Recognizing Different Learning Styles
Many college-educated adults value book learning and have difficulty comprehending that people can learn in other ways. Although there has been a push in educational circles to present more hands-on lessons, most teachers continue to rely on reading, writing, and listening to lectures.
Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic
Visual students learn best through written language. Pictures, charts, and diagrams help them understand and process information. Auditory students prefer lectures, films, tapes, and learning through dialogue. Kinesthetic students learn best through hands-on activities.
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Trying to teach hands-on learners history through lectures is like trying to teach the piano by explaining what to do. Having them read history books is like assigning articles about piano playing. Giving them a written test is like asking them questions about a song to assess their ability to play it.
Because kinesthetic students learn best by touch and movement, simply clapping while repeating the multiplication tables can make memorizing them easier. These students grasp mathematical concepts and solve arithmetic problems more quickly by working with sets of specially designed educational blocks.
