By Patti Hutchison /
1What's your style? Goth, prep, old school, hippie. No, not your fashion style- your learning style. Are you visual, auditory, or kinesthetic? Kine-what?
2Almost everyone has a favorite learning style. Think about your favorite class. Is it English class where you read most of the time? Is it history where the teacher lectures and tells you stories of things that happened long ago? Is it science or art where you work with your hands? Is it phys. ed. where you get to move around a lot? (No, lunch is not an official class.)
3Let's say you want to learn how to program your iPod. (Yes, you already know how to do that, but for right now, let's pretend you don't.) Would you rather read about how to do it, listen to someone tell you how to do it, or just dive in and try it on your own?
4If you learn best by reading about something, you might be a visual learner. Visual learners study their surroundings with their eyes. They read A LOT. They also study pictures, posters, and diagrams. They use their vision to take in as much information as they can and let their mind process it. They remember details. Visual learners can recall something by picturing it in their minds.
5If you would rather listen to someone tell you how to do something, you might be an auditory learner. Auditory learners are good listeners. They remember things that they have heard. They can remember all the lyrics of songs that were popular years ago. In fact, sometimes they only need to hear the first note of a song to know what it is. Auditory learners love to attend concerts and lectures.
6Kinesthetic learners like to dive right in to a task. They don't want to read about how to do it. They don't want to listen to someone tell them how to do it. They just want to get right in, use their hands, and DO IT! These are your classmates who excel in science where they doing experiments. They may be good artists. Kinesthetic learners are usually also good at sports. They may get into trouble sometimes in class because they can't sit still for 40 minutes.
7So, what kind of learner do you think you are? And what can you do about it? First of all, if you are struggling in your classes, go see your guidance counselor. He may be able to help you to truly determine what your learning style is. Or, he may refer you to a learning specialist at your school who can give you even more information. Once you know how you prefer to learn, there are things you can do both in and out of school to help.
8In most schools, the teaching style caters more to auditory learners. Many teachers expect students to sit in their seats and listen. There is not much you can do to change your teachers' teaching styles. But there are things you can do for yourself, to help you learn. And don't make excuses. Just because your teacher's teaching style doesn't match your learning style, doesn't mean you can just sit back and fail. There are methods you can use to adapt to any style of teaching and make the grades you want.
Copyright © 2008 edHelper
What's Your (Learning) Style?
1. / If you learn best by reading about something, you might be:A visual learner
An auditory learner
A kinesthetic learner
/ 2. / How do visual learners recall something?
3. / People who remember things they have heard are probably:
Kinesthetic learners
Auditory learners
Visual learners
/ 4. / How would an auditory learner learn best?
5. / Students who love to do experiments or who are good at art or sports might be:
Auditory learners
Visual learners
Kinesthetic learners
/ 6. / What should you do if you are struggling in your classes?
Writing Prompt: Do you think your learning style is visual, auditory, or kinesthetic? Write a paragraph giving reasons for your answer.