MODULE

104
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Division of Workforce Training and Economic Development

MY PROFILES
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Module Series Guide

100 Series Employability Skills

200 Series Interpersonal Skills
300 Series Organizational Systems Skills
400 Series Industrial Skills
500 Series Service Skills
600 Series Computer Skills
700 Series Quality Systems Skills
800 Series Safety Skills
900 Series Technical Skills

NEMCC Workforce
101 Cunningham Blvd
Booneville, MS 38829
workforce@nemcc.edu
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Table of Contents
Online Assignments (must be completed first)...........................1
Learning Styles in the Workplace..............................................2
Characteristics for Each Learning Style.....................................5
Recommendations for Each Learning Style...............................7
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Online Assignments (must be

completed first)
 Go to www.workforceconnects.com .

 At the top right of the screen, click “User Login.”

 Type in your user name and password that the instructor will give you.

 At the middle right of the screen, click “Explore Careers.”

 Click “Career Matchmaker.”

 Click “Go.”

 Click “Assessments” at the top.

 Under Matchmaker & My Skills, click “Start Matchmaker.”

 My Matchmaker Label should be “First Name Last Name Date”

 Answer all of the questions as accurately as possible through number 39.

 After this question, the computer loads the results. Then scroll down, and click “Answer
More Questions” on the left side.

 You will repeat this process again after number 89. Then answer questions through 116.

 Scroll down to “My Skills” and click “Start My Skills.” Then answer the 45 questions
carefully.

 When these are completed, look over your list of A, B, C, D, and E careers. Then print
this profile to keep.

 Click “Assessments” at the top.

 Click “Learning Styles Inventory”. Answer each question carefully. Then read your
learning style preference, and how to learn best. Print this for your records.

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Learning Styles in the Workplace: Why You

Should Care
Posted on March 5, 2009 in Marketing Tips
What is a Learning Style?

How do you prefer to learn? Do you like to read marketing blogs? Listen to lectures on
management techniques? Process what your boss said while taking your morning walk? Learning
styles relate to how you process new information and knowing your style and the style of others
can improve your communication skills and productivity! There are a lot of theories out there,
but like all things pertaining to the human brain, it’s complex and there is no one right answer.
What we do know with relative certainty is that we all have different ways we prefer to learn,
and that we are a combination of “styles.” That said, let’s look at the three most common styles
and some tips on interacting with them in the workplace.

1. The Visual Learner – “Let me show you something.”

This person learns best by seeing things.1 They are a reader – emails, charts, PowerPoint’s –
anything visual is fair game. Over half of the people in your office will fall into this learning
category so make sure you’re communicating to them. Tips for presenting to a visual learner:
Avoid verbal instructions, if it isn’t written down or you don’t have any thing to “show for it,” it
isn’t real. They tend to like graphic organizers, take detailed notes, and benefit from lists and
flashcards. They tend to be good proof readers2 so use them for editing purposes. They’ll also
use language that relates to their visual style: “Do you see what I mean?”

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2. The Auditory Learner – “Can I talk to you a second?”

For the auditory learner listening is the key.3 They do well with lectures, sounds and music. The
auditory learner will also be very distracted by any noises, so don’t put them in high traffic areas
if you want them to be more productive. Around 20 % of your office should fall into this style of
learning. Tips for presenting to an auditory learner: Avoid visual presentations (such as
PowerPoint’s) that don’t have sound or music. Because they learn better with sound, they should
have computer speakers and/or headphones at work so they can listen to music while working.
They should be allowed to tape presentations and tend to enjoy discussing and talking through
issues4 so use them to lead round table or question and answer meetings. “Do you hear what
I’m saying?”

3. The Kinesthetic Learner –”Let’s come to grips with the situation.”

Here’s the employee or coworker that likes to jump in and do!5 They do well with things that
require hand eye coordination. These are the people who won’t be able to sit still in meetings.
They are also very empathetic towards others. Your mood and approach will definitely impact
them, so try a softer approach or you may get some push back. A true kinesthetic learner is a
very small group, but many people have a strong secondary kinesthetic style. Tips for presenting
to a kinesthetic learner: Avoid static situations where they have to just sit and listen – put them
at the whiteboard taking notes, let them stand or walk around, or give out something to keep
their hands busy to engage them. Use them to participate in simulations, demonstrations, or to
lead in role playing.6 I know this information is a lot to handle, “How are you feeling about this?”

How does this help your bottom line?

Think about it. It improves your communication and your efficiency and, in general, makes for a
friendlier work environment.  Identify your own style and invest some time to find out how each
person you work with prefers to learn by listening to the way they phrase things, how they
present information to you, or even just come right out and ask them. Then strive to present
new ideas in those ways. It will feel cheesy at first, but knowing this will make you faster, better
and more profitable! Give it a try. You may be surprised to find out what and how you learn.

What Learning Style are You?

Learning Styles Inventory
http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/ts/stylest.html

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Learning Styles Chart

http://www.chaminade.org/INSPIRE/learnstl.htm
References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_learning
2. http://www.studyingstyle.com/visual-learners.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_learning
4. http://studyingstyle.com/auditory-learners.html
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesthetic_learning
6. http://studyingstyle.com/tactile-kinesthetic-learners.html
- See more at: http://blog.nextdayflyers.com/learning-styles-in-the-workplace-why-you-should-
care/#sthash.pXm3Ln3D.dpuf

http://blog.nextdayflyers.com/learning-styles-in-the-workplace-why-you-should-care/

Use the information from “My Profiles” along with

the following to determine how you learn best.

Characteristics for Each Learning Style

Visual Learner
 Needs time to think, visualize, and process information and experiences
 Likes to look at something before attempting it
 Needs both written and visual
 May be a little more introverted than others
 Color and packaging is important to this person
 Needs things neat and tidy
 Likes to see demonstrations, diagrams, slides, posters
 Visualize every aspect of a project
 Resists change
 Don’t give these learners a new project to develop. They will think through so long that
the window of opportunity may be closed.
 Needs lists and check sheets
 Look before you leap
 Likes to read
 Takes copious notes.
 Often close their eyes to visualize or remember
 Are usually good spellers
 Like to see what they are reading

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 Values planning and organization

 Are meticulous and neat in appearance
 Notice details
 Find something to watch when bored.
 Find quiet, passive surrounding ideal.

Auditory Learner
 Needs to analyze and process
 Likes the written word
 Needs clear directions in black and white
 Wants to read all the directions before starting a project, etc.
 Gets distracted by sounds or noises
 Remembers details about situations and projects
 Likes to talk things out before acting
 Related sounds to experiences
 Accepts change as long as it is clearly spelled out in black and white
 Makes lists but can deviate with minimum discomfort
 Happy with status quo
 A stitch in time save time
 Likes to be read to
 Sit where they can hear
 Are most likely to read aloud
 Enjoy music
 Acquire information primarily through sound
 May not coordinate colors or clothes, but can explain what they are wearing and why
 Enjoy listening activities
 Enjoy talking
 Hum or talk to themselves or others when bored.

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learner
 Needs action, change, challenge
 Waiting is slow and painful death
 Needs to be involved, to touch, and to feel, to really get into the job
 Likes people, the limelight, and life
 More creative person. This type learner is the one that thinks up projects. Managers
should use their creativity to dream up new projects and to start new programs.
 Gets programs started and then passes them off to someone else to manage
 Risk-taker
 Must have interaction with people
 Ready, Aim, Fire
 Enjoy using manipulatives.
 Speak with their hands and with gestures.
 Remember what was done but have difficulty recalling what was said or seen.
 Will try new things.
 Rely on what they can directly experience, do, or perform.
 Tend to be messy in habits and dres..
 Are uncomfortable in classrooms where they lack hands-on experiences.
 Like physical rewards
 Need to be active and in motion.

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Recommendations for Each Learning

Style
Visual Learners

 Make your work as visual as possible. Make charts, graphs, and tables. Take detailed
notes during lectures and compare them with someone else to be sure you have gotten
down all the important points. Leave lots of extra space in your notes so you can add
ideas or details later. Highlight important information in your notes and books. Write
down anything that is important for you to remember.

 Ask instructors to repeat statements whenever necessary. Tape record important lectures
whenever possible. (Record them all. Save and label only those that you feel are
important and tape over the others.)

 Sit at the front and center of your classroom. Your attention will tend to be where your
eyes are. Make it easy to keep your eyes on your work by arranging your study space so
that you don’t look directly out the door or window.

 Participate actively in classes. Ask questions. Contribute your ideas. This will keep you
involved and alert in an otherwise very auditory situation.

 Work in a quiet place. Many visual learners, however, do find that they can do math
better with music in the background.

 Think on paper. Before you begin a project or a study session, write down your goals and
the steps you must go through to achieve them.

 Work alone. Visual learners often find it difficult to work and talk at the same time, even
when the talking is about the work.

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 When memorizing factual material, write it over and over. Though it is faster better if you
write it.

 Use spatial note-taking techniques such as mind mapping or clustering. These allow for
non-sequential production of sequential material. Also, try spelling techniques that focus
on the “shape” of words rather than sounding them out.

 Keep pencil and paper handy so you can write down good ideas. This can be particularly
helpful when you’re working on a long-term project when you may often get ideas when
you’re not at your desk. You may also want to keep pencil and paper by your bed at night
so you can write some ideas you get in your sleep.

Auditory Learners

 Think aloud; talk to yourself. Before beginning a project or study session, state aloud
your goals and the steps that you must go through to achieve them. It’s also probably a
good idea to write them down. When working math problems, talk aloud to yourself and
explain the steps you’re doing.

 Read aloud, especially when doing proofreading or when you’re tired. You will understand
the material better if you can hear it. You can even read silently while moving your lips
slightly and hearing the words in your head. Before you begin, set a purpose and
verbalize it.

 When writing a rough draft of a paper, think of your topic and just write the words as you
hear them in your head. You can go back later and organize the material and fix
mechanical things like punctuation and grammar. Also, try writing with a tape recorder.
Speak your ideas into a tape machine as if you were talking to an interested person. This
will allow you to think at top speed without losing your train of thought. You can
transcribe the tape later. Be sure to have someone else look over your proofreading.

 Discuss your ideas with a friend or small group. Brainstorm and discuss possibilities and
plans. Tape the sessions. Set up pep-talk sessions to encourage one another. Quiz each
other before exams.

 To prepare to give a speech, hear it in your head going perfectly. Visualize it too if you
can. Try visualizing and/or hearing it to yourself three times per day for three days before
the presentation.

 When doing math computations by hand, use graph paper. This will help you to keep the
columns aligned.

 Ask to take oral quizzes, test, and exams. In English composition classes a main task is to
learn to write, so instructors will rarely allow students to turn in tape recorded “papers”.
In other classes, however, the goal is to learn the subject at hand, and oral or tape-
recorded “papers” and tests are often appropriate.

 When memorizing factual material, recite it over and over. Though it may seem silly to
talk to yourself, you will tend to memorize very efficiently in this way.

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 Arrange your study time so that you can complete one task before beginning another.
This will make it easier for you to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of each study
session and keep you from having to reread a lot of material to figure out where you left
off in the last study session.3

 You may want to sit at the back or to one side of the classroom. Sometimes auditory
learners find it distracting to be at the front and center of the class where there is a lot of
visual stimulation.

 Listen to long literature reading assignments on tape. Unabridged texts of many works of
literature are now available to buy or rent. Some can even be borrowed from your local
library. You can also read along and mark important passages in your book while you
listen. Watch plays on stage or on video.

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners

 Make studying more physical. Work at a standing desk. (A standing desk is a desk tall
enough to be at writing level when you are standing. You can make one by putting a
couple of cement blocks under each leg of an ordinary desk. You can then use a stool to
sit or you can stand if you feel you need more physical movement.) Stand or pace while
memorizing. Stand, stretch, and take a few deep breaths at least once every 25-30
minutes. Try reading while riding an exercise bike or studying while standing in our
stocking feet. Set up a chalkboard or whiteboard to do math on. Try chewing gum while
studying. If you get fidgety when you’re in class, try crossing your legs and bouncing the
foot that is off the floor. Try squeezing a tennis ball or racquet ball.

 Use color. Highlight in your books and notes. Put a brightly colored blotter on your desk
(whatever color you like). Read through a colored transparency or colored glasses or
under a colored reading light, especially when reading difficult or boring material or when
you are tired or stressed. Decorate your work area with colors and posters that are
pleasing to you.

 Vary your activities. If you’re feeling frustrated or fidgety, look over your to-do list to see
if there’s a simple, short-term task you can do that has a different pace or feel to it.
When you’ve finished with that, return to the task that was frustrating you.

 Keep a “distractions list” on your desk. When you find that lots of unrelated thoughts are
intruding on your studying (e.g. you’ve got to write a letter or pick up something at the
store), write it on the list and go back to your work. By using such a list you won’t be
trying to remember all those outside responsibilities while doing your work.

 Play music in the background. Whatever music you like, at whatever volume you like. If it
disturbs other, wear headphones.4

 Read whole-to-part. When reading a textbook chapter, long article, or report, first skim
through the whole thing to get a feel for what it is about, look at the summary and
questions after the chapter, then go back and read the chapter carefully.

 Use spatial note taking techniques such as mind mapping or clustering. These allow for
non-sequential production of sequential material.

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 Visualize complex projects from start to finish before beginning. This will allow you to
keep the big picture in mind while working on the details. If you begin to feel swamped
by the project, revisualize the entire sequence from start to finish to see what should be
done next. You’ll also find that visualization is a powerful tool for keeping a positive
attitude during a demanding task.

 Have someone proofread your papers before you turn them in. If you write with a
computer, be sure to use an electronic spell checker and grammar checker. Be aware,
though, that these do not replace a good proofreader. Electronic checkers miss many
kinds of errors.

 Read aloud when doing a proofreading or when you’re tired. Read silently while moving
your lips slightly and hearing the words in your head.

 When you discover a way of studying that works well for you, write it on a list. Keep the
list near your study area so if you get stuck in the future, you can refer to your list for
ideas that will get you going again. Ask permission to do presentations or video projects
instead of papers. You may want to point out to your teacher that the real goal is to learn
the subject and that presentations and other projects may make the learning easier for
many students.

UNKNOWN SOURCE