Classroom instruction usually follows a fairly standard formula. A teacher creates a curriculum deemed feasible for a large group of students and implements their lesson plans throughout the school year. Homework is given, completed, and turned in; tests are taken and graded, and assignments are done with the help of the instructor. However, do we take into account those students who crave group work everyday? What about those who work best with auditory prompts and headphones on? How can we cater to the individual learning styles of each student?
Unfortunately, teachers are faced with this complication everyday and are consistently trying to think of ways to fix it. Whether it’s smaller class sizes or more instructors, the bottom line is a lack of resources. Therefore, it becomes a task for the parent to help reinforce classroom learning by understanding their child’s learning style and do their best to accommodate it at home.
In order for this to be possible, one needs to know about the different types of learning
techniques. Learning methods are not to be addressed singularly, as everyone has a mixture of styles. While one may be more dominant, it is best to accommodate every style you find prevalent.
Let’s take a look at the 7 learning styles.
- Visual – Students with this learning style prefer looking at images and pictures with colors and diagrams.
- Physical (Tactile/Kinesthetic) – These students learn by action. They like to be a part of the lesson in some way. Whether it’s drawing graphs and diagrams or using building blocks, they like to physically touch the lesson.
- Aural – Students who prefer learning with sound and music fall in this category. They rely on rhythms and rhymes to learn effectively.
- Verbal – This learner works best with words – whether it’s through speech or writing. They read aloud and/or write things out in order to understand them.
- Logical – Logical learners prefer reasoning and systems. They understand best when they can explain concepts with reasoning and logic.
- Social – As you may have guessed, social learners work well in groups, teams, and partners.
- Solitary – Finally, these learners enjoy working alone. This learning style is usually heavily paired with another learning style.
As stated earlier, everyone has a mixture of learning styles, but it’s always important to understand which is the primary method that students gather and interpret information for learning.