Learning Style

What is learning style?

From: MyChild Website
url: http://www.mychild.co.uk/articles/what-is-a-learning-style-51

How do children learn? There are five different channels through which learning takes place, but more often than not it is just one channel which dominates how we learn. Find out how your child develops a learning style and how you can use it to support their learning.

We learn when the brain receives new information, makes sense of it and logs it in our memory. Our brain does this through three primary channels: Sight - the visual channel, Touch - the kinaesthetic channel and Sound - the auditory channel.

There are two other channels that we learn through - taste (the gustatory channel) and smell (the olfactory channel), and these senses can also help to 'anchor' ideas and concepts in the brain.

Often, one channel will be dominant although we will most likely make use of a combination of all three. The dominant channel is called our preferred learning style. Working out which is yours or your child's can help to make learning a richer, personal and more inclusive experience by making it multi-sensory.
The auditory learning style

People with an auditory learning style tend to have an ear for sounds. They may say, ‘That sounds right' or ‘I hear what you're saying' when analysing information or listening to others. They are people who prefer to relax to music, enjoy talking and something may even talk to themselves! They may forget faces, but always remember a name and are usually not too fond of reading books.

To make the most of learning the auditory learner should use sound as much as possible. This may mean listening to CDs to get information, rather than only reading books, or making their own recording of key points they need to recall. After reading information try summarising it in your own words aloud; explain it to someone else. If you have to do a spelling test, say the word out aloud before attempting to spell it. Young children will do well to listen and sing nursery rhymes and other songs. The more you can hear what you need to learn, the better.
The kinaesthetic learning style

If you are a kinaesthetic learner you may be fond of phrases such as ‘That feels right' or ‘That's easier to handle'. You will prefer games and sports as a method of relaxation and be pretty good at multi-tasking - such as talking to someone on the phone while you change the fuse in a plug. You will use gestures and expressions quite a bit and when angry, may clench your fists and grit your teeth.

Make the most of learning by copying a demonstration, using mind maps to record information you have heard, walking around while you read, putting key points on index cards and then ordering them, and generally getting physically active in your learning.
The visual learning style

The visual learner tends to ‘see' what people mean and to ‘get the picture'. They are more into films, going to the cinema or theatre, as a method of relaxation. They like to speak to people face to face, are often fast talkers, forget names, but remember faces and when angry, tend to seethe silently. They are usually quite fussy about what they wear too.

Make the most of learning opportunities by incorporating visual objects, such as drawing or mind-mapping information, or creating diagrams. Time lines as a method for remembering dates or sequence of events are useful, and you should try to visualise information - from events for example. See the word before spelling it - use your imagination.