The Power of Diversity 3rd Edition: New Ways of Learning and Teaching Through Learning Styles

Everyone has a unique style of learning, thinking and working. However, very few people learn or work in a way which is best for them. The Power of Diversity has been written to help people discover their preferred way of learning and in turn to help them to succeed in life. Designed as an easy-to-read workbook, The Power of Diversity introduces the concept of learning styles and explains the important part these play in the new learning revolution in education, business and sport. The book includes many examples from schools and educational institutions around the world that have developed Barbara Prashnig's work, and it discusses the results of their initiatives to incorporate diverse learning styles. The book has a unique 'suggestopedic' layout, with narrower columns of text for speed reading and left-hand page graphics as well as exercises to test readers' own learning styles, making it both highly accessible and fun to read. The Power of Diversity will appeal to educators, parents, students and trainers alike.

Table of Contents:
Author's Note and Personal 'Thank You' Introduction to Third Edition by Univ. Prof. Dr. Michael Schratz, Innsbruck Preface by Gordon Dryden Recommendations for Using this Book 1. The New State of the Art 1. Learners - an endangered species 2. No more mission impossible - love of learning for everyone 3. Learn, teach and live in style 4. A promising new species - lifelong learners in their own style 5. Individualised learning and student-centred teaching 2. Diversity is our Strength 1. Getting to know yourself and others 2. There is no one like me, no one like you - the joy of being different 3. Left brain - right brain: get your head together 4. Learning styles (LS) - genetics or conditioning? 5. When conditioning plays havoc with our learning ability 6. Do we need scientific evidence? 7. Dr. Ken Dunn: How to release your personal power 3. Learning Styles - A Not So Quiet Revolution 1. Visionary principals and their views on learning styles 2. Please respect my individuality 3. Paradigm shifts - happening faster than ever 4. The new paradigm of teaching and learning 5. School learning in the new millennium 6. More pioneers at work around the world 7. The Power of Diversity in a remarkable Austrian school 8. Students, parents and teachers say it in style 9. An Action plan for implementing learning styles 4. The LSA - Still A Revolutionary Instrument 1. Discover your students' best way to learn 2. What is the Learning Style Analysis (LSA)? 3. How the LSA instrument works 4. LSA Junior, Senior and Adult versions 5. Then new LSA Mini for very young students 6. LSA Group profiles - a valuable tool for classroom teachers 7. How to use results from the LSA 8. Practical applications for better teaching 9. Finding out what makes students tick 5. Too Many Provocations? 1. There are no learning disabilities - only teaching disabilities 2. Underachievement - the unnecessary disease in our schools 3. LD: not lazy and learning disabled but 'learning-different' 4. School is hell for tactile/touch-dominant students 5. Highly kinesthetic learners: dropout candidates in high schools 6. Misfits, rebels, slow learners and school failures 7. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and LS 8. 'Gifted' students have significantly different learning styles 9. Analytic and holistic students exist worlds apart 10. And teachers live in a world of their own! 11. 'Double-tracking' - a strategy for reaching all students in class 6. Don't Teach Me - Let Me Learn! 1. Learning Styles and information intake 2. Why students need to know their own learning styles 3. The LSA Report: a personalized study prescription 4. Help, my teacher doesn't understand my learning style! 5. LS tools for lasting learning success 6. Techniques to achieve creative, accelerated learning 7. The mind is a sponge and music is the squeeze 8. Quiet classrooms: torture for students who learn better with sound 9. Want to have a ball in learning? Use a Koosh ball! 7. The New Look of Learning and Teaching 1. What is going wrong in education? 2. False beliefs about teaching and learning are still alive and well 3. New classroom management based on style diversity 4. What not to do with learning styles      5. Quality schools and quality teaching 6. Many ways of being intelligent: MI vs LS        8. Staff Training in Style: Effective Preparation for Student Diversity 1. The way you learn is the way you teach 2. The Teaching Style Analysis (TSA) - a professional development tool 3. Mismatches between teaching and learning styles 4. How to increase motivation and professional skills 5. Secrets of successful teaching: flexibility and matching learning styles 9. Learning Styles are Life Styles 1. How you learn is how you live 2. Some things never change - the real YOU 3. Match and mismatch - where do you fit? 4. 'Learned analytics' and inner conflicts 5. Do you have a quality life? 10. Opposites Attract 1. Partner choice and personal styles 2. When attractions become repellents 3. Males and females CAN communicate in style 4. Conflict resolution 'New Style' 5. A true love story in style - with a sad ending... 11. Parents, Children and Their Style Differences 1. Like father - like son? 2. This is such an easy child! 3. Homework: the never-ending battle in many families 4. Minefields in our family homes: messy rooms of our children 5. I wish I could bring up my children all over again! 6. Learning styles as new family therapy 7. LSA Parent version: a guide to your children's true learning needs 12. Make Changes in Style 1. Breaking an old myth: no pain - no gain 2. Acceptance: the first step to positive change 3. The more you know, the more you can know 4. Out of chaos comes new order 5. Focus on strengths and manage weaknesses 6. Flexible is beautiful 7. Know who you want to become and go for it! 8. Get familiar with your new self 9. Walk your talk - dance your story - celebrate your glory (8) 10. See how far you have come - a checklist for change 13. The Future Has Already Begun 1. LS and creative learning - the new drugs of education 2. The 'School of the Future' based on learning styles 3. Nine steps to being a change agent in your school 4. New leaders in education understand diversity 5. The myth of individualized learning in mass education 6. From student-centred teaching to personalized learning 7. Unity through diversity - it IS possible! 8. It's the difference that makes the difference 9. Never-ending learning is the name of the game Final Summary by Hofrat Dr. Günter Schmid Conclusion References Bibliography and Further Reading Useful Websites Appendix I: LS Training, Books Appendix II: CLS Software

About the Author :
Barbara Prashnig pioneered the introduction of the 'diversity concept' in education training in New Zealand and internationally and is now considered to be one of the world's foremost experts on style diversity. Through the organization she founded, the Creative Learning Company, she has made style assessment instruments available via the internet in seven different languages. Barbara has now worked for over 12 years as an educator and trainer, introducing her pioneering concept of learning and working styles into educational institutions and businesses throughout New Zealand and around the world. In this book, she presents her tried and tested findings and offers new ways of catering for the great diversity in students, helping teachers and parents alike.

Review :
I love this book. It delivers a vital message of hope that is desperately needed by millions of students and parents around the world. Those are the millions who are stupidly and wrongly condemned to fail at school whey they can just as easily succeed.