hart, a social media and learning consultant. After class, teachers also encourage micro-blogging to support learning relationships among the students of the class. In fact, most instructors tweet tips of the day, questions, and writing projects to keep the cycle of learning going.

Even better is where students tap away on their phones collating information on the session and “twitting out” what they are thinking and doing in real time. And their fellow Twitterers replying back in bursts of text messages not exceeding 140 characters. Yup, Twitter requires that. A far cry from the blackboard, chalk, textbooks era…

Apart from classrooms, Twitter is also an active learning tool in the corporate world where it is used by young employees to learn new information. For instance, one can use Twitter for asking questions on conference calls and webcasts. Using the network allows one to record the questions asked and the comments made, all of which can be accessed at a later time. (In fact, Twitter updates are for posterity. You can even Google it!). As Twitter lets you share short bursts of information, quickly, in training sessions Twitterers can easily reinforce learning content through links (offered by fellow Twitterers) which offer follow-up information. (Great for e-learning where a subject matter tweet can be used as a post-course consulting tool. One can even let students follow twitter accounts of famous people who are subject matter experts on the topic taught in the course.)

That said, I must warn you a first visit to Twitter might not convince you of its potentiality as a professional networking and learning tool. You may be barraged by trivial tweets—what someone is having for dinner, whether they’re bathing the cat, or whether their mum is getting that much-needed hernia operation! You may even be ignored the first time round. So for beginners, a good place to start is Jane Hart’s website which lists learning professionals on Twitter. One can also familiarize with Twitter by subscribing to blogs like TwiTip for Twitter tips and best practices.

All I can say is Twitter displays up-to-the-second, no holds barred information from around the world by letting people communicate in real-time. In essence, no more getting grounded. What can be better than that?

(Banshori Bhattacharya is Instructional Designer at C2 Workshop)

Interactivity in E-Learning

I’m one of those people who delete all forwards and make it a point to write a note to my friends informing them that they would make my world a happier place if they only stopped sending me... send this prayer to 20 people... don’t break the chain... see what miracle awaits you... kind of mails.

But on a bright, crispy Monday morning I stood defeated. My mail header read ”Forward: Air-Force Pilot Test. This is Tough!!!!! It will drive you nuts!! Have fun!”

What really set me going was the game’s instructions. It read “The object of the game is to move the red block around without getting hit by the blue blocks or touching the black walls. If you can go longer than 18 seconds you are phenomenal. It’s been said that the US Air Force uses this for fighter pilots. They are expected to go for at least 2 minutes. Give it a try but be careful... it is addictive!!”

See what I mean? Maybe you don’t. Why not click here to play the game and see why it took up the better part of my day!

Now that set me thinking. What really made the game interesting? The game itself? Nahh!!! I mean you would rather catch me dead than playing dodge with a piece of red tile. Personally, I think it was more to do with the challenge thrown... Betcha, you can’t do this! And what I really found phenomenal was the way the game was linked to it’s objectivity - to make the person play in the first place. In other words, the game reeked of “Interactivity” from start to finish.

And that I feel is the key to Interactivity’s success in e-learning. Establishing dialogue at the word go. Especially when the learner can “shut you up” with the click of a button.

So why is "Interactivity" valuable? Simple. It allows the learner to ACTIVELY engage with other learners, instructor, and material being learned. Why is "Good Interactivity" indispensable? Simple again. It grabs the learner’s attention, helps retain interest, increases information transfer, increases retention power and can be used as an evaluation method.

So what have we? Flash Cards, Roll-over Text/Images (learners mouse over text/word/images and relevant information is displayed), Drag and Drops, Flow Diagrams, Inventories, and Simulations, and the good ol' Games. There’s a little I’ve come to realize about all of them. Varying formats help build skills faster. For instance, weave Drag and Drop into the Hangman format, throw in Spin the Wheel into multiple choice questions, so on and so forth. That’s just for starters though. The thing is to make it interesting, something that will challenge the learner till the interactivity ends. For that a simple checklist is all that we need:
1. Decide if the interactivity meets the course objective
2. Zero in on the interactivity’s objective
3. Decide on the best interactivity format (puzzle, simulation, scenarios, role play, games)
4. Identify if the learner is ready to bite the bait (motivated enough to play the game)
5. Fine-tune learning essentials with fun elements (not all tasks should be difficult, not all questions/choices should be easy/difficult)
6. Make rules easy to follow
7. Always keep score

At the end of it I think we have a winner.

(Banshori Bhattacharya is Instructional Designer at C2 Workshop)

Indian E-Learning Outsourcing Industry – Trends and Insights

From revenues of approximately USD 341 million at the end of calendar year 2008, the Indian e-learning outsourcing industry is estimated to grow to USD 603 million by end of calendar year 2012. This and other insights, analysis and trends on the Indian e-learning industry are featured in the report titled “e-learning Outsourcing 2009: Advantage India” recently released by ValueNotes, an end-to-end provider of business intelligence, information and research products and services.

Some highlights of the study:

- Though growth will be subdued till 2010 owing to recession, the market will recoup and grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15% till 2012.

- The employee strength in the industry will grow at a CAGR of 12%, thereby reaching 22,400 by end of 2012 from the estimated 14,200 at the end of 2008. The employee growth is projected to be lower than revenue growth for the period 2008 to 2012 due to factors like better resource utilization and increasing of “productization” of commoditized, low-end e-learning services. The upside of this trend is that the industry will see a greater revenue generation per employee.

- Content development and repurposing, instructional and visual design, programming and content customization are the most commonly outsourced services to India. On the other hand, higher end services like training needs analysis and strategic decision making, storyboarding and curriculum design are not usually outsourced to India.

- Corporate buyers of e-learning are the most targeted segment by Indian providers, followed by the Education segment. Challenges in dealing with its agencies make the Government segment the least targeted.

- US and UK will be the two most targeted markets by Indian providers over the next 4 years. The hitherto ignored Indian market will be looked at more aggressively.

- Indian providers will consider acquisitions and strategic partnerships (both domestic and international) to gain onshore marketing and/or delivery capabilities.

E-Learning for Disabled Learners

Sarika is a professional at a software company. And like most professionals, much of Sarika's time is spent hunched over the computer. But there is a catch. Sarika is blind. But that does not stop her. Here's why. Sarika uses a screen reader to comprehend on-screen matter. She generates a combination of both speech and Braille output that allows her to go through documents in a jiffy. The good news is Sarika recently opted for a browser that better co-ordinates on-screen display with audio and Braille renditions of the same.

Harish is a reader at the local library. He is deaf. A few weeks back he, along with other staff, had to enroll for a multimedia online training program on better managerial skills. Harish sailed through it. His savior? Technology again. With all of the extensively used audio inputs transcribed, synchronized captioning of audio, and description of video, Harish did not falter an inch. What is more, the in-built chat rooms on the program allowed Harish to effectively communicate with other participants.

A miracle you say. Those at the other end of the spectrum call it technology. So how have they done it? With the help of assistive technologies or products. Simply put, assistive technologies enable people with disabilities to complete tasks just like any ordinary person would - without any hassle or difficulty. When added to computers, assistive technologies become adaptive software or hardware - i.e., products that adapt to the necessity at hand. They are often used together with text browsers, voice browsers, multimedia players, or plug-ins. The most common types are alternative keyboards or switches, Braille and refreshable Braille, scanning software, screen magnifiers, screen readers, speech recognition, speech synthesis, text browsers, and voice browsers. No wonder Sarika and Harish are able to live and work normally.

In short, because of these technologies e-learning has opened new doors for those who thought there was no way out.

In fact, today e-learning carries immense potential to overcome physical barriers, improving, as it does, access to those with learning disabilities. Even a few years back these same scenarios would have been unimaginable, relegating many a bright mind to dark corners, making them reach only predefined potentials. With technology all of that has gone for a toss. In fact, from allowing people to just "read or see" off a screen, e-learning technology has evolved into a set of interactive multimedia applications, allowing many a differently-abled person to reach his/her full potential.

The result? A whole new world indeed.
Encore anyone?

(Banshori Bhattacharya is Instructional Designer at C2 Workshop)

Useful Web-based Tools for Teaching / Learning Process

With the advent of technology, traditional classroom has paved way for blended learning, where white board not merely replaces black board, but allows an array of multimedia presentations, taking the students to realistic scenarios through simulations and virtual reality.

C2 Workshop makes you realize your dream by developing content that walks you through hard to imagine situations. Okay, now you have content that matches with the expectations of 21st century audience. How would you make it more effective? How can you, apart from interacting with the audience, be they students, or employees, engage them during and after the class?

The answer to the above questions can be realized by using some of the web-based tools. Now I am going to present important web-based tools that enhance collaboration and paves way for emergence of new ideas and innovations vital for current scenario.

The 3 essential Cs required to face challenges of tomorrow are:
• Creativity
• Competitiveness
• Collaboration

The 3 tools /service I am going to present now are:
• WebQuest
• SQWorl
• Anki

Let me first introduce WebQuest a pedagogic tool that enhances the teaching and learning process. It enables the faculty to give an engaging assignment by offering a framework that is flexible for all subjects. WebQuest is based around a genuine, feasible and interesting task requiring higher order thinking such as analysis, synthesis, application, judgement and creativity.

WebQuest template can be accessed from http://webquest.sdsu.edu/LessonTemplate.html

The main features of the framework applicable for all the subjects are:
• Top (Title Page)
• Introduction
• Task
• Process
• Evaluation
• Conclusion

The evaluation section suggests how the students’ performance must be evaluated for each of the stated objectives. Thus WebQuest enables teachers to work with individuals and groups during and after the class period. After teaching through technology enabled blended method, WebQuest can be used for giving assignments / project work to students.

My research work at C2 Workshop, made me look for a tool where all important references under one category can be grouped. Though social book mark tools such as Delicious, Digg, Technet are all there, Sqworl an online service enables one to present all important URLs of particular category in one group.

One can access the on-line service at http://www.sqworl.com/index.php. A simple PPT, created by me explains how to go about creating the public link for any one category.

Though higher order cognitive skills of Bloom’s Taxonomy for Digital Education such as synthesis, evaluation, creativity are given more weightage in today’s competitive world, one cannot overlook the importance of remembering essential things, which is required for any successful learning endeavour.

Anki, a software, serves as a learning tool to improve the basic skill of cognitive domain, as it provides an opportunity to review the lessons in specific intervals of time defined by the user. Anki can be used online from  http://anki.ichi2.net/account/other or by offline as a desktop application by installing it on your desktop from the following link - http://ichi2.net/anki/download

It can also be accessed on smart phones such as iPhone.

(Dr.Kumuda Gururao is Learning Consultant at C2 Workshop)

C2 Workshop partners Epignosis

C2 Workshop has entered into a partnership with Epignosis LTD to resell their flagship product “eFront” in India. eFront is an easy-to-use, visually attractive, SCORM compatible, eLearning system. eFront's implementation enables both personalized and community learning, and supports the principles of collective knowledge. eFront caters to the unique needs of Enterprise, Educational, Open-Source and Proprietary learning, combining the best of all worlds.

Epignosis LTD (a member of Vtrip Group of companies), is headquartered in Aspropirgos, Attica, Greece.

Learning Styles

A fact I have realized over the years is that learning anything is like learning to drive a car. You can't get to change gears or kill the engine unless you are actually sitting in the driver's seat. As in, no one can teach you to drive while you are busy adjusting the rear view mirror. You have to be in the thick of things. But there is also another thing that I realized... we all learn differently. Each and every individual picks up things differently. This was ever the more apparent to me when I watched my 2 year old daughter play with my niece. While my niece picked up her ABC's while repeatedly playing with a "push-in-the alphabet button kind of toy", my daughter wanted me to repeat the alphabet song - and insist she repeat after me, every single moment of the day. My desperate attempt to get her to "push the button" was met with a strong stomping of her foot and a defiant “Mama sing ABC". I put down her resistance to being spoilt. But a psychologist would put down her resistance to a learning style. The kinesthetic learner. In fact, most psychologists believe that it is in our very infancy that learning styles are established.

So what are learning styles? Learning styles, simply put, are the different ways of learning. It speaks of a particular style or approach an individual adopts to process and understand stimuli or information, and that which allows him/her to learn best. For instance, we can break up learners into Visual Learners, Auditory Learners and Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners.

Let's begin with Visual Learners or those who learn through seeing. Visual learners often take in body language and facial expressions to process information. It has been observed, that in school or college, visual learners are often among the front benchers which allows them to be free from any visual obstruction. Pictures, visual displays like diagrams, charts, maps, illustrated text books, videos, hand-outs are their preferred medium of learning and they learn best through this form of interpretation. Most prefer taking detailed notes to absorb information better. Visual learners also prefer the use of colors, using different highlighters or coloured pens while taking notes. In fact, these types of learners often visualize information as a picture, which helps easy recall later. So stimulated are they by visual stimuli, they often, while learning something new, try to shun places with verbal disturbances.

Auditory Learners are those who learn through listening. These learners benefit from anything that is sound-oriented. So be it debates, speeches, presentations, jingles to aid memorization, verbal analogies, lectures, group discussions, or detailed verbal analysis, auditory learners learn best when surrounded by auditory stimuli. In fact, those who learn by listening pay importance to both tone of voice and pitch, and other associated nuances. For them writing down information or reading things on their own may have no effect on their learning capacity. In fact, it works well for them when reading text aloud or even when taking the aid of a tape recorder.

Yet another kind of learners are the Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners or those who learn through, moving, doing and touching. You know their kind the minute you see them. In fact, they often are a teacher's nightmare. Their tell-tale characteristics? Taking frequent breaks, working at a standing position, chewing gum/listening to music while studying, or skimming through reading material to get a rough idea first. The hands-on approach is their mode of learning, with the whole learning process being actually an exploration of the visual, auditory, and motor stimuli that surrounds them. Tactile learners may often find it difficult to sit still for long periods. For these learners doing is learning.

This kind of puts so many things in perspective now. That my niece is an auditory learner. Also maybe as to why I abhorred moral science while in school. No pictures maybe? Go figure.

(Banshori Bhattacharya is Instructional Designer at C2 Workshop)

Happy New Year !!!