Learning Styles

Submitted by pteitelbaum@edu... on Sat, 2014-09-06 10:41

All people have different preferences by which they learn material.  Understanding your child’s learning styles will help you determine what type of school is most appropriate for your child. The three commonly accepted learning styles used by educators are Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic.

Visual Learner: Your child prefers to learn by seeing things written or in pictures. Visual learners are stimulated when their surroundings are orderly and visually stimulating and may be turned off by clutter.

Auditory learner: Your child prefers to listen and talk with their teachers and classmates but may not perform will in a loud environment.

Kinesthetic learner: Your child is stimulated by physical activity and likes hands-on projects that emphasize their fine motor skills (i.e., writing, drawing, building blocks); however, they will have difficulty if they are asked to stay still for long periods of time.

Visual Learners

  • Like schools with decorated walls in classrooms and hallways.
  • Are stimulated by neatly organized classrooms.
  • Like to see things written down or in a picture.
  • Remember what they see and learn best when they copy or organize notes.

Best Fit

Find schools with classrooms and hallways that are organized and filled with excellent pieces of students’ work. Avoid schools with bare walls or that are overly cluttered.

Auditory learners

  • Like to talk and participate in classroom discussion.
  • Like to read out loud.
  • Will remember what they say.
  • Enjoy storytelling but not reading.
  • Do not enjoy a classroom with a great deal of quiet time or time to work alone.

Best Fit

Look for schools that emphasize class discussion and group work. Avoid schools that emphasize individual work and quiet time.

Kinesthetic Learners

  • Enjoy hands-on projects.
  • Like to build and write by hand.
  • Are stimulated when they move (running or jumping)
  • May seam hyperactive.
  • May have trouble focusing unless they are holding something.

Best Fit

Find schools that emphasize hands-on activities and play. Avoid schools that use text books or stress desk work