BY JOHN G. PETRAKIS
Fire service educators strive to provide sup-erior training exercises and skill-enhancing instruction to their students. Unfortunately, not every student learns in the same way; each student has his own learning style. This article examines three basic student learning styles: (1) visual—through examining pictures or images; (2) auditory—through listening; and (3) kinesthetic—through practical application. In addition to the learning style, an instructor/training officer should consider the type of learning environment most conducive to the student’s retention and understanding of information.
Fire service instructors often overlook their students’ different learning styles. Just as there are different methods through which people effectively retain information in a particular learning environment, there are different instructional methods and audiovisual aids instructors can use to convey this information. Instructors should also discover the environment in which their students learn best. In every instructional session, instructors should identify and appropriately address the needs of the visual, audible, and kinesthetic learners within their training programs. Instructors who comprehend the physiology and fundamental philosophy of learning will better understand the effectiveness of assorted instructional techniques and coordinate them with the various students’ learning environments. Training officers and instructors often overlook variations in learning styles when preparing training outlines and assume that most firefighters gain knowledge in the same way. If instructors do not recognize the varied learning styles, students may not achieve the instructional program objectives designed to ensure the highest learning potentials for later relevance.
EVALUATING TRAINING
Studying modern fire department training programs and their effectiveness is an essential part of the training division’s mission. By identifying the learning styles that exist in the student population, the training can be designed to be more effective, thus enabling the students to better absorb the lessons. If the training method is geared toward only one learning style, it could hinder those students whose learning style is not addressed, possibly leading to their failing to perform up to department expectations on the operational level.
By constantly evaluating the students and identifying and addressing their different learning styles, the training division can better understand students’ learning needs and design more effective classroom and practical training evolutions.
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- Visual learners monitor the instructor’s body language and facial expressions to understand the lessons being taught. They may integrate information conveyed through image presentations (e.g., drawings, photos, and computer-generated-slide presentations). During instruction, a visual learner may document a very detailed interpretation. Visual learners tend to think in pictures and require vivid mental images to retain information. They may have a good sense of direction and excel in comprehension, writing, understanding charts and graphs, sketching, formulating visual similes and correlations, manipulating images, fixing and constructing practical objects, and reading visual images (photo 1).
- Auditory learners obtain their learning through oral presentations, conferences, and listening to what others say. Auditory learners understand the information as it corresponds to the instructor’s voice tone and speed. These learners often expand their learning capacity by reiterating the information audibly. They are gifted in vocabulary use and verbal communication. Auditory learners may have an extremely well developed listening and hearing capacity and are inclined to be graceful spokespeople. They excel in dialogue, writing, storytelling, instruction, understanding sentence structure and vocabulary meaning, remembering information, persuading others of their opinion, and studying verbal communication usage.
- Kinesthetic learners retain knowledge by physically investigating the lesson of the class or assignment. They cannot sit for an extended time and may become distracted if their ability to explore is hindered. These learners are skilled in proficiently manipulating objects and their surroundings, possess superior hand-eye coordination, and retain the information taught by integrating it with their environment, The kinesthetic learner’s proficiencies include practical experimentation and using their hands to manipulate items (photo 2).
LEARNING STYLES
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Although typically a particular learning method may predominate in individual students, they may use more than one learning style to retain and apply information. The application of various learning styles depends on the individual student and how that person prefers to best expedite his learning.
LEARNING STYLES AND TRAINING
Identifying the learning characteristics of the audience of a lecture or practical exercise is important. The fire service audience includes many different levels of experience and styles of retaining information. Because of the hands-on nature of the profession, successful fire service training is highly dependent on practical applications and evolutions. Before today’s innovative training methods existed, many firefighters learned the job simply by doing it. No learning styles were formally identified; it was just determined that a firefighter could extinguish a fire. Now that on-the-job activity has been applied more widely, a firefighter is almost required to learn through experience. I estimate that 80 percent of the firefighting activity is practical application and the remaining 20 percent consists of the theories that justify the applications.
Keeping a typical fire service training session mainstreamed is challenging because of the individual firefighters’ varied education and experience levels. However, not mainstreaming the objectives to meet all the learning styles within a classroom environment can limit the overall success of the training session.
TRAINING STANDARDS
National Fire Protection Association 1041, Standard for Fire Service Instructor Professional Qualifications—1996, addresses in-structor competencies for classroom and practical training environments, including introduction and orientation, the instructor’s roles and responsibilities in the classroom, oral communications, concept planning, instructional media and technology, instructional development, instructional methods, and student testing methods. The standard describes the fire service instructor’s credentials and his role in identifying various learning concepts. The resource outlines the learning concepts as they relate to different types of students.
In Illinois, the recommendations are divided into instructor I, II, and III.
Identification of learning styles begins in basic instructor classes such as the Illinois Office of the State Fire Marshal’s (IOSFM) Instructor I curriculum, which outlines instructor orientation, instructor roles and responsibilities, oral communications, student learning concepts, teaching media, curriculum planning, instructional development, teaching methods, student testing and evaluation, and instructor performance evaluations.
The Instructor II curriculum includes the Instructor I objectives but also addresses information delivery including program development, lesson plan development, and instruction methods.
The Instructor III curriculum incorporates Instructor I and II levels and also concentrates on policies and guidelines that will assist in using the proper instructional media based on data analysis and interpretation. The curriculum covers instructor duty, program management, instructional development, instructional delivery, and evaluation and testing.
ADDRESSING LEARNING STYLES
Modern educational theories provide an adequate foundation for understanding why fire service instructors must recognize students’ varied learning styles. Some theories say that a learning style is a preference; others state that learning is a moderately permanent alteration in a behavior that occurs through practice. A student’s learning environment may offer an opportunity to implement a variety of teaching methods. The classroom atmosphere may encourage and fascinate learners or distract and bore them. How the instructor constructs the learning environment determines whether information will be retained.
Because of the varied learning styles present for classroom instruction or functional evolution, using a variety of teaching methods is crucial to support every learning type present. This varying instructional modality principle exemplifies how instructors can differentiate lessons and provide a foundation for lesson content, learning processes, and products of learning.
The disruption of information transfer in the learning process between the instructor and student may indicate a learning style that the instructor has not identified. However, the instructor cannot instruct every student according to that person’s learning style and environment. Instead, the instructor can provide a learning environment that encourages the explanation of material. The instructor should have the professional background to determine the best learning environment and learning media appropriate for an effective training evolution.
The instructor should consider that the student might not be the best assessor of how he should learn. People have certain wants or needs they strive to satisfy, which creates motivation, a basic human need. Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, published in 1954, listed from the least to the most significant, are biological, security, social, self-esteem, and self-actualization. Instructors should keep these needs in mind when developing the appropriate learning environment for their students.
Biological. A pleasant classroom environment satisfies physiological needs. To prevent fatigue and irritating distractions, provide suitable seating, adequate illumination, and a comfortable room temperature.
Security. Ensuring that a student’s aptitude and knowledge are adequate for the class fulfills the security need. The instructor should encourage the student’s learning ability and ensure his aptitude in keeping up with other students. Provide tutoring opportunities if the student has trouble grasping the material.
Social. The human need to belong to a social group is important; hence students will socialize with and attempt to gain acceptance by their peers. This behavior might determine their behavior during training.
Self-esteem. Instructors can strengthen a student’s self-esteem by identifying a student’s capability in front of his peers. If a student has the opportunity to demonstrate a complicated task in front of his cohorts, his classmates might hold him in higher regard.
A student achieves self-actualization in interacting with the students in a learning environment, which satisfies the final, and most important, level in the hierarchy of needs. Some students fulfill their potential and achieve self-actualization by surpassing the requirements in an endeavor.
LEARNING STYLES STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
To better analyze learning styles and their role in firefighter training, I investigated the learning styles of firefighters in the Hanover Park (IL) Fire Department. The study’s purpose was to identify the various learning styles that exist within the department and to determine the most beneficial instructional method or methods. I used The Perceptual Learning-Style Preference Questionnaire 1 by Joy Reid to collect the learning style data. The questionnaire consisted of 30 statements, listed below, related to the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles. The statements were used to evaluate and determine the varied learning styles among the survey participants.
1. When the teacher tells me the instructions, I understand better.
2. I prefer to learn by doing something in class.
3. I get more work done when I am with others.
4. I learn more when I study with a group.
5. In class, I learn best when I work with others.
6. I learn better by reading what the teacher writes on the board.
7. When someone tells me how to do something in class, I learn better.
8. When I do things in class, I learn better.
9. I remember things I have heard in class better than things I have read.
10. When I read instructions, I remember them better.
11. I learn more when I can make a model of something.
12. I understand when I read the instructions.
13. When I study alone, I remember things better.
14. I learn more when I make something for a class project.
15. I enjoy learning in class by doing experiments.
16. I learn better when I make drawings as I study.
17. I learn better in class when the teacher gives a lecture.
18. When I work alone, I learn better.
19. I understand things better in class when I participate in role-playing.
20. I learn better in class when I listen to someone.
21. I enjoy working on an assignment with two or three classmates.
22. When I build something, I remember what I learned better.
23. I prefer to study with others.
24. I learn better by reading than by listening to someone.
25. I enjoy making something for a class project.
26. I learn best in class when I can participate in related activities.
27. In class, I work better when I am alone.
28. I prefer working on projects by myself.
29. I learn more by reading textbooks than by listening to lectures.
30. I prefer to work by myself.
Each answer the participant provided carried a point value that was used later to determine the student’s preferred learning style(s). At the conclusion of each questionnaire, the participant totaled his score and compared it to a score chart, categorized below.
Major Learning Style Preference
As the participants tallied their scores in the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic categories, they were able to determine their learning styles according to the survey. I asked each participant to complete a release form authorizing the use of his numerical results in the survey.
SAMPLE GROUP EDUCATIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS
The Hanover Park Fire Department has 26 full-time and 27 part-time firefighters. The Perceptual Learning-Style Preference Questionnaire was distributed to 53 firefighters, of which 22 completed and returned the survey. The job experience ranges from less than one year to 30 years. Educational backgrounds of the firefighters surveyed also varied. Of the 22 firefighters who participated in the survey, three possess associate’s degrees, three have earned their bachelor’s degrees, and two have received their master’s degrees; the remaining individuals have a high school education with fire service certifications.
STUDY METHODOLOGY
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I evaluated visual, auditory, and kinesthetic scores of the surveys returned. Each score was categorized by type of learning style in a spreadsheet format. After the scores were plotted, I determined the preferred learning styles that existed among the sample group (Figure 1). Because a person may learn using different types of intelligence, the sampling with replacement method was used to establish the different learning styles that may have existed. Sampling with replacement occurs if a population component is able to emerge more than once in the trial.
ANALYSIS RESULTS
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As a result of the sample, 22 percent of the participants were considered auditory learners, 19 percent were visual learners, and 59 percent were considered kinesthetic learners (Figure 2). In addition to establishing the percentile of learning populations, the mean and standard deviation data were concluded, respectively. The auditory scores were 31.45 (8.55), visual scores were 32.72 (6.84), and kinesthetic scores were 40.18 (6.44). The median is the representative value for a register of figures. Standard deviation is the conventional preference for measuring inconsistency and abbreviating the typical gap for the average to all statistics significance. The standard deviation numbers provided the information with regard to how far away from the average the participants were. The standard deviation figures considered the randomness in this sample group.
LEARNING STYLES AND INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS CORRELATION
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In the calendar year of 2002, the Hanover Park Fire Department conducted a total of 42 drills. Of the 42 drills executed, 20 drills were classroom oriented and 22 drills were practically oriented (Figure 3). The classroom drills consisted of exercises conducted in lectures with some demonstration. No practical evolutions were used in the classroom drills. The practical drills consisted of evolutions that were functionally orientated and only required a small lecture portion. By comparing the learning styles data that were compiled, it was possible to determine how well the department’s training division instructed its personnel.
According to the learning styles data, it was concluded that 59 percent of the sample population preferred kinesthetic learning. Of the 42 drills performed in 2002, 52 percent were practical drills. The kinesthetic types of drills accommodated the majority learning styles. Of the 42 drills performed in 2002, 48 percent were classroom drills. The classroom drills accommodated the visual and auditory learning styles. It can be concluded that, based on the information gathered from the survey, the Hanover Park Fire Department satisfactorily addresses the various different learning styles in its personnel population.
INSTRUCTOR IGNORANCE
Not recognizing students’ varied learning styles and abilities can hinder attaining the instructional objectives; consequently, only a fraction of the students may retain the information, depending on the teaching method and media used. For example, lecturing a group of firefighters may reach only a small percentage of the group, the auditory learners. If the instructor lectures exclusively without using visual aids, the visual learner’s knowledge potential may not be maximized. Also, if the instructor provides a lecture with no opportunity to perform a practical application, the kinesthetic learner’s education potential would also be limited.
EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION
At this point, the types of learning populations can be identified and training objectives evaluated to accommodate the varied learning styles. To effectively communicate to all the learning styles found within a classroom, the instructor must determine what styles exist. Determining the audience’s learning styles can be accomplished through assorted methods.
A few suggestions to consider include the following:
- Have the students complete learning style questionnaires.
- Observe individual firefighters in actual classroom and practical training scenarios.
- Speak with individual firefighters, and ask which training situations (e.g., classroom, practical evolution, lecture) they feel most confident learning in.
Once the learning types present are identified, the instructor can design the training evolution according to the student population’s profile. Comparatively, the instructor must realize that different learning styles will exist and should prepare various instructional methods. The instructor ought to consider and prepare training designs that can be diversified to complement all learning styles.
Training outlines may not be based solely on the student population’s preferred learning styles. The instructor needs to consider the varied levels of experience. Teaching a population of firefighters whose years of experience range between one and 15 may require the instructor to address learning styles as they relate to an individual’s skill. Modern schooling and its student products demonstrate significant differences when compared with students from 20 years ago. Students who attended formal schooling 20 years ago were not able to take advantage of technological instruction and learning. The students had to learn not only how something worked but also why it worked that particular way. The computers and vivid presentation formats did not exist. These persons learned through hands-on experiences. Comparatively, students who are in today’s formal classroom have the advantage of vivid presentations and highly advanced training evolutions. However, these students are exposed to many theories, which perform the act of thinking for the students. How the students prefer to learn may be the result of the types of learning environments they encountered and supported their education throughout their didactic experiences.
The responsibility of the training officer or instructor is to provide the best classroom and practical educational opportunities for the student. The instructor should be able to deal with learning style differences and their characteristics in individual students. Students are distinct, and instructors must take that into account each time they interact with the students. Some instructors may share a preferred learning style with some students. Other instructors may not share this commonality of learning preference. Although our knowledge and instruction replicate our educational inclination, supplementary learning methods can be used simultaneously. Many agencies govern how they are to train and to what capacities a firefighter must prepare. However, the training officer and instructor have the ability to construct more beneficial training and strengthen their programs based on their audience’s learning styles. Students’ training experiences can be deemed successful only if they can comprehend the information and demonstrate that knowledge by performance in the real environment.
The fire service’s operations thrive on effective training practices. As technologically advanced as fire service training has become, a machine cannot address the various learning styles found in classrooms. Colorful and animated computer slide presentations are outstanding and mind-stimulating teaching tools. However, if a portion of the firefighters being taught do not retain information according to that learning style, that computer slide presentation will prove to have been ineffective when those firefighters need to practically apply the information presented. By understanding students’ learning styles, training officers and instructors have the power to take full advantage of how their students learn and to offer effective training scenarios that address the real-life situations the students will encounter during their fire service career.
JOHN G. PETRAKIS, a career firefighter/paramedic with the Hanover Park (IL) Fire Department, is the hazardous materials team coordinator and an instructor in the training division. He is a field instructor for the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute’s Hazardous Materials Division. Petrakis has an applied associate’s degree in fire science and safety from Elgin Community College and a bachelor’s degree in fire science management from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.
Endnote
1. Reid, J. The Perceptual Learning-Style Preference Questionnaire, 1984.
(1) Visual learners may document in great detail what they are being taught to better understand the lesson. [Photo courtesy of the King (NC) Fire Department.]
(2) Kinesthetic learners need hands-on, practical application and experimentation to learn. (Photo by author.)
