Understanding different learning styles (Guest post by Justin Skea - Head of Prep School)

Posted by Nina Adams on Monday, May 20, 2013 on St. Cyprian's Technology Blog

When we move away from the mindset that intelligence is one dimensional, and accept that it is multi-dimensional, we must conclude that children have different ways of learning. How one child perceives and assimilates information can be completely different to another. 

Education experts have roughly grouped learning styles into three basic styles – auditory, visual and kinaesthetic. By knowing how your daughter learns best, you can guide her to learn more effectively. I hope that it might also spark memories for you of how you went through school, and what worked best for you when it came to learning. I must caution you however! As many of you know, I do not like boxes! I don’t want your children being boxed into a mold, nor do I want them to think in a box. With that in mind, please do not now ‘box’ your child into one of the three learning styles. The truth is that even though we all have a dominant learning style, we all draw upon the different learning styles depending on the learning context in which we find ourselves. The challenge for teachers is to facilitate learning so that all the learning styles are accommodated. 

Auditory learning style 
For the auditory learner, she uses her sense of hearing to gather and process information. The auditory child is the one who listens carefully to instructions and proceeds accordingly. Similarly, the auditory learner is highly sensitive to variations in spoken words, to inflections and emphases. She retains information through hearing and speaking. I have found that these learners tend to thrive in discussion groups, and will often remember information by repeating it aloud. Some may even struggle a little with written instructions alone. When I first started teaching, I was often bemused by the child who would not look at me or the board during lesson time or would not write down a single note during discussion time. What I initially perceived as a child not paying attention was, in many instances, simply a child whose listening skills were far more pronounced than his/her visual skills. If your child uses the auditory learning style as her dominant style, you may wish to do the following to assist her with her learning: 

• Whilst studying, she may concentrate better with soft, wordless music playing in the background.
• Have her repeat what she has learnt aloud and in her own words
• Get her to teach what she has learnt. It could be you or someone else at home, like a younger sibling.
• Making jingles or rhymes can often help with recall of key points or concepts.
• Silent studying does not work for this learner, and she should be given the space to read (aloud) act out and speak about what she is learning.
• An aural learner loves study groups, so be prepared to allow this, making sure that the study time is directed and not simply an excuse to ‘hang out’ with friends.

Visual learning style 
Children who are primarily visual learners tend to get information through reading books, and must see, visualise and illustrate in order to understand. The visual learner is drawn to paintings and crafts, and is creative and imaginative in her approach to the world around her. Appreciation of aesthetics is a common trait of this learner. Look at your child’s learning habits – if tidy and organised, then she might well be a visual learner. Once again, early in my career in education, I could not understand why some of my pupils would doodle during class, but later came to realise that this was the most effective way for them to listen and internalize what was being taught or learnt. The visual learner prefers written instructions or demonstrations over verbal instructions or explanations. This may explain why men never ask for directions from someone at the side of the road! The visual learner can often become quite confused if given verbal instructions alone, and will often need to see it in order to understand. For a teacher, the balancing act is to balance too few visual aids with too many. Too few, and the visual learner becomes distracted by everything and anything happening around her! Too many visual aids and the child becomes overwhelmed, even confused, by the barrage of stimuli! If your child uses the visual learning style as her dominant style, you may wish to do the following to assist her with her learning: 

• It goes without saying that images, colour and visual media are incredibly helpful for the visual learner. Encourage your daughter to take her notes and turn them into mind maps, picture and diagrams. In this way, she moves towards replacing text with colour and images.
• Highlighting or colour coding key concepts is very helpful when learning a new concept.
• For content that needs to be memorized, flash cards work well.
• Ensure that the environment in which your child studies is free from as many distractions as possible. An open doorway or window can be incredibly distracting for a visual learner.
• When approaching a subject, it is critical that this learner understands the big picture before going on to the specifics and details.

Kinaesthetic/tactile learners 
In the traditional classroom, the kinaesthetic/tactile learner was often the one who was identified as the troublemaker, or the one labeled as having concentration problems. No doubt, many of you reading this editorial will attest to this through your own school experiences! The visual and auditory learners used to thrive in the traditional classroom because “chalk and talk” favoured them. But what about the fidgety child in the corner (maybe you?!) who learnt best through hands-on activities and movement? Sadly, this child became the ‘behaviour problem’ of the class. Thankfully, the modern classroom is a far more interactive environment, and caters for the learner who needs to either do what is being talked about or learnt, or needs to touch something or move around while she is learning. This is the child who will rather show someone how to do something than write a list of instructions. She cannot wait around for the information to come to her, but goes and actively seeks it out. If your child uses the kinaesthetic or tactile learning style as her dominant style, you may wish to do the following to assist her with her learning: 

• Help her to use touch, action and movement when learning.
• Flash cards often work well, as she can touch and move them as she is learning something that requires memorization.
• Role play works well for this type of learner, so try to encourage her to act out or simulate what she is learning.
• You may find that your daughter learns best when she is moving or standing. Sitting behind a desk is a daunting prospect for her, so don’t be surprised if she asks if she can jump on the trampoline while going through her text book!
• Ensure that she takes regular breaks when studying or doing homework. These breaks should involve a movement or touch activity that will help them re-focus for the next session of work.
• Though mind maps, diagrams and pictures are perfect for the visual learner, they are equally beneficial for the kinaesthetic/tactile learner as the physical component of writing and drawing will hold her attention. The bigger the sheet of paper, the better!