Learning Patterns

When I first saw the Parelli Patterns DVDs I was intrigued that horse were patterned learners because from my career in corporate America, I knew that people also had learning patterns. I’ve used that understanding to help accelerate my own development as a horsewoman and to help train volunteers at our rescue. The key to success is recognizing the patterns.

Like most rescues, The SummerWinds Stable is a non-profit organization run by a group of dedicated volunteers. While many of our volunteers are horse knowledgeable when they begin volunteering with us, others come with little knowledge or experience working with horses. For their protection and the welfare of our horses, we need to teach them the basics of horse handling quickly. When an individual understands learning patterns, he/she can take charge of that learning and accelerate it, getting up to speed more quickly to become a contributing member of our volunteer community.

My first step in working with a new volunteer is to try and understand how they prefer to learn. Researchers in education have identified four distinct learning patterns. They can be seen in the way people deal with sequence (order, planning and organization) precision (accuracy, detail and information) technical reasoning (problem solving, relevance and autonomy) and creativity (ideas, uniqueness and expression). I can discover a lot about how someone prefers to learn by listening to them talk.

If a person ask for directions or asks me to show them an example or says something like, “First can we……”, I know he/she is comfortable using sequence as a preferred learning pattern. Because this pattern deals with order, organization and planning, the learner wants an orderly and organized approach. In this pattern a learner wants to do things step by step. They like to have specific directions and to know and follow “the rules”. They like to see an example or a model before beginning. They make and like to work from a list. They want to know what to expect and they don’t like to improvise or do something without practicing first

If a person asks me lots of questions and wants specifics I know he/she is comfortable using precision as a preferred learning pattern. Because this pattern deals with accuracy, detail and information, the learner wants lots of detailed information. In this pattern the learner will ask lots of question. They want the facts and would be happy reading something before starting. They may want to take notes or write down what you are telling them. They may correct you. (Don’t you really mean….?) They may want long and detailed explanations for things.

If a person just want to get in there and try to do something and is asking me why something is important, I know he/she is comfortable using technical reasoning as a preferred learning pattern. Because this pattern deals with problem soling, relevance and autonomy, the learner wants to understand the purpose of what they are doing and wants to try things for themselves. They often want to work alone. They are not afraid to just get in there and get their hands dirty. They may watch rather than talking and they like explanations to be short, practical and relevant.

If a person comes things with a sense of fun, wants to just play, has a lot of creative ideas and isn’t afraid to try new things, I know he/she is comfortable using creativity as a learning pattern. Because this pattern deals with ideas, uniqueness and expression, the learner wants to see the bigger picture. They are not afraid of taking a risk and my not be too interested in directions or rules. They love to improvise and are not afraid to fail. They want to freedom to do things their own way.

A mistake I’ve made in the past when training someone was to assume that they learned best the same way I did so I would train them they way I liked to be trained. I prefer the precise pattern. I love words, take notes and give long, detailed explanations for everything. While everyone has the ability to use all four learning patterns, most people have patterns they prefer to use and they may have patterns that they avoid using. By designing methods to be consistent with the way an individual likes to learn rather than how you like to learn, you build rapport more quickly and train more effectively.

If you would like to read more about how people use patterns when they are learning, visit the Let Me Learn website at letmelearn.org/.