LEVEL 1 PRACTITIONER COURSE

4MAT Instructional Design
Corporate Edition

Session 1: The Power of Learning Styles

Why do some trainees lean in while others check out?
Transform your design by understanding the biological heart of how humans perceive and process the world.

Designing the "Bridge" to Performance

In this foundational session, Dr. Bernice McCarthy introduces the 4MAT Model—a research-backed framework that moves beyond simply "covering the book."

As Marcus Buckingham noted, the moment you focus on strengths, you immediately begin to look at performance. This course teaches you how to identify the "Essential Question" and create a "Bridge" that connects your content to the personal lives of every learner in the room.

"There are three people in the room who are not getting what it is you're giving them in the best possible way if you only teach to your own style."

- DR. BERNICE MCCARTHY

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

"What part does my learning style play in my role as an instructional designer?"

  • On-demand Videos
  • Learning Type Measure Assessment
  • Learn at your own pace

Meet Your Learners

Every group breaks down into four distinct styles.
Understanding them is the key to universal engagement.
TYPE 4

Dynamic

Seeks hidden possibilities.
Learns by trial and error.
Their favorite question is: What If?
Core Value: MEANING
TYPE 1

Imaginative

Seeks personal meaning.
Learns by listening and sharing ideas.
Their favorite question is: Why?
Core Value: MEANING
TYPE 3

Common Sense

Seeks practical use.
Learns by testing and doing.
Their favorite question is: How?
Core Value: MEANING
TYPE 2

Analytic

Seeks facts and concepts.
Learns by thinking through ideas.
Their favorite question is: What?
Core Value: FACTS

What You Will Learn

How can you travel the full learning cycle so no learner is left behind?

The Four Learning Styles

A deep dive into the unique strengths and "pain points" of Type 1 (Imaginative), Type 2 (Analytic), Type 3 (Common Sense), and Type 4 (Dynamic) learners.

Perceiving & Processing

Understand the heart of learning—how we grasp information through feeling or thinking, and how we act upon it through reflection or action.

The "Not-Me" Challenge

Identify the learning style you are least adapted to and learn strategies to reach students who process information differently than you do.

Course Outline

Taught by

Dr. Bernice McCarthy

Write your awesome label here.
Bernice McCarthy is the creator of the 4MAT® method of instruction and the founder of About Learning, a training, publishing, and consulting firm that specializes in instructional design and development.

Dr. McCarthy’s 4MAT approach identifies the diversity of learners and connects them, no matter their level, to any type of material, emphasizing real-world applications as an essential component of in-depth understanding. This concept-based approach to curriculum and instructional planning promotes high-quality teaching and learning.

Educators consider Bernice McCarthy's work to be a key contribution to the development of the learning styles movement and the differentiated classroom.

She has presented numerous workshops and keynote sessions on effective learning at hundreds of renowned organizations worldwide, including the U.S. Pentagon, Chicago Public Schools system, Cornell University, the Education Department of the Government of Venezuela, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
4MAT Instructional Design: Corporate 1 /Self-Study

Ready to Design Better?

Start your journey with Session 1 and master the power of learning styles.
Session 1 of the 4MAT Instructional Design: Corporate Edition /Self-Study
SESSION 1 · MY LEARNING STYLE

Your Learners Are
All Different.
Now You'll Know How.

Discover the 4 learning types and why trainers reach only 1 in 4 learners. The LTM diagnostic reveals what makes each person tick — and how to design for all of them.

Why — Connect What — Inform How — Practice What If — Perform
Team discussion and collaboration
SELF-STUDY SESSION

Where self-awareness becomes design intelligence.

Complete the LTM learning style assessment

Understand the 4 learning types and their strengths

Session 1 of the corporate instructional design pathway

Get Started \u2192

Developed from 40+ years of brain research by Dr. Bernice McCarthy · Used by Fortune 500, Healthcare & Government

Inside This Session

Four parts. One complete learning discovery.

01

Connect & Attend

Opening dialogue about learning preferences, discussing your favorite learning experiences and strengths, and introducing the essential question: How do you learn best?

QUADRANT 1 · WHY
02

Image & Inform

The 4 learning types explained in depth, the research foundation from Piaget, Kolb, and Jung, and the perception-versus-processing model that makes types click.

QUADRANT 2 · WHAT
03

Practice & Extend

Identify your learning type through the LTM assessment, explore small groups by type, analyze real case studies (Sam, Grace, Anita, John), and practice recognizing types in others.

QUADRANT 3 · HOW
04

Refine & Perform

Questions each type asks, why trainers teach to their own style, adapting your approach to reach all 4 types, and your commitment to inclusive instruction design.

QUADRANT 4 · WHAT IF
Why This Session Matters

From blind spots to design power — in one session.

Session 1 is the foundation of the entire 4MAT pathway. Understanding learning styles transforms how you see your learners and design for them.

🔍

Awareness → Insight

Discover how you learn and why it shapes your teaching

→
👩‍💽

One Style → Four Types

See what you've been missing in every learner you teach

→
🎯

Blind Spots → Design Power

Turn awareness into intentional instruction that reaches everyone

Where It Fits

One session inside a larger instructional design system.

Strong on its own. Even stronger as part of the full 4MAT pathway.

SESSION 1

My Learning Style

Understand how people enter learning and where their strengths show up.

YOU ARE HERE
SESSION 2

Whole Brain Strategies

Balance multiple modes of thinking and processing in your design.

SESSION 3

The 4MAT Model

This is where insight becomes a usable instructional design framework.

SESSION 4

Assessing with 4MAT

Learning gets checked, refined, and carried to the job.

Ready to discover why your training isn't reaching everyone?

Session 1 gives you the foundation of learning style awareness — the essential first step to designing training that connects with every learner's strengths and builds genuine competence across your organization.

Preview for $49 → Explore Full 4-Session Program →