| One of the biggest challenges facing students today is that
their personal learning style may not be in sync with the teaching styles
being employed in educational institutions in which they are enrolled.
Further aggravating the situation is that the learning style of parents
may not be the same as the learning style of their children, thus causing
additional frustration.
DETERMINING YOUR LEARNING STYLE
One of the simplest ways of determining your likely learning style is
to ask yourself what comes to mind when you hear the word "dog".
If you see a picture of a dog in your mind's eye or if you see the
letters of the word, you are probably a "visual learner".
If you hear the bark of a dog, you are probably an auditory learner.
If you feel the fur of a dog, you are probably a kinesthetic learner.
PROCESSING OF INFORMATION
Our learning style is the way we respond to environmental, social,
emotional and physical stimuli to understand and process new information
that is presented to us. We all use each of the three learning styles from
time to time, but each of us tends to have one style that is more
prevalent.
When it comes to helping your children, it is important that you not
only have a clear understanding of your own dominant learning style, but
that you also know the prevalent learning style of your child.
VISUAL LEARNERS
To oversimplify the matter, visual learners learn by watching. When
presented with new ideas they recall images they have from the past and
try to relate these previous images to the new concepts. They actually
form a picture in their head about the ways things look. It is estimated
that about 40% of students fall into this category.
For example, in order for a visual learner to develop new vocabulary,
he would have to both hear the word and see the work in written form at
the same time. When you read stories to a child who is a visual learner,
you should allow the child to follow the story as you read it out loud so
that he/she sees the words that you are reading. This way he/she will have
a better chance of remembering the new vocabulary.
AUDITORY LEARNERS
Auditory learners tend to spell words phonetically but they have
trouble reading because they do not visualize well. These students learn
by listening and they remember facts when they are presented in some
entertaining form. Auditory learners like being "read to" but do
not like to follow along. They also learn a lot from watching television.
Auditory learners love using email because they can get away with spelling
phonetically. They are also very developed in terms of oral presentation
skills, but have trouble writing and reading.
KINESTHETIC LEARNERS
Kinesthetic learners are what we call "hands-on learners".
They like to learn through manipulation and are very successful in the
arts, mechanics and the trades. It is estimated that up to 50% of all
students fall into this category and have trouble learning in a
traditional school setting.
IMPLICATIONS FOR STUDENTS & PARENTS
Studies have shown that almost 80% of instructional delivery in
secondary and post-secondary settings is auditory in nature, however only
10% of all students are auditory learners.
This means that in order for a child to find success in school it is
often necessary to show him/her how to strengthen his auditory skills or
how to review the original information in a different manner at home in
order to understand. It means that you may benefit from the services of a
personal tutor who is more able to incorporate a more suitable teaching
style in order to reinforce concepts taught in class.
Parents must also be in tune with the possibility that their children
learn best in an environment that is different from the traditional
setting. For example, while a parent may require a quiet learning space, a
child may learn best in a more chaotic environment. If your child is
having trouble learning then experiment with different environmental
settings and teaching styles. It may produce wonderful results. |
