When it comes to education, there is no universal teaching method that gets through to every student or helps them learn. However, historically, education has been geared based on this assumption and expects all students to be equally responsive to the method used. Standardised tests apply to all students and test similar ability in each student. This has led to disillusionment with the education system and demotivation among students who feel that they are not properly catered to, in an education system designed to favour those who learn a specific way but do nothing to assist the others. Research has found that certain students are more responsive to certain types of presenting information, and that adopting the teaching method to match their learning style results in increased interaction with the lesson and increased productivity. If you’ve ever wondered what type of learner you are, read on.
Visual Learners
Visual learners learn best when information is presented visually. Presentations, videos, and lectures that make heavy use of diagrams, shapes, and drawings help visual learners understand difficult concepts. Visual learners also recall the information in the form of a diagram which they can decipher to remember information better. Teaching material for visual learners should make heavy use of videos and presentations. Video lectures prepared by educational institutes such as videos for schools are a great help to visual learners.
Auditory Learners
Auditory learners learn by hearing information and speaking it out loud reinforces the knowledge and helps retention. They would almost always prefer listening to a lesson over reading it. Auditory learners make best use of collaborative activities where they can talk about the material with someone else as it reinforces the knowledge in their brains and helps them understand it.
Kinaesthetic Leaners
This is also known as a ‘hands-on’ learning style. Kinaesthetic learners learn by performing an activity themselves over listening to the process or reading about it. Kinaesthetic learners perform best when they are allowed to actively participate in activities and solve problems, they encounter by themselves. They tend to be able to recall information better if they have previously done something related to it. Kinaesthetic learners are at more of a disadvantage in traditional classrooms as the teaching methods employ lectures, which the auditory learners can utilise, presentations and diagrams which help visual learners and textbook material which are used by reading/writing learners. Kinaesthetic learners have almost no recourse in traditional classroom learning other than simply practicing what they were taught later.
Reading/Writing Learners
As the name suggests, learners of this type learn best by reading and writing about the subject matter. They acquire information by reading textbooks and writing notes or summaries of a lesson generally help them recall the contents better.
Distinction between the learning styles matter because students may struggle with learning material presented in an incompatible way and become demotivated with their studies. They often require specialised help and if properly guided can foster love for learning and motivate them to perform better.
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