Learning Style and Types

It is important to know and understand your child's learning style, which refers to the way in which he learns best. Cognitive skills are fundamental tools used to learn and achieve; they are the underlying mental abilities required for proficiency in reading, writing and arithmetic. Learning styles reflect the strengths and weakness of cognitive skills. Children learn through a combination of learning styles, and early identification can help make homework and studying easier.

  1. Auditory

    • Auditory learners learn by listening to explanations rather than reading. They learn best when information is delivered in the form of lectures, group discussions, oral readings or audio recordings. Children who prefer audio learning may "talk their way" through mathematical or technical information. There are various studying techniques that can assist auditory learners recall information. For example, students may read notes or a textbook out loud or create their own audio tapes with a tape recorder, which can be reviewed when preparing for an exam. Music playing in the background also aids recall.

    Visual

    • Children with a visual learning style process information best when it is presented visually and in writing. Instructional tools for visual learners include books, articles, web pages, maps, images, videos, power point presentations or diagrams. Students with this learning style often use flashcards or multi-colored highlighter pens to mark important concepts or vocabulary words. Visual learners remember information by using symbols or creating a mental "picture" and may prefer to work in a quiet room rather than in a study group.

    Kinesthetic

    • Kinesthetic learning means that learning occurs through touch or with "hands-on" experience. Touching, holding and manipulating subject matter, rather than viewing an image or taking notes, is more successful with kinesthetic learners. Information is transmitted best when students participate in trade positions, labs or workshops. Instructors can also use demonstrations in the classroom to enhance tactile learning, and children should sit in the front of the class and take notes. When studying, students can incorporate touch by using flashcards, making a model of key concepts or typing important information from a textbook or class notes.

    Additional Learning Types

    • In addition to auditory, visual and kinesthetic learning styles, other learning types include transmission, acquisition, accretion and emergence. Transmission is knowledge gained when ideas or skills are taught to others through purposeful and conscious demonstration or guidance. Acquisition occurs when a child makes a conscious choice to learn out of curiosity or by exploring, experimenting or through self-instruction. Emergence learning is a result of thoughtful reflection and is linked to creativity and problem solving, and accretion is the gradual, often subconscious, way we learn language, culture, habits and behaviors.

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