Breaking Learning Barriers With The '4MAT' System
- alicethornton150
- Mar 25
- 4 min read
My inspiration for teaching and coaching has always come from connecting with the individual, finding exactly what ‘blocks’ the individual in the learning process, or what steps need to be worked on to reach the present goals of the individual. Each journey is unique and involves consistently questioning, developing, and aligning the learning process to keep it authentic and tailored for the successful outcome required.
A useful strategy to activate during this process is Bernice McCarthy’s 4Mat System (2000), which identifies four distinct learning styles.
From this perspective, learners can be divided up into 4 distinct learning groups that each have a distinct preference in the way that they perceive and process information.
These four unique styles are:
1. Type 1: Imaginative Learners
2. Type 2 Analytic Learners
3. Common Sense Learners
4. Type 4 Dynamic Learners
Undoubtedly, during the whole learning process, all four learning styles are valid and will be incorporated and used accordingly.
Yet, it is particularly in the ‘getting to know’ process with a new client that I seek to recognise the preferred learning style and ensure that the client engages with the learning process in a form that resonates with their needs and preferences.
How that can manifest itself in an online classroom setting is set out below:
Type 1 learners: Imaginative Learners
Through initial discussion, learners in this group often show a need to relate the learning process to real-life situations that have personal meaning. During our initial meeting, they may relate, for example, how they have previously struggled with open questions from a native-speaking audience at the end of their presentation or how they have always found small-talk scenarios at International conferences nerve-wracking.
For this reason, type 1 learners often thrive when using real-life resources and scenarios to broaden their vocabulary and deepen their understanding of grammatical sticking points within a cultural context. Importantly, understanding the purpose of the exercise, as well as having an emotional connection deepens the learning process with spontaneous speaking exercises such as timed speaking about everyday topics being a fun and interesting way to broaden vocabulary, gain confidence, and check grammar. Interactive discussions often play a pivotal role.
Type 2 Learners: Analytical Learners
These learners often seek logical, structural approaches and often relate how they are frustrated by not having an overview of English grammar or find the vast quantity of phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang overwhelming. Certainly, one hurdle facing all language learners is the complex English phonetic system whereby mastering the correct pronunciation is often something that type 2 learners find daunting.
As a coach, I recognise that type 2 learners appreciate grammatical explanations that are straightforward and practical. Online grammar lessons need to systematically build on to each other, like parts of a puzzle, to provide a clear overview. Learning new vocabulary is often done in a way that it is related specifically to a new topic and can be put together as useful lists that can be regularly visited and used in lessons to check pronunciation and analyse language patterns. Reading an article out loud helps not only to check pronunciation but also enables type 2 learners to check that they truly understand and can explain the use of different tenses, specific phrases, or sentence structures.
Type 3 Learners: Common Sense Learners
These learners are the more practical learners who often want to see an improvement not only in their speaking skills, but also in writing and reading skills, and to check that they are understanding what the native speaker is telling them in a real-life setting. With an emphasis on authenticity, they are often concerned that they have not been able to express what they mean in the English language or that they haven’t understood the gist of a discussion with a native speaker.
In this way, role-playing and debate exercises are an excellent way to build confidence whilst also checking for areas of improvement in grammar and vocabulary.
Type 3 learners often embrace reading exercises that use everyday resources such as newspaper articles or literature, reading out loud in lessons to check correct pronunciation whilst also being open to questions and debating the author/article’s standpoint.
Setting homework tasks in which the learner writes freely about a discussed topic and can practise using ambitious vocabulary, phrases, and discourse markers brings empowerment to type 3 learners.
Type 4 Learners: Dynamic Learners
These are often the more creative learners who enjoy exploring innovative and imaginative possibilities of using a language. Certainly, the motivation comes from being able to express themselves fully, whether in terms of a boardroom meeting, debating AI developments, or instigating a new project.
Being able to acquire the skills and knowledge to use the language competently and confidently in a variety of settings means these learners love the variation in the learning process, using a variety of resources from psychology tests to story-telling, debating to reading a variety of literature that explores new ideas and language variety. Type 4 learners are often eager to recognise new developments in the language, learn popular phrases and consider the rich and diverse forms of sociolects, styles, and variety of the English language.
As an experienced coach, recognising how the learner resonates more strongly with one type of learning assists in tailoring lesson materials and sessions. Ultimately though, it is the uniqueness of each client with their different backgrounds, learning pace, and style that makes the teaching process such a dynamic exchange and my work a privilege, not a job.
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