ACTIVE AND REFLECTIVE LEARNERS
• Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it--
discussing or applying it or explaining it to others. Reflective learners prefer to think about it quietly
first.
• "Let's try it out and see how it works" is an active learner's phrase; "Let's think it through first" is the
reflective learner's response.
• Active learners tend to like group work more than reflective learners, who prefer working alone.
• Sitting through lectures without getting to do anything physical but take notes is hard for both
learning types, but particularly hard for active learners.
Everybody is active sometimes and reflective sometimes. Your preference for one category or the other may
be strong, moderate, or mild. A balance of the two is desirable. If you always act before reflecting you can
jump into things prematurely and get into trouble, while if you spend too much time reflecting you may
never get anything done.