FIREFIGHTER LEARNING STYLES AND TRAINING: BEYOND THE SLIDE PRESENTATION

摘要

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.