ABSTRACT
As our understanding of the nature of learning has improved, so we have come to realize that not everyone learns in exactly the same way. The study of preferred modes of learning is referred to as cognitive style, or individual variations in perceiving, remembering, thinking, and of organizing and processing information. The extract by Conner considers the implications of a knowledge of cognitive style in the context of topic work. As was suggested in the section on liberal romanticism (pp. 79-82) two major principles of this tradition and often embodied within topic work are concerned with creating opportunities for children to negotiate their own learning and to have control over their learning. This implies that all children are able to cope with the demands implied by this. The study of cognitive style indicates that this can create difficulties for some children. For the teacher, a knowledge of differences in learning preference might lead teachers to offer more varied opportunities in their learning. As Bruner (1966) has suggested, . .. ‘there should be many tracks leading to the same general goal’.
