Every parent dreams their child will be on fire for learning, and knowing their "learning style" can help with that. This is a basic summary of "learning styles". It's simple, but you can use this information and quiz at the bottom as a jumping off point in deciding which curriculum or activities or projects will work to help your child learn.
If flashcards only help to frustrate your child and talking through an addition or subtraction problem just confuses him, perhaps the usual study techniques contradict his personal learning style.
Once you know your child's learning style, you can tailor his study habits accordingly. You study smart, meaning you use your best strengths, whether it's visual or auditory or kinesthetic.
- Use color highlighters
- Make lists and outlines
- Read books with pictures, maps, and graphs
- Visualize information to aid memorization
- Draw "webs" that connect all of the child's ideas on paper
Auditory learners learn by hearing. Group discussions, videos, lectures, and music all work with these students. They learn better when they read a text aloud or can discuss what they think. Auditory learners take cues from their teacher's tone, pitch, and speed and often find underlying meanings.
Roth recommends asking children to repeat what they've learned in their own words and then help them prioritize the information.
- Study with someone so they can talk about concepts
- Compose or listen to speeches
- Create jingles or poems to help memorize information
- Use a tape recorder instead of taking notes on paper
- Read instructions aloud
- Talk through a problem or explain it to others
Kinesthetic learners learn by doing. "Kinesthetic learners always want to touch everything and be involved physically with the material they're learning," Roth says. "As much as possible we want to provide something that they can hold or manipulate."
Kinesthetic learners learn best when their muscles or senses are actively engaged. They take a hands-on approach, learning from imitation and touch. Roth adds that kinesthetic students sometimes have difficulty because visual and auditory teaching methods are used most in schools, and abstract concepts are more difficult to hold or manipulate.
"Kinesthetic learners sometimes find science concepts difficult so I ask them to act them out. It helps them to better conceptualize a cell or an atom," she says.
Kinesthetic learners can bounce a ball as they recite their times tables or write a spelling word in the air to help them study.
Other helpful study methods for kinesthetic learners include:
- Manipulate models whenever possible
- Chew gum while studying
- Take study breaks to move around
- Read on an exercise bike
- Play charades or role play
QUIZ: Is your child a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner? Answer the following questions to find out.
1. What helps your child work through a math problem?
a. Adding or subtracting from a pile of blocks.
b. Reading the problem out loud.
c. Writing it down.
2. When given a new building-block set, does your child:
a. Dive in and start matching random pieces together?
b. Talk to himself as he figures out where each piece goes?
c. Make a car just like the picture on the box?
3. What does your child enjoy the most?
a. Playing "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes."
b. Singing songs.
c. Looking at colorful videos or pictures.
4. Which is your child's favorite class?
a. Gym class
b. Music class
c. Art class
5. When given a spelling word, your child:
a. Writes it down to see if it feels right.
b. Sounds it out.
c. Closes his eyes and pictures the word before writing.
If you answered:
Mostly As: Your child is a kinesthetic learner.
Mostly Bs: Your child is an auditory learner.
Mostly Cs: Your child is a visual learner.
This is a great post on understanding learning styles. Not only is it important to understand how our kids learn but the people around us. We are constantly teaching others in small and large ways. In order to be effective, we need to understand the learning style that works best for that person.
ReplyDelete