What is the GRSLSS?

• The Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Styles Scales (GRSLSS) is one of the few instruments designed to be used with high school and college students to determine a student's learning preference or style. By using this scale, a teacher or professor can optimize the teaching and learning environment for all students, develop sensitivity to a learner's needs, and design courses based on students' different learning styles. There are six learning styles, and most learners possess all of these learning styles to a greater or lesser extent.
  
  

Independent and Dependent Learners

• Independent learners prefer to work alone, not in groups.They are confident learners that don't have the need to confer with others. Dependent learners need feedback from the teacher or their peers for structure and guidance. They prefer to have someone tell them what to do.
  
  

Competitive and Collaborative Learners

• One of the goals of competitive learners is to do better than their peers. They see the classroom as a win--lose situation in which they must win, and they need to be recognized for their accomplishments. Collaborative learners learn through sharing and cooperating with the teacher and their peers. They prefer small group discussions and group projects.
  
  

Avoidant and Participant Learners

• Avoidant learners can be difficult to reach. They are reluctant to learn and uninterested in class activities. They may not even want to attend class. They do not enjoy learning and generally try to avoid it at all costs. Participant learners are eager to learn and enjoy classroom activities and discussion. They take responsibility for their learning, and are eager to do as much class work as possible. They are highly motivated to meet the teacher's expectations.
  
  

Practical Use of the GRSLSS

• What does this Learning Styles Scale mean for teachers and learners? Most learners gravitate toward one or two of these learning styles, even though it is possible for a person to possess some aspects of each of the learning styles. By paying attention to a learner's unique style of learning, a teacher can alter his or her preparation and instructional methods accordingly. Teachers can plan group instruction or individualized instruction for students depending on the student's needs. In order to maximize a student's learning potential, it is important for teachers to ensure that their methods of instruction match the needs of the learners in their classes. For the learner, it is important that s/he knows his or her own style of learning, so that s/he can choose her courses accordingly. If a learner is an independent learner, it would make sense for him or her to choose online courses that involve little or no interaction with others; whereas if s/he is a dependent learner, he or she needs more contact with the teacher and peers, and so, would be better suited to an interactive classroom setting.