It may sound like a specialized bakery or a modern take on Winnie-the-Pooh. But Peter Honey and Alan Mumford are the two dads of a set of learning styles that can make any kiddo sound like a legit baller. Hey, call a ten-year-old an activist, pragmatist, or theorist—heck, even a reflector—and anyone listening is bound to think that child is headed for the stars.

But the fancy-sounding names for types of learners aren't the only thing that set the Honey and Mumford learning styles apart. Their view on differentiating preferences in educational methods has implications for how each learner can maximize his or her learning, and for instructors seeking to diversify their lesson plans.

Let's power on forward and break them down into their constituent parts. (Does that make us sound like an activist or a pragmatist?)

A Taste of Honey (and Mumford)

And so, without further ado, and with aid from this handy little chart breaking the approaches down in table-form, let's tackle the four learning styles of this model.

• The Activist. This character goes on marches to the capitol, burns bras, and is very active using all of social media to tell people what they can do to change the world.
   
  Oh wait, different kind of activist. But there are some key similarities. The learning style version is big on learning by doing—and that "doing" involves working in groups, competing and collaborating, taking on projects, and trying to solve problems in big, open-minded, action-oriented ways.
   
• The Theorist doesn't take quite so deep a dive. At least, not before exploring the concepts and theories behind the actions. As the above-cited site states, "They need models, concepts and facts in order to engage in the learning process" (source).
   
  So whether it means quotations and English professors pontificating on the literary text of the day, or statistics and formulas to work through that math problem in style, these learners are out to gather the background and methodically put together a way of approaching a problem before they even think about trying to solve it.
   
• The Pragmatist is kind of a mix between the Activist and the Theorist, but whereas the former is all action and the latter is all background research, the Pragmatist likes to put those lessons into practice. That means applying new knowledge in the "real world" to test whether those theories work in action.
   
  Case studies, problem-based learning, and discussions that involve how the ideas and theories in question can be applied in real life, or in the next step of the unit, are the classroom activities that make these learners tick.
   
• The Reflector is covered in shiny mirrors so that all the Activists, Theorists, and Pragmatists in the room can see their faces reflected back. The learning benefits couldn't be clearer, right?
   
  Okay, so actually. Reflectors watch, absorb, and then take a big, hearty think about what happened. In terms of activities that suit these learners, you've got discussions, self-analysis work and questionnaires, observations, and anything that involves viewing multiple perspectives before shouting out any kind of conclusion (source). And sure, staring in the mirror for hours at a time can't hurt.

Now that we've gone over the learning styles, take a moment to reflect. (That is, if you're a Reflector).

Or maybe you'd rather see whether all this works in practice by chatting with people around you to see what learning styles they prefer. That would be pragmatic, right?

If you like the Theorist route, you might be aching to read up on how Messrs. Honey and Mumford developed their theory. And if that's the case, take a peek at Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory, since Honey and Mumford partially based their ideas on Kolb's work.

And if you're the Activist type, you might dive into considering what actions you can take in the classroom now that you know all about these learning styles. In fact, let's do that right now.

In the Classroom

Let's start out with a bit of a disclaimer. Maybe one of those styles really does call your name more than the others, or perhaps it totally makes sense that a couple of your students are so bad at theories because they're born Activists (or whatever).

So it's important to note that there can be plenty of overlap among styles in individual people. And even if someone does really connect with one approach and has some serious dislikes in other areas (see the far-left column here), it's still valuable to challenge each student to develop their qualities and skills in the other areas, too.

After all, if you're all reflecting and no putting-into-practice, or all conceptualizing and no doing—or, you know, any all-or-nothing iteration of these styles—that means you're likely missing some important and helpful aspects of the learning process.

On to the meaty bits. Why is this important for you as a teacher?

Why, we're glad we asked. If you understand their learning style, you can seek out opportunities to help them learn using that style.

So, as you're working on your curriculum, try to integrate a variety of activities so that you engage the favorite skills or processes of students who line up with the different elements of these styles—and challenge them to go outside of their comfort zone, too.

That doesn't mean you need to develop each lesson, project, and activity thinking about which learners it will work for. Just to pay attention to whether you've had a lot of reading and research lately, or a bulk of group discussions that might benefit from a hands-on project or a reflection assignment.

Whether you try to design a certain assignment to be totally catered to your Pragmatists (for example) or you aim to incorporate acting, theorizing, pragmaticizing, and reflecting in one big multi-step activity, the main idea is to be aware of the skills you're focusing on and the types of thinking that will need to be engaged for the learning goals to be reached.

Don't Forget to Ask Your Mum(ford, and Also Honey)

Dying to know what style suits you best, or to set your students the task of figuring out their own for themselves?

On Peter Honey's very own (and very sweet) website you can find a couple questionnaires to help determine your best learning practices. Everyone loves a good self-assessment, and you can take your pick of a 40- or 80-question option to make sure you're thorough.

Do it in the classroom as a funtivity and to help you figure out what makes your students tick. And if that fails, you can always spoonfeed honey to your entire class—as long as they keep mum about it.