A global/intuitive learner is always waiting to hear the big picture. They wait through the whole lesson to hear this phrase: “In other words…” Suddenly the sun comes out and they understand what you are saying. Or as my dad (a preacher) says at the end of his sermons: “Folks, here’s the bottom line…” Global learners listen for that.
Sometimes the global learner looks like they aren’t paying attention (especially at the beginning of the story or lesson), but as soon as the action starts and the lesson or story begins to take shape, they are all ears. They prefer an overview of information first, and then spend time getting details later.
Global/intuitive learners like to discover relationships and possibilities. They dislike hearing the same thing over and over again – they like fresh, new, interesting ideas. They often are better at learning abstract concepts than they are at mastering concrete facts.
Skills:
- problem solving in an innovative way
- understanding abstract mathematical and scientific concepts
- finding the underlying meaning in the work they are doing
- quickly processing new information
- thinking of original theories that explain events or ideas
A child with this learning style may miss important details; they’d rather focus on the big picture. This can affect decision making and problem solving. Encourage an intuitive learner to create their own learning tools – they will learn more if they make their own flashcards, graphs, tables, summaries, and practice questions rather than relying on the ones that are provided.
This style of learner appreciates being noticed for their innovation. They like to be praised for being imaginative and creative. This learning style can really benefit if you move them away from traditional learning and into a more student-driven approach; then they can work at their own pace, which is typically faster than other students.
Global/intuitive learners do best when they understand the underlying theme to any given lesson or story. The temptation can be to present the lesson first, and then tell the children what it means. A global learner will have gotten lost along the way without a structure to fit the information into. If too many details are given without one overarching theme, they may flounder around unable to process any of the information.
It’s good to get into the habit of giving a simple summary of the lesson, story, or activity both before and after you do it. A global learner will often be able to give a really good summary of the story or lesson because that is what they were listening for. You may want to let the global learners in your class summarize the lesson for the other children.