There are many students who fail to achieve their potential at school for a variety of reasons. Individual learning styles can account for many students’ difficulties in learning effectively at school. School is required to cater for all children, however sometimes specific individual learning styles can be challenging. 

Being aware of how best a student learns can give insight into their academic performance and the type of adjustment that can be made to cater for their style of learning. Essentially there are four basic learning styles- The Auditory (hearing), The Visual (seeing), The Kinesthetic (tactile) and The Logical Learner.

The best ways of assessing your child’s learning style or their preferred way to learn is to observe them during their play or the way they study and organise themselves. Having this information gives parents a better understanding of their child’s learning.

Extracts from the following information have been published in the regular newsletter of the Parents’ Council. Our aim is to provide you with information that will allow you to gain greater insight into how your child thinks, thus allowing you to identify their best learning style. You may like to discuss this further with your child’s teacher or contact Rose Cantali through the Parents Council at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any further questions.

The Auditory (hearing) Learner

Characteristics

It is possible to identify an Auditory learner by noticing that they-

·         Enjoy oral discussion,

·         Remember by talking out loud,

·         Need to have things explained orally

·         Have trouble with written instructions,

·         Talk to themselves while learning something new, eg: repeating a telephone number in order to remember it.

How do I motivate my Auditory Learner?

·         Having some lessons on tape recorders or other equipment that requires wearing headphones will be especially good for these children as noises can distract them from concentrating.

·         Reading aloud together and taping each session for playing back later can help,

·         Consider purchasing talking storying books on tape or CD for your child to listen too.

The Visual (seeing) Learner

Characteristics

In identifying a visual learner you will notice they often-

·         Need and like to visualize things

·         Learn better through images;

·         Enjoy art and drawing

·         Read maps, charts and diagrams well;

·         Are fascinated with machines and inventions;

·         Play with Lego and/or like mazes and puzzles.

·         Will remember visual details well as they prefer to see what they are learning.

·         Like to have paper and pens handy often doodling while listening,

·         Have trouble following lectures,

·         Like to write down instructions or telephone numbers.

·         Are accused of being a daydreamer in class.

How do I motivate my visual learner?

·         Use board games and memory devices to create visual patterns.

·         In reading suggest visual clues,

·          Offer picture books of all types,

·         When reading chapter books together, encourage visualization of story and scenes.

 Promote writing via the use of colored pens, computer or drawing.

The Kinesthetic (tactile) learner

Characteristics

Quite often Kinesthetic learners may be labelled with Attention Deficient Disorder

due similarity in their characteristics. Such as-

·         A tendency to process knowledge through physical sensations

·         Being highly active and unable to sit still for periods of time

·         They communicate with body language and gestures

·         They may remember things by recalling who did what rather than who said what.

·         They show you things rather than tell you

·         Have a need to touch and feel their world

·         Are good at mimicking others

·         They like scary amusement rides

·         A tendency to be naturally athletic and to enjoy sports.

How do I motivate my Kinesthetic learner?

Physical action is the key ingredient to stimulating this student.

·         While reading, let your child chew gum, walk around, rock or ride a stationary bicycle.

·         Use numerous hands-on activities and experiments

·         Engage learning through art projects or nature walks

·         Explain and teach through acting out stories

The Logical Learner

Characteristics

Logical learner learn conceptually are can be differentiated from the other learners by observing that they-

Like to explore patterns and relationships

Enjoy puzzles and seeing how things work

Constantly ask questions and wonder

Are highly capable of highly abstract forms of logical thinking at an early age.

Compute math problems quickly in their head

Enjoy strategy games, computers and experiments with purpose

Create own designs to build blocks or lego

How do I motivate my logical learner?

Do science experiments together and have your child record the results

Use computer learning games and word puzzles

Offer context clues as a reading aid

Introduce non-fiction and rhyming books

When reading fiction, remember to discuss the relation of the story to real-life situations and people.

About the Author:

Rose Cantali, BA(Sp.Ed) Dip Teach. M.Ed.MAPS, is a registered psychologist specialising in child, adolescent and educational psychology. She is also a mother of 4 and an Executive of the Parents’ Council.

An extract from this article has been adapted from a draft guide written by Maitland MacIsaac, Nancy Estey, Sandra Rendell-MacDonald and Erin Casey)