PINGEN, KATHLEEN JOY R.

BSN I – E

According to the 4MAT Learning Cycle Model, the complete learning cycle consists of 8
steps from the four quadrants.
The cycle describes the learning act itself.
We choose our most comfortable places along the two continua of perceiving and processing,
and we approach learning using that favoured combination. The result of those choices
determines our learning style. If teachers understand the cycle, they can use it to powerful
advantage. Four major learning styles result from our choices along the two continua of
perceiving and processing. I call them Types One, Two, Three and Four.
Type 1 learners learn by seeking meaning and are most interested in the question why? They
are the imaginative learners.
Type 2 learners learn by thinking through ideas, seeks facts and information and most
interested in the question what?
Type 3 learners learn by testing theories, need to know how things work they are stills-
oriented and are most interested in the question how?
Type 4 learners learn by trial and error or seeking hidden possibilities, adaptable to change
and like to take risks and are most in the question if?
In quadrant one, which is WHY, the first phase of the learning cycle, the goal is to connect.
Your focus is on winning the attention of your learners, and engaging their interest in the
subject. The one who facilitate are seeking to help them understand the real value of what
you’re saying and get the learner to think about how what you’re saying fits in with and
enhances his or her existing experience. In the cycle there is Left and Right Mode, the Right
mode is CONNECT, this is having a relationship between your group your partner and the
content are connected to each one, not that telling them how to connect but having something
actually happen in the group that will bring them to make the what we called, connection.
The Left mode is ATTEND, this is how your group analyze what just happened and have
them attend to their own experience and to the perceptions, how it went, and what really
happened.
In quadrant two, which is WHAT, you are now build in learner’s knowledge and encourage
them to find out facts for themselves. To make this possible, you need to help learners make
connections between what they already know and what you are teaching. The goal is to
inform, to present facts in a systematic and organized. We have Image and Inform as our
Right and Left mode. Image (Right mode) encourage the group to picture the concept as they
understand the image and have experienced it. While the Inform, they are ready for receiving
and examining the expert knowledge.
In quadrant three which is HOW, you are to teach practical skills that come from the theory
and encourage learners to test their understanding of the material. This is where learners
confirm and refine their understanding and going to apply what they’ve learned. We also
have Practice and Extend as our Left and Right mode. Practice (Left mode) the group practice
the learning as the experts have found it. Extend (Right mode) the group knows enough, have
enough skills to begin the playing with the content, ideas, to be interpretive.
In quadrant four is WHAT IF, you encourage learners to extend creatively their use of the
skills you’ve taught. This gives practice in the new skills. We have Refine and Perform as our
Left and Right mode. Refine (Left mode) the group have proposed an extension of the
learning into their lives. They need to evaluate that extension. Perform (Right mode) lastly,
your students need to perform, upon performing, you need to look for the originality, new
questions and connections to larger ideas, skill that are useful.
All of us learn in very different ways and so it stands to reason that we need to consciously
vary our delivery techniques to capture as many of the different styles as we can.