Learning Styles
Ever hit a brick wall when helping your child understand a concept? Did you take into account his learning style? Everyone has a preferred way in which they process information and learn new skills. Sometimes presenting the information in a way that agrees with your child's learning style will help the concept become clear.
The simplest model of learning styles is broken into three groups: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Visual learners tend to grasp things by reading or watching video. They tend to be more comfortable with textbooks and workbooks. Auditory learners tend to learn best by listening. They would respond well to being read to or listening to tapes or lectures. Kinesthetic learners are the ones we generally think of as "antsy." They prefer to learn through a hands-on approach or through activities. Most children start out as kinesthetic learners.
Taking into account the way our children learn helps us tailor our learning environment to fit their needs. It can also give us insight in how to proceed when our children don't seem to be "getting it." Just remember three things:
- Beware of labeling. Children tend to view labels as absolute.
- No child learns in only one way.
- You won't always be there to control the way your child receives information. Introduce material in several ways so that they grow accustomed to a variety of learning methods. Besides being practical - it is also fun!
Further Reading
- Learning Styles
"The Bible describes how different people are given different gifts and talents. Anything you read about learning styles should line up with God’s Word and never be used as an excuse for sin or shortcomings. They should not be used to categorize or label. They should be used to realize the benefits of teaching new concepts through different modes of learning and to help children who are having difficulty grasping or retaining information. In fact, we should not teach to a particular style—else the student would only learn in one mode. We need to teach children to recognize their strengths and improve on their weaknesses." Explanation and examples from Heart of Wisdom. - Know Your Students
"Your goal as a teacher should be to make your children eventually comfortable with all three means of getting information. After you have presented a new idea through your child’s preferred style, review the material with some of the other methods to increase your child's flexibility." A checklist to help you identify the way your child learns best from Inge Cannon. - Learning Styles
"How do kids learn best? That’s the question I set out to answer when taking my education degree. But after working with kids more than twenty years, it’s clear to me the question should be: how does this kid learn best. That’s one thing that sold me on home schooling – the opportunity to design a program uniquely cued to how each of my kids is wired to learn." Debra Bell's five-part series on learning styles.