Auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile, right brain, left brain, concrete sequential, abstract random - these are just some of the terms used to name the different ways we can learn. I have found the easiest ones to understand are visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile. Knowing your child's primary or preferred learning style will help you to present new material in the easiest way for them to grasp and retain that knowledge. I am primarily a visual learner. I want to see what I need to learn. I like posters and charts to reinforce what I am learning. I take notes when I listen to a speaker, or when I need to remember something. When I began homeschooling, I spent hours making colourful posters and projects, assuming this would help my son learn and remember. If he was primarily a visual learner, it would have had the desired result. However, he is primarily a kinesthetic learner - the kind who needs to be in constant motion! If he's not walking (or running!) around the table, he's rocking on his chair, or tapping his foot or pencil. He doesn't stay still long enough to take in my visual creations! My second son seems to be a visual learner, so perhaps he will benefit more from the posters. I am learning to present material in a variety of ways. We do spelling on the stairs, we aim little cars at the right answer (written on index cards folded in half), and we listen to recorded material. I no longer spend hours making posters although I do still make some posters. Just because one style is not dominant does not mean it cannot be used. My weaker kinesthetic learning ability is growing stronger through use and my son's visual ability also gets a workout. There are several good books available on this subject. Two of my favorites are "The Way They Learn" by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias, and "Solving Your Child's Reading Problems" by Ricki Linksman. The latter book has this helpful list to help determine your child's (and your own!) predominant learning style. Your child is visual if he or she: * looks at books and pictures for long periods of time * likes to look at mobiles or at pictures hanging on the wall * likes to point out things they see that are interesting to them * notices what people wear or how people look * notices objects, cars, signs, or people as you drive * notices colors and designs * likes to keep things in a certain visual order * responds to pictures or charts that you show him/her * is particular about how his/her belongings are visually arranged * maintains good eye focus on the person who is talking to him/her Your child is auditory if he or she: * talks a lot * sings or hums a lot * makes noise when everything becomes too quiet * likes to listen to tapes, CDs, or the radio * seems to remember what he/she hears people say * memorizes and can recite back stories or poems that someone else has read to him/her * memorizes what people talk about * reads aloud or whispers the words when asked to read silently * cannot sleep if there is noise or sounds in the room * becomes distracted by extraneous sounds * moves his/her eyes back and forth from left to right when thinking or talking to people rather than looking straight ahead or up or down. Your child is tactile if she or he: * is always touching something * likes to draw, doodle, or write when people talk to him or her or while talking on the phone * can spend a long time working on an arts and crafts activity * likes to make things with clay or play dough * is sensitive to touch: either likes people to hug and be affectionate, or dislikes them to touch him or her (can be either of these, depending upon the person touching him or her or the circumstances) * is emotional |
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The Armchair Academic Learning Styles Introduction |
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This page was last updated on: October 8, 2001
Auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile, right brain, left brain, concrete sequential, abstract random - these are just some of the terms used to name the different ways we can learn. I have found the easiest ones to understand are visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile. Knowing your child's primary or preferred learning style will help you to present new material in the easiest way for them to grasp and retain that knowledge. I am primarily a visual learner. I want to see what I need to learn. I like posters and charts to reinforce what I am learning. I take notes when I listen to a speaker, or when I need to remember something. When I began homeschooling, I spent hours making colourful posters and projects, assuming this would help my son learn and remember. If he was primarily a visual learner, it would have had the desired result. However, he is primarily a kinesthetic learner - the kind who needs to be in constant motion! If he's not walking (or running!) around the table, he's rocking on his chair, or tapping his foot or pencil. He doesn't stay still long enough to take in my visual creations! My second son seems to be a visual learner, so perhaps he will benefit more from the posters. I am learning to present material in a variety of ways. We do spelling on the stairs, we aim little cars at the right answer (written on index cards folded in half), and we listen to recorded material. I no longer spend hours making posters although I do still make some posters. Just because one style is not dominant does not mean it cannot be used. My weaker kinesthetic learning ability is growing stronger through use and my son's visual ability also gets a workout. There are several good books available on this subject. Two of my favorites are "The Way They Learn" by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias, and "Solving Your Child's Reading Problems" by Ricki Linksman. The latter book has this helpful list to help determine your child's (and your own!) predominant learning style. Your child is visual if he or she: * looks at books and pictures for long periods of time * likes to look at mobiles or at pictures hanging on the wall * likes to point out things they see that are interesting to them * notices what people wear or how people look * notices objects, cars, signs, or people as you drive * notices colors and designs * likes to keep things in a certain visual order * responds to pictures or charts that you show him/her * is particular about how his/her belongings are visually arranged * maintains good eye focus on the person who is talking to him/her Your child is auditory if he or she: * talks a lot * sings or hums a lot * makes noise when everything becomes too quiet * likes to listen to tapes, CDs, or the radio * seems to remember what he/she hears people say * memorizes and can recite back stories or poems that someone else has read to him/her * memorizes what people talk about * reads aloud or whispers the words when asked to read silently * cannot sleep if there is noise or sounds in the room * becomes distracted by extraneous sounds * moves his/her eyes back and forth from left to right when thinking or talking to people rather than looking straight ahead or up or down. Your child is tactile if she or he: * is always touching something * likes to draw, doodle, or write when people talk to him or her or while talking on the phone * can spend a long time working on an arts and crafts activity * likes to make things with clay or play dough * is sensitive to touch: either likes people to hug and be affectionate, or dislikes them to touch him or her (can be either of these, depending upon the person touching him or her or the circumstances) * is emotional |
"We, as parents, must first recognize our own natural learning styles. As we recognize how we learn new information, we can better understand what comes naturally to us and to our children, and can identify the differ- ences between parents and children that cause frustration and misunderstanding." -Cynthia Tobias The Way They Learn |
"Each of us has a strength in one or more of the sensory modes. That strength is reflected in the way we prefer to receive information and how we communicate with others." "If we are visual learners, we learn best when data is presented to us visually. If we are auditory learners, we learn best when information is presented to us verbally. If we are tactile learners, we learn best when we can use our sense of touch or our feelings. If we are kinesthetic learners, we learn best by doing and moving. If information taught to us comes from a different medium than one we are program- med to take in, we may tune it out." -Ricki Linksman Solving Your Child's Reading Problems |