Learning Styles
Discover Your Child's Learning Style
(Information adapted from Abiator's Online Learning Styles Inventory and A to Z Home's Cool )
What does God say about Learning Styles?
What are learning styles?
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A learning style is the way a person most effectively receives, processes, and retains information, according to their unique needs, abilities, personality and their unique design by God.
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Simply stated – how a child learns best according to his/her unique make-up.
Why are learning styles important in education?
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It acknowledges the uniqueness of the individual, and seeks to meet the individual’s need.
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It helps to avoid frustration, quitting, and a sense of hating learning.
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It prevents the labeling of certain kids as “smart” or “stupid”
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It teaches children coping strategies for how to study and learn material even when it is not originally presented in an effective way for them.
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It makes learning fun and desirable, establishing life long patterns of learning.
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It helps children to connect with and use knowledge in a meaningful way.
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It brings success to students of all types!!!
What does God say about learning styles?
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God calls us to love our children.
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Loving our children as a precious and unique gift from God is our privilege and responsibility. (1 Tim 1:5)
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We need to know them and build a relationship with them that honors Jesus. (1 Tim 1:5)
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We need to do and say what encourages them and builds them up. (1 Thess. 5:11)
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We need to train them without exasperating them. (Col 3:21)
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We need to be teaching them in love. Recognizing their uniqueness and meeting their unique learning needs is a very tangible way to love them and to help them grow into the confident men and women we’d like them to be. (Phil 4:13)
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Love is not self-seeking – it looks to another’s needs. (1 Cor 13:4-8)
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Are you convicted that the way you’re teaching your children is hindering your relationship, tearing them down, exasperating them?? We pray that our discussion tonight will help you to see some tangible ways that God can change these things in your home.
1. Make sure that you are abiding in Him and his word
2. Pray for wisdom
3. Obey the direction God calls you
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God created us uniquely with a plan for our lives!
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:14-16)
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
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God gives each of us different gifts, talents and abilities to be used to edify the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12 – spiritual gifts.)
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
Things to consider:
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The obvious: We are all different. As we look around this room, even though we have so much in common we all are so unique in our personalities, in our likes and dislikes, in the way we do things. If you and your husband both have had opportunity to run the finances, how is your process different yet your result the same? We are all created uniquely by our creator.
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The not-so-obvious: We all learn best differently, too. One curriculum does not fit all! Sometimes we get caught up in the rut of doing it like we were taught (whether we liked it or not), or teaching like we would learn it best because that makes sense to us. Tonight we’re going to challenge you to think differently and to investigate how your child learns best and some creative ways you could teach them to prevent frustration for you both and foster a love for learning in your child.
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The disclaimer – Every person is unique. It is very important not to label your child as a certain type of learner and try to fit them perfectly in a box or label them in some way that limits that their potential. Most people will overlap to some degree in many different learning styles. As they grow and mature their style may change and develop. The goal is to expand our thinking from a single style- either our own or what we’ve been taught and to put ourselves in our kids’ shoes in order to help them learn.
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Young kids – Although you’ll see many differences in the way they go about it, all young children need to touch and interact with the world around them, stimulating all their senses. Though children are born with different personalities and “bents”, most children can’t and shouldn’t be funneled into one way of thinking at a young age. Some have said that around 9 years old is when they begin to steady into a more dominant style or styles.
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When you know a child’s strength for learning, you can utilize that as a modality to teach them something new and/or difficult, to make learning more interesting and fun, to help them remember better – but it’s good to sometimes give them opportunity to grow in other ways of learning, and to be able to take information given to them in a different style and transform it into something they can assimilate in their mind. It’s teaching a strategy that will help them learn well in any given situation (college, etc.)
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Regardless of the style, the more senses and approaches you use to teach a topic, the more they will remember it! If I see, hear AND do something with information I will be much more likely to remember it regardless of my dominant style.
Primary Learning Styles |
Additional Considerations: |
| Visual | Social & Solitary preferences |
| Auditory | Global vs. Analytical |
| Kinesthetic |
The Visual Learner
Learning Traits:
Remembers what they read and write
Enjoys visual projects and presentations
Can remember diagrams, charts and maps well
Understands information best when they SEE it
Remembers 75% of what they read or see
Prefers to see words written down
When something is being described, the visual learner also prefers to have a picture to view.
Prefers a time-line or some other similar diagram to remember historic events
Prefers written instructions rather than verbal instructions
Observes all the physical elements in a classroom
Carefully organizes their learning materials.
Enjoys decorating their learning area
Prefers photographs and illustrations with printed content
Remembers and understands through the use of diagrams, charts and maps
Studies materials by reading notes and organizing it in outline form
Enjoys visual art activities
Activity suggestions:
Diagrams Photographs Coloring books Posters Collages Videos Games Writing Newspapers Recipes Magazines Reading Books Maps Charts Illustrations Displays Cartoons Slide shows/power point Flashcards Crossword Puzzles Bulletin boards Workbooks Word Find Puzzles I the child learns best by seeing (a visual learner), he will observe every little facial expression you make to figure out how you are responding to him. If you have a visual learner, be very aware that you are sending messages, both positive and negative. Your smiling eyes or smile will be recognized as approval of what he's doing, and encourage him to continue. A frown, however slight, will make your child look away from you, sort of like a head-down pouty look. If that happens, acknowledge the feelings, talk to him. By the same token, you can easily read his facial expressions to figure out how he is responding to what you are teaching. If you are not a visual learner, and your child is, you will need to deliberately send visual messages through facial expressions. You will also need to deliberately study his facial expressions to see how he's reacting or feeling. Pictures, videos, TV and people watching are important to him and a good way to teach him. Visual images can distract him from concentrating.
The Auditory Learner
Learning Traits:
- The auditory learner must hear things for them to have the best chance of learning
- Only30% of the general school population is auditory
- Generally, the auditory learner will remember 75% of what they hear in a lecture
- Remembers what they say and what others say very well
- Remembers best through verbal repetition and by saying things aloud
- Prefers to discuss ideas they do not immediately understand
- Remembers verbal instructions well
- Enjoys drama and music
- Finds it difficult to work quietly for long periods of time
- Verbally expresses interest and enthusiasm
- Enjoys class and group discussions
- Reading out loud helps comprehension
Activity Suggestions:
Oral report, presentation, or oral recitation Teach the class or a group or a peer Panel discussion Debate Tape recordings Songs Raps Poems Musical performance Puppet show TV/radio show Verbal games Show and tell Demonstrations
If the child learns best by hearing, (an auditory learner) he will be very sensitive to your voice tone and inflections. If your voice is too firm or you raise the pitch, he may sense you are angry or frustrated with him. When you acknowledge his successes, he will know how sincere you are. If you correct or tell him what to do repeatedly, he may think you are nagging and "turn you off." Think of this student as having a tape recorder in his head. He will hear what you said over and over, even after the lesson is over. Even something that you might have thought he didn't understand, will "replay" for him, and he'll "get it". This child doesn't have to look at you to understand what you are saying. He even hears you mutter or speak in the adjoining room! . If you're visual, it may bother you that he doesn't look at you when you're speaking. You need that; he doesn't. This may drive you nuts. It's OK to explain to him that you know he learns best by hearing. Tell him you know he doesn't have to look at you to understand. Share with him that you are visual, and you do need him to look at you so you can understand. You might tell him that more people are visual learners than auditory learners, so it's a good social skill for him to learn to look at people when they speak to him. Lessons on tape recorders or other equipment that requires wearing headphones will be especially good for him. Noises can distract him from concentrating.
The Kinesthetic Learner
Learning Traits:
Remembers what they DO, what they experience with their hands or bodies (movement and touch)
Can remember how to do things after they’ve done them once (motor memory)
Have good motor coordination
Like to pace, walk around, or move while reciting information or learning new material
Need frequent breaks during lessons
Kinesthetic Activities:
Surveys Demonstrations Dance Body games Rocking and reading Make a video show Field trips Dress as characters Role-play/interviews Charades Pantomimes Plays Projects Walking and reading Puppet shows Musical performances Science labs
Tactile Activities:
Modeling Scrapbooks Coloring books Artistic creations Dioramas Needlework Posters Task cards Whiteboard activities Sandpaper/ felt letters Games Puzzles Collections Sculptures Mobiles Displays Collages Computers Cut and paste
If your child learns best by doing, (a kinesthetic learner) he will seem to have some part of his body moving constantly. He'll be a wiggler, a toucher, and want to be close to another person whether that person wants it or not. He'll drum his fingers, rock, switch positions in a chair often, and have a high capability of being inattentive. So, since you know he needs to touch, wiggle and be active, your lessons need to provide that. He gets weary of being told to sit or stand still. Allow him to take an active part of your lessons. If you're giving a lesson on paper, give him a pencil or crayon to use. . If using a lesson printed on a transparency, give him a temporary marker to use -- that's usually a different tool for him and feels very special. Give him specific directions, such as underlining the vowel as you say the words, or put the whiskers on the cat. If he needs to listen, give him something to hold while he listens, and can feel. If your student is a girl, give her a bracelet to wear so she can feel it when she feels a little wiggly. It's OK to tell your student how he best learns, so he can understand that his wiggliness may prevent him from paying good attention to his lessons. Let him know you'll try to teach him in the way he learns sometimes, but that you'll also have him practice listening without wiggling or touching, because it's a good social skill to learn. This child's learning style is his distraction!
