bbcovert@juno.com

Learning Styles

How does your child learn best, and how can you use this knowledge to your advantage? This is the question for the month of March. If you have struggled all year with home schooling, if you wonder if you made a mistake, if you seem to butt heads with at least one student on a daily basis, then this column is for you.

What are learning styles? They are the different ways that individuals process and retain information. Each style has its own characteristics. If we can find our students’ learning style and find curricula geared to that style, our students will begin to enjoy the educational process, and so will we.

Let’s begin with a list of learning styles, and then look at each one.

Auditory learning is done by ear. Traditional teaching techniques are geared to auditory learners. These students learn best by listening.

Visual learning is done by sight. Visual students need to read the assignment and see any diagrams or charts that go with it. They get the most out of pictures and film presentations. When listening to a lecture, they need to take notes so that they can "see" the information. These students learn best by seeing.

Kinesthetic/tactile learning is just a fancy way of saying learning through movement and touch. Kindergarteners normally learn best with this learning style; some grow into being auditory or visual learners, while others remain kinesthetic learners. This type of student loves manipulatives, hands-on experiments, and field trips. A child who gestures while talking is most likely a kinesthetic learner. These active students learn best by doing.

Beyond the learning styles are other factors, such as preferring to work alone versus preferring to work in a group. If you are like most people, you will discover that what worked for you when you were in school will not work with your child. I was a visual learner who preferred to work alone. I have been blessed with two primarily kinesthetic/tactile learners who prefer social settings, one of whom also favors some visual teaching methods while the other prefers auditory teaching methods only if they are musical in nature!

If you confine a kinesthetic/tactile learner to a desk with books and papers, you will have an unhappy student who struggles to learn. If you overwhelm an auditory learner with math manipulatives and artwork, you will have an unhappy student who struggles to learn. If you force your visual learner to sit and listen to you read through lessons, you will have an unhappy student who struggles to learn. Furthermore, you will be unhappy about the whole education process and wonder why you bother! God made us all unique. Our different learning styles are a gift. That may be hard to believe on those days when the kids are whining and we are pulling our hair out, but it’s true.

We are fortunate in this period of time to have a plethora of home education materials from which to choose. Once you discover your student’s learning style, you will be able to search for curricula with a better fit. Keep in mind, though, that there is no perfect curriculum. Switching from program to program can be terribly frustrating for your children. Do your research, make an informed choice, and find ways to make your choice work. Remember, you are the teacher, not the workbook. You may be able to use what you already have by using it differently. You have the option of skipping lessons or breaking them down into smaller segments. You can turn a simple reading assignment into a listening assignment or a dramatic production (for those kinesthetic learners). Use your ingenuity to gear the lessons to your child’s learning style. You’ll find that it makes a big difference in attitudes.

There is an informative and fun test online to discover your child’s multiple intelligences. It creates a special gifts profile based on your answers to a series of questions about your child’s interests and abilities. You can use the results to help you search for specific educational materials. For instance, my daughter rated highest in musical intelligence. I realized that she would learn her math, science, and geography facts best by listening to tapes and CDs that included that information in songs! The website will also give career ideas for the areas where your child rates the highest score. My son is interested in a number of careers listed in his field of interpersonal intelligence; the test just confirmed his strengths for me. You can find the test by clicking this link:

http://familyeducation.com/topic/front/0,1156,21-12410,00.html

Happy home schooling!

Copyright 2004 by Brenda B. Covert