Types of Learners (personal notes made in 2003 and reflection in 2016)

Three main types of learners:

1. 海绵型（sponge): absorb whatsoever taught or talked by teachers. Good in digesting contents but lack of analytic and differentiative skills.

2. 过滤网型 (filter): analyze whatsoever taught or talked by teachers. Good in absorbing and memorizing essence and main points but slow in digesting contents.

3. 黑炭型 (charcoal): hard in nature but not really bad. Lack of absorbing, digesting and memorizing skills, thus not interested in teaching and learning. Assume escapism as the only problem solving measure.

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Reflection in 2016

I believe all students could be nurtured to become various types of learners. 

Teachers should afford students to become ALL THREE TYPES of learners mentioned above. 

For essential and core learning contents, students should become sponge learners, in which mastery learning approach should be applied, because the construction of fundamental knowledge and skills would set the foundation to acquire intermediate and advanced knowledge, skills and values.

For technical or specialized learning contents, students should become filter learners, in which individual students should contextualize whatsoever contents provided by teachers to suit personal needs and requirements, instead of grabbing all contents.

For negative contents which are against the social norm, e.g. terrorism, corruption, violence, vandalism, etc, students should become charcoal learners, in which they know why and how to say no when they are exposed to or have to encounter such contents.