I have been in the field of education for 20 years, and have spent a majority of my career honing in on student's personal learning styles to maximize their learning outcomes. As humans, we have an innate need and hunger for knowledge, and the channels we use to fulfill those needs are as unique and individual as we are. I have been a teacher in the front lines for many years and have learned the fine art of adapting my lessons to individual student's needs so that everyone wins.
Recently, I made a career switch to marketing (for a women's clothing line), and while the industries may look different the principles are very much the same. Effective marketing is essentially great teaching; it's about the art of creating and adapting materials that reach a myriad of consumers learning styles.
Ever since my days in graduate school, I have been a proponent of Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard University and a pioneer in the field of 20th century education. I believe that marketers who have a solid understanding of Mr. Garner and his theories will benefit when creating materials for various learning styles. His theories have kept me flexible, and I constantly think about how to reach different audiences when I communicate.
Mr. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory claims that all humans have eight intelligences and YES there is overlap between areas; a person can be a little of this and a little of that. Our personal profile is based on our genetics and our experiences; it's what makes us unique and individual.
Below you'll find a listing of Mr. Gardner's theories, taken out of his original book "Frames of Mind." The eight theory was developed 10 years later, when he realized there was an additional type of intelligence to measure.
Linguistic Intelligence / Logical-Mathematical Intelligence / Musical Intelligence / Body-Kinesthetic Intelligence / Spatial Intelligence / Interpersonal intelligence / Intrapersonal intelligence / Naturalist Intelligence.
I highly recommend taking some time to ponder which styles you lean towards, and to read more about Mr. Gardner. His theories provide great insight into personal awareness.
Keeping in mind that our customers have a wide variety of personalities and learning styles, my team and I are constantly looking for effective tools that will provide connection and promote our brand at the same time. In today's digital age there are numerous channels to market and connect on the web. The women's fashion industry is a very visually driven field, and I recently conducted a study of up and coming social media apps on the market to see which one would fulfill our needs.
After experimenting with various apps, I've found that Pinterest is an excellent tool for visual/interpersonal/intrapersonal learners. This platform is simple to understand and allows users to share their personal aesthetics. Furthermore, Pinterest provides marketers with the opportunity to get a glimmer into what customers are drawn to, what customers are thinking about, what customers want. Pinterest pictures can link to other social platforms such as Polyvore (a fashion website) and Facebook.
Our consumer website is in the midst of being developed, and we're planning to imbed a Pinterest "share" button onto the site for customers to post product images and purchasing links for others to see and share. Just as teachers share newly found "best practice" tools of the trade with each other, I'll keep you posted on our adventures with Pinterest. Here's to success and exploring new territory.
Lauren Bernard is an award-winning educator in the Seattle School District, as well as a partner on the creative team at http://www.kutfromthekloth.com
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