REFLECTIONS ON CHAPTER 6
 
I had never heard or read anything about the Four Levels
of Integrative Complexity. I had wondered about
different thought patterns and how they were expressed
in different individuals. Some individuals are very
black and white, while others are hard to peg at all.
The most valuable part of this chapter is not just the
description and characteristics of each of these
cognitive styles, but the descriptions offered for the
Optimal Environment for each level of thinking. It is
almost easy to classify just about anything and include
a hierarchy in it, especially in Western Thought. What
is difficult is to to offer possibilities and solutions
for change and growth. That is what is occurring here.
The reader not only is given a hierarchical layout of
Learning Styles but also given a set of possbile
learning environments and models that would optimize
learning for students and move them to the next level. I
do wonder if this type of learning categorized from low
to high is disputable, one of many learning or theories
or perhaps is a very simplified approach to how students
process information and view it.