Lisa M. Lane compares students' learning styles to either Cat Learners or Dog Learners. As she notes:
Leave Cat Learners alone with a book in a sunny window, keep it quiet, and they learn just fine. Cat Learners are independent, and are thus either self-motivated or not interested in having anyone motivate them. They shun social learning and avoid group work. Their judgement of the value of their work is internal.
Dog learners are social, learn best in a group, and need active learning exercises. They require external verification and enforcement (”good doggy! have a biscuit”), and tend to fit into Gardner’s social and body movement styles. Dogs run with the pack, and aren’t comfortable doing anything by themselves.
While she admits this is a massive oversimplification, I have to say I have seen these distinct behaviors in my own classroom.
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