Learning style

Learning style should be granted as an important ingredient of teaching in educational psychology

1. Learning Style Ms , Sucharita Dutt

2. How do Children Learn? Every child has different learning preferences. Among the different ways of learning, some prefer to learn by hearing, some by seeing, others by doing, some by reading and others by asking questions. One thing all students have in common is that they all learn best when they can incorporate items and topics that interest them into their studies, for example, building blocks, music, fashion, airplanes, etc . Understanding how your student learns is perhaps one of the most important parts of homeschooling your child. Learning styles allow your child to get the most from their homeschool experience, and helps parents choose the best curriculum for their children . Using the right study method makes all the difference when it comes to your child understanding (and remembering) the material. By knowing your child’s learning style, you can choose effective study methods that complement strengths rather than work against them.

3. Visual (spatial) Learner This style uses pictures, images, and spatial understanding to learn. These students can easily visualize information and have a good sense of direction. Using whiteboards can come in handy for this type of learner who usually likes to draw and doodle.  Being a visual learner entails thinking in pictures rather than in words. Visual learners learn best by utilizing graphs, tables, charts, maps, colors and diagrams. They also tend to learn holistically, instead of sequentially, or in parts. One of the benefits of being a visual learner is easily seeing the big picture. As a result, these learners may sometimes miss out on the details.

4. What Are the Visual Learner’s Characteristics? Visual learners are good at absorbing information through what they see. Some of the visual learner’s main characteristics include the following: They tend to have a vivid imagination and this can sometimes lead to daydreaming or mental wandering. Since they think primarily in pictures, they highly enjoy visual stimulation. They tend to grasp the underlying meaning behind body language and facial expressions. On the flip side, they may need to see a person’s body language and facial expression to fully understand what they are trying to say. They are typically good at reading maps and charts.

5. When it comes to spelling, they oftentimes need to visualize the words in order to spell them correctly. They are usually good at using their intuition to solve problems. They enjoy watching videos, using flash cards and highlighting information. They easily notice new things in a room or physical changes in a person. They tend to make lists to recall information. They usually have strong artistic, mechanic, or technological talents. They are perfectionists and usually highly organized. They can easily identify patterns in what they see. They usually prefer a quiet environment as they can easily get distracted by noises.

6.  IS YOUR CHILD A VISUAL LEARNER? My child excels at visual activities (such as art) My child enjoys books that include illustrations (such as pictures, graphs, maps, etc.) My child is good at recognizing and recalling people, words, and places My child is very interested in the world and objects around him or her My child does best when provided an example of the task he or she is working on

7. Study Tips for Visual Learners Visual learners have many strengths. They are meticulous and highly value planning and organization in their academic lives. They are very aware of things like color, brightness, contrast and other visual elements. Taking advantage of these strengths can significantly boost their performance. Below are a few study tips for visual learners to help you get started : Instead of writing out their work, allow students to represent their learning in visual and creative ways. Creativity is key for a visual-spatial learner. Provide them a personal whiteboard and dry-erase markers with plenty of colors. This allows your child to easily draw out ideas and concepts without wasting paper or taking up a lot of room.

8. Try using bright colors whenever possible as these help make an imprint on your child’s mind. Consider watching documentaries instead of using textbooks whenever possible. Create to-do lists with your child so they can refer back to them, help them stay on track and visualize their progress. Incorporate lots of concept maps in your studies. Draw the main idea and then allow your child to drill down into the categories and subcategories. Use copious amounts of visual aids in learning. Any auditory instruction needs to be accompanied by something that the student can see with their eyes. Try color-coding. Assigning colors to common themes in textbooks, such as using a yellow highlighter for vocabulary words, allows your student to associate color with terms. Colors can help the brain remember complex and abstract concepts. Consider creating/using PowerPoint presentations to go over topics or concepts you have studied. Make sure to use visual cues in your presentations. Try to provide a quiet learning space for your visual-spatial learner, as they tend to flourish in this type of environment.

9. Help your child organize their notes like an outline. Simple indentations and bullets create a visual subdivision that can help your learner see how larger concepts are related to specific ones. Consider investing in stationery, stickers and other supplies that your child will enjoy looking at and using. You can assign different stationery for each subject (or topic) so they are visually distinct. Whenever possible replace words with symbols. This simple trick helps visual learners associate symbols with concepts, speeds up their writing and creates that visual aid they need. For example, # can replace the word “number”, ≠ can replace the word “different”, ☮ can replace the word “peace” and so on. Search engines can be a great tool for visual learners. You can look up words, places, and concepts in the images section instead of the regular search. Your student can study things like the water cycle, digestive system, human anatomy and more with all the visual representations of what they are studying.

10. Aural (auditory) Learner Sound and music are a strong suit for these types of learners who typically have a good sense of rhythm. These learners are usually singers or musicians who are familiar with different instruments and the sounds they make. Aural learners are good listeners who normally learn best through verbal presentations like lectures and speeches . The auditory learning style means a person learns best by listening. Music, video clips and conversations are their ideal way of learning. Auditory learners tend to do well in a traditional school environment listening to lectures, and also contributing to discussions. Multimedia curriculum is also great for improving on their auditory learning skills.

11. What Are the Auditory Learner’s Characteristics? People who are auditory-aural learners usually share these characteristics: Talk frequently, to self and to others Prefers spoken directions Have difficulty concentrating in noisy environments Enjoy lectures and discussions Remember names, not faces Express emotion by tone and volume of voice Musically minded

12. IS YOUR CHILD AN AUDITORY LEARNER? My child excels at auditory activities (such as music) My child frequently sings, hums, or talks when playing or doing schoolwork My child does well when following verbal instructions My child enjoys talking and having conversations with others My child listens to all the instructions before starting on a task My child asks a lot of questions when working on tasks or activities

13. Study Tips for Auditory/Aural Learners Thinking out loud is the key to removing roadblocks on an auditory learner’s educational journey; parents and educators can best assist these students by offering a listening ear and offering prompts to help them think through the information. When your student is  struggling to understand a new concept, encourage him or her to talk through the concept or problem. Use terms such as “explain,” “describe,” or “discuss” to promote understanding . Improve your child’s educational experience by taking advantage of their auditory learning skills with the following study tips for auditory learners: Repetition – Since speaking is a key component of the auditory learning style, having your student repeat an idea in their own words will greatly enhance their learning experience. Q&A sessions – These type of sessions are great for keeping aural learners engaged and help them easily absorb important information about specific topics.

14. Debates – Auditory learners are often social butterflies, and because they need to listen, speak and interact to learn best, debates are usually a fun way to transform and elevate conversations on a specific subject. Music – Songs are an excellent way to engage your child and a great way to start learning concepts. For younger students, starting out with the alphabet song helps them learn and remember the order of the alphabet, which is key when learning to read. Older children can learn about science from songs that teach about the digestive, skeletal, and respiratory systems, just to name a few. In addition, students can learn about sound waves through music as well as other concepts. Read alouds – Reading out loud to your student also helps them learn, especially if you have your child repeat after you. As they advance in their reading skills, auditory learners should sound out words and break down the syllables of each word. Repetition is key ! Book clubs – Having your child explain concepts to others verbally gives them the opportunity to talk through situations and information, not to mention fully absorb it. Self-recordings – When students hear themselves explaining definitions out loud, it helps them grasp concepts and expand on them. Most smartphones offer an audio recorder which can be played back at anytime.

15. Group projects/study buddies – Teaming up with another student and verbally reinforcing the information will help auditory learners retain facts and details. Podcasts – These are incredibly useful for auditory learners, and can take the place of music on long car rides or even while exercising! Show & Tell – Pick a day of the week to have show & tell. Your student can pick an object and tell a story about it. To make it a little more challenging, have them use some adjectives or vocabulary words they are learning! Verbal Games – It’s no secret that learning through play is effective. For aural learners games like “Just a Minute” and “Fact or Fiction” are a perfect way to test or increase knowledge on certain topics. “This or That” is another great game that benefits auditory learners. If the topic is “sharks”, warm or hot water? Bones or cartilage?  Five or Six senses? Scales or no scales? And so on. Reciting – Reciting information out loud helps auditory learners retain what is being taught to them.

16. Verbal (linguistic) Learner (Reading/Writing) These learners prefer using words, both in speech and writing. They can easily express themselves and usually love to read and write. Verbal learners tend to have a vast vocabulary and excel in activities that involve speaking, debating, and journalism .

17. What Are the Linguistic Learner’s Characteristics? Verbal-linguistic learners love both written and spoken word. They are naturally drawn to language in general, which means there are plenty of opportunities to learn. Below are some of the  characteristics of linguistic learners: Have a fascination with words and tend to learn new words easily. Usually possess a rich vocabulary. Tend to flourish in reading and writing activities. Tend to enjoy games that involve word play such as  Scrabble, and crossword puzzles. Often gifted at learning new languages. Tend to ask questions frequently and have excellent verbal expression. Enjoy reading, whether it’s to themselves or to others. Tend to do better with word problems in math as opposed to equations. Enjoy talking about what they read, and easily remembers quotes, puns(jokes) and rhymes.

18. IS YOUR CHILD A READING/WRITING LEARNER? My child often writes things down or takes notes when working on a task My child enjoys reading books and writing stories My child is good at remembering what he or she has read My child works best alone in a quiet space My child does best when writing down instructions to follow for a task

19. Study Tips for Verbal Learners Verbal learners acquire knowledge best through written and spoken words. In order to help a linguistic learner succeed in their studies, it’s important to take advantage of their unique strengths. Below are some study tips for verbal learners to help you get started: Be sure to offer instruction in writing and verbally rather than visually, since verbal learners will most likely struggle with pictures or diagrams. Read books out loud and have your child read them back to you or others as well. Refrain from using a monotone voice so that verbal learners will be able to grasp information, which is the most important part of learning. Try to use different voices and characters . Make a list of new words every day along with their sounds and meanings. Use mnemonics, such as PEMDAS, to help students understand concepts.

20. Establishing a rhythm while reading or speaking out loud helps to increase memorization capabilities. Give students written materials for editing to boost their learning. These learners appreciate the complexities of word and sentence structure. A verbal student will perform better when asked to write about a scientific topic rather than draw it. Assign book reports, scripts to memorize and perform, word problems in math, and debates to your verbal learner to get the most engagement possible. Allowing your student to write his or her own stories can also be a tremendous learning opportunity for verbal learners. Ask your child to create a story of the ages – perhaps combining science and history to create a tale of Albert Einstein’s greatest inventions based on topics they’ve learned recently. Try educational games to engage your student. Verbal learners do well with Boggle, Scrabble, crosswords, or even word searches. Add some friendly competition into the mix and your child won’t even notice they are learning. Incorporate written projects as often as possible.

21. Physical (kinesthetic) Learner Whether it’s by using their body or hands, these learners are all about the sense of touch. Physical activities and sports play a big part in these student’s lives. Getting hands-on is a must for these learners who love to tinker and learn best when they can do rather than see or hear . Tactile learners and kinesthetic learners are often one in the same. Both of the learners are very hands-on. They learn best by touching, moving, and physical doing. Kinesthetic-tactile learners would rather draw, build, or put something together by trial and error. Because of this, kinesthetic-tactile learners may get fidgety in the typical traditional classroom setting.

22. What Are the Characteristics of a Kinesthetic Learner? People who are kinesthetic learners usually share these characteristics: Are highly coordinated Learn through hands-on activities Have a hard time staying still May have difficulty staying attentive Usually performers and athletes Lots of energy Strong motor energy Some of the characteristics of kinesthetic learners seem to overlap with characteristics of  students with ADHD .

23. IS YOUR CHILD A KINESTHETIC LEARNER? My child excels at physical activities (such as sports) My child has a hard time sitting still while learning My child enjoys hands-on activities My child enjoys active learning activities like drawing or study games My child prefers to jump straight into a task and get started

24. Study Tips for Kinesthetic Learners Kinesthetic-tactile learners retain information best by incorporating: Movement Building Story Visuals Learning should be exciting, but for kinesthetic learners, movement is key! These students will be able to stay engaged and retain more information with lessons that include physical activity rather than what they read or hear. 

25. Here are some ways you can incorporate movement into your schedule: Encourage your child to draw diagrams and trace letters will improve their reading and writing skills. You can also grab some pipe cleaners and paper and have them make letters using the tools. Then they can create words or sentences. Reenact stories or scenes from the past at home with your child to help them study history and literature. Or have them create/build timelines of the events being discussed. Incorporate physical objects such as coins or bills, clocks, blocks can prove useful when teaching math concepts. Perform science experiments with your student and tie them back to the topics you are discussing that week or month. Let them express their creativity by taking an art or drama course. Using flashcards can be incredibly useful and fun! Writing down information and flipping the card back and forth engages the brain physically while studying. Kinesthetic-tactile learners are good at multitasking. If your student likes going on walks, have them also listen to an educational  podcast, audiobook, or video.

26. Have your student act as the teacher. Ask them questions regarding a topic they have learned. Have them create a worksheet or quiz for you. This is allowing them to recall the information they know back to you. Kinesthetic learners very much like to participate in educational trips and games such as Scrabble , Monopoly, and other similar games . By incorporating movement or some kind of physical action into your kinesthetic-tactile learners day, you are allowing them to maximize their learning potential. Making use of the environment and their energy in a positive way will allow these learners to hit milestones and achievements in their educational adventure . The kinesthetic-tactile learning style is beneficial for all students, including those who are auditory and visual learners. Hands-on learning addresses the needs of kinesthetic learners and visual and auditory learners alike.

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