Learning Styles

1. This chart helps you determine your learning style; read the word in the left column and then
answer the questions in the successive three columns to see how you respond to each
situation. Your answers may fall into all three columns, but one column will likely contain the
most answers. The dominant column indicates your primary learning style.
When you.. Visual Auditory Kinesthetic & Tactile
Do you sound out the Do you write the word
Spell Do you try to see the word? word or use a phonetic down to find if it feels
approach? right?
Do you enjoy listening
Do you sparingly but dislike Do you gesture and use
but are impatient to
listening for too long? Do expressive movements?
Talk talk? Do you use words
you favor words such as Do you use words such
such as hear, tune, and
see, picture, and imagine? as feel, touch, and hold?
think?
Do you become Do you become
Do you become distracted
Concentrate distracted by sounds or distracted by activity
by untidiness or movement?
noises? around you?
Do you forget faces but
Do you forget names but
Meet someone remember names or Do you remember best
remember faces or
again remember what you what you did together?
remember where you met?
talked about?
Do you talk with them
Contact people Do you prefer direct, face- Do you prefer the while walking or
on business to-face, personal meetings? telephone? participating in an
activity?
Do you like descriptive Do you enjoy dialog and Do you prefer action
Read scenes or pause to imagine conversation or hear the stories or are not a keen
the actions? characters talk? reader?
Do you prefer verbal
Do you like to see
Do something instructions or talking Do you prefer to jump
demonstrations, diagrams,
new at work about it with someone right in and try it?
slides, or posters?
else?
Do you ignore the
Put something Do you look at the directions
directions and figure it
together and the picture?
out as you go along?
Need help with Do you call the help Do you keep trying to do
Do you seek out pictures or
a computer desk, ask a neighbor, or it or try it on another
diagrams?
application growl at the computer? computer?
What is a learning style?
Ellis (1985) described a learning style as the more or less consistent way in which a person
perceives, conceptualizes, organizes and recalls information.
Where do learning styles come from?
Your students' learning styles will be influenced by their genetic make-up, their previous
learning experiences, their culture and the society they live in.
Top of page
Why should teachers know about learning styles?
Sue Davidoff and Owen van den Berg (1990) suggest four steps: plan, teach / act, observe and
reflect. Here are some guidelines for each step.

2. Students learn better and more quickly if the teaching methods used match their preferred
learning styles.
As learning improves, so too does self esteem. This has a further positive effect on learning.
Students who have become bored with learning may become interested once again.
The student-teacher relationship can improve because the student is more successful and is
more interested in learning.
What teaching methods and activities suit different learning styles?
The Four Modalities
Visual
Use many visuals in the classroom. For example, wall displays posters, realia, flash cards,
graphic organizers etc.
Auditory
Use audio tapes and videos, storytelling, songs, jazz chants, memorization and drills
Allow learners to work in pairs and small groups regularly.
Kinesthetic
Use physical activities, competitions, board games, role plays etc.
Intersperse activities which require students to sit quietly with activities that allow them to move
around and be active
Tactile
Use board and card games, demonstrations, projects, role plays etc.
Use while-listening and reading activities. For example, ask students to fill in a table while
listening to a talk, or to label a diagram while reading
Left-brain vs. right-brain dominated
Left-brain dominated
Give verbal instructions and explanations
Set some closed tasks to which students can discover the "right" answer
Right-brained dominated
Write instructions as well as giving them verbally
Demonstrate what you would like students to do
Give students clear guidelines, a structure, for tasks
Set some open-ended tasks for which there is no "right" answer
Use realia and other things that students can manipulate while learning
Sometimes allow students to respond by drawing
McCarthy's four learning styles
Innovative learners
Use cooperative learning activities and activities in which students must make value judgments
Ask students to discuss their opinions and beliefs
Analytic learners
Teach students the facts
Common sense learners
Use problem-solving activities
Dynamic learners
Ask students about their feelings
Use a variety of challenging activities
If you vary the activities that you use in your lessons, you are sure to cater for learners with
different learning styles at least some of the time.
VISUAL AND VERBAL LEARNERS
Visual learners remember best what they see--pictures, diagrams, flow charts, time lines, films,
and demonstrations. Verbal learners get more out of words--written and spoken explanations.
Everyone learns more when information is presented both visually and verbally.
In most college classes very little visual information is presented: students mainly listen to
lectures and read material written on chalkboards and in textbooks and handouts. Unfortunately,
most people are visual learners, which means that most students do not get nearly as much as
they would if more visual presentation were used in class. Good learners are capable of
processing information presented either visually or verbally.
How can visual learners help themselves?
If you are a visual learner, try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow charts,
or any other visual representation of course material that is predominantly verbal. Ask your

3. instructor, consult reference books, and see if any videotapes or CD-ROM displays of the
course material are available. Prepare a concept map by listing key points, enclosing them in
boxes or circles, and drawing lines with arrows between concepts to show connections. Color-
code your notes with a highlighter so that everything relating to one topic is the same color.
How can verbal learners help themselves?
Write summaries or outlines of course material in your own words. Working in groups can be
particularly effective: you gain understanding of material by hearing classmates' explanations
and you learn even more when you do the explaining.
What can I do to help my visual child excel in preschool and kindergarten?
The best way to support your visual child is to indulge his interests and provide him with the
materials he needs to learn. "Pay attention to what your child likes, and try to approach learning
from that point," says Kurt Fischer, director of Mind, Brain, and Education at the Harvard
Graduate School of Education. If your child likes games, for example, card games can hone his
memory and concentration skills. Have lots of books available, too, so he can look at the
pictures or make an attempt to read the words. "One of the best predictors for school success is
the number of books kids have access to at home and how much time their parents spend
reading with them," says Fischer. And though it isn't recommended for all children, visual
learners may benefit from educational television because watching helps them learn.
Whatever you do, make sure the activities are developmentally appropriate. Preschoolers and
kindergartners are trying to nail down fundamentals such as the alphabet and counting. The
more advanced ones are already starting to read and may have begun to understand the basics
of addition and subtraction. So if your child responds to pictures better than words, find books
that have lots of interesting images accompanying text to encourage reading. Spend lots of time
going over the alphabet if your child likes letters and words. Approach math and other subjects
the same way, using illustrations and graphs if your child responds to images more readily, and
the numbers themselves if your child likes printed information. For more activities your visual
child may enjoy, see the articles listed below.
For physical learners
Make an alphabet poster
Draw each letter, then go through magazines and catalogs and cut out pictures of things that
begin with each letter and glue them onto poster board. This is a great hands-on way to learn
the alphabet.
Go to story time at the library or a bookstore
Nothing beats listening to a trained storyteller — especially one who gets the audience up out of
their seats and acting out part of the story. Going to the library or a bookstore to listen to a tall
tale is a fun outing for a preschooler. As a bonus, you may pick up a few tips to jazz up your
own read-aloud sessions.
Play dress-up and act out a book
Dressing up like the characters in your child's favorite book can really bring reading to life. You
can invite some of your child's friends over and make it a playdate.
Make finger puppets to go with a story
Cut the fingers off some old gloves and then use fabric markers to draw the characters on
together. You can also roll felt or paper for the body and then glue eyes, noses, smiles, and hair
on them. If your art skills could use some work, make color copies from the book, then cut out
the characters' faces and glue them onto the glove fingers or rolled paper or felt. Once you
make the puppets, you and your child can use them to help tell a story.

4. Build a reading fort
In your child's bedroom, lean together some broom or mop sticks and drape blankets over them
to create a tent. Grab a book and a flashlight and climb in with your child for story time in the
dark. Your child's probably too young to read along, but he'll enjoy flipping through the pages,
holding the flashlight, and looking at pictures. One caution: Keep the stories light and fun. This
is no time for anything scary or serious.
Serve a meal from a book
Use food coloring to make green eggs and ham, try to recreate parts of the Grinch's Christmas
feast, or make your own batch of porridge for the Three Little Bears. You can even get a basket
and fill it with goodies for Little Red Riding Hood to take to Grandmother's house.
Have a reading picnic
Take your favorite food and your favorite books to the park. You'll reinforce the idea that reading
can be fun anywhere.
Throw a book-related party
Read over your child's favorite book and think about what elements would work at a party. Can
you decorate his room in a jungle theme to resemble Where the Wild Things Are? Can you
collect hats and host a Cat-in-the-Hat party (Dr. Seuss's birthday is March 2. Why not
celebrate?)? You'll get your child and his friends talking about books.
For auditory learners
Join a summer book club at the library
Most libraries arrange summer programs with lists of books for each age group and awards for
completing the books — as well as read-aloud sessions for younger children. Your child will
share the joy of books with other kids — and might even win some prizes.
Listen to books on tape
You can check out tapes from the library for free or buy them at a bookstore (to save money,
stop by your local used bookstore). Kids love listening to someone else tell them a story, and
they can follow along in their own books.
Sing a book instead of reading it
Preschoolers love to make up little songs and memorize them. You can make this game even
more fun by altering your own singing voice — try to mimic an opera singer or a country star.
You'll both end up in a giggle pile.
For visual learners
Read a story that's out as a movie
Then go see the movie. Your child will love seeing characters he already knows from a
storybook up on the big screen. You can rent videos too.
Make a blank counting or alphabet book
Staple together some plain white or light-colored paper. Put a number or letter on each page
and ask your child to draw a corresponding picture. Or make an alphabet book in which each
page shows one letter of your child's name. Ask your child to make drawings of things that
begin with each letter.

5. Turn a book into art
Make a color copy of your child's favorite picture in a book and frame it for her bedroom, or have
it put on a shirt at a T-shirt shop.
Buy a big book
Teaching supply stores sell giant books for teachers to use in the classroom. They're great for
group reads because all the kids can see the pictures, but your child will love the huge
oversized pictures in your one-on-one story time, too.
Illustrate a song
Write down the words to your child's favorite song and, with your child, draw pictures to go with
each stanza. Then read the song together.
Set a family reading time
For 15 or 20 minutes a night, everyone in the house reads a story together. If friends or
neighbors are visiting, ask them to participate. Show your child that reading is fun for the whole
family.
Write a book of "my favorite things"
Staple together ten blank pages and ask your child to think of that many favorite things. Help
with ideas. What's your favorite food? Who is your best friend? What is your favorite book?
Write one thing on each page and have your child draw a picture to go with it.
Start a new reading ritual
Think of new ways you can add reading into your day together. Ideas to try: read a book at
breakfast, or in the bathtub. Try reading your child awake, rather than to bed at night. Altering
when you read will make reading spontaneous and fun and you'll encourage your child to read
whenever and wherever he's in the mood.
For auditory learners
Talk to your child whenever you're together. Tell her about an interesting story you read in the
newspaper. Describe a conversation you had at work with a friend. When you go shopping together,
describe what you're buying. Get in the habit of narrating everyday chores. If you're washing clothes, for
example, you can say, "Let's separate the colors, then measure out the detergent, put in the clothes, set
the timer..." Your child may not seem to be paying attention, but she is absorbing your vocabulary and
sentence structure without even realizing it. Don't be surprised if you hear her repeating something you
said when she talks to someone else.
Ask open-ended questions. If you ask your child a broad question such as "What did you do at the
park?" you'll get a much more detailed answer than if you ask a yes or no question like "Did you have fun
at the park?" If she's slow to answer, then be more specific: "What equipment did you play on?" Give your
child a chance to describe what she's been up to, and listen enthusiastically even if she gets lost in
seemingly trivial details about her day at the park. All of it is important to her. And you might as well enjoy
the conversation while it lasts; soon enough you'll have a close-mouthed teenager sitting across the dinner
table from you!
Tape her singing a song or telling a story. Your child will love to hear her own voice on tape, and she'll
be surprised and fascinated by how she sounds to other people. Hold on to those tapes — years from now
you'll be glad to have an oral portrait of your child at this age.

6. Revisit a favorite old story. Bring out one of your child's most dog-eared, battered books and read it
aloud yet again, only this time pause at key points to let her supply the words that come next. Or read the
story and purposely change key details to see if she corrects your "errors."
For visual learners
Videotape your child looking at a book or telling a story. To make this even more fun, have her dress
up as a character and act out a scene. Play the tape back and watch it together. Ask her to talk about her
performance, and praise her speaking ability. Don't make a big deal out of any mispronunciations; the idea
is to get your child comfortable speaking in front of others, not prepare her for public office.
Ask your child to describe a video or TV show. Children love to talk about things they know something
about and enjoy. One of the easiest ways to get a conversation started is to ask your child what's
happening on her favorite television program. Shows such as Sesame Street and Blue's Clues are
designed to get parents involved.
Have your child tell a story using a wordless picture book. This activity not only builds speaking skills
but encourages your child to think of herself as a real reader even if she can't recognize a word. One to try:
Peggy Rathmann's Good Night, Gorilla.
For physical learners
Go on a nature walk. Bring along a box or jar so you can collect treasures (feathers, unusual rocks,
colorful leaves). When you get home, have your child describe each item to the family: its color, shape,
size, function, and where she found it. Or have her begin a nature scrapbook. Get more great ideas on
how to make a nature walk a blast for you and your child.
Play family story time. One person starts making up a story ("Once upon a time, there was a little dragon
who lived in a cave on a big hill"). Then another person continues the story, and so on. Let your child
chime in whenever she wants, and if she can't come up with a whole line herself, prompt her with
questions. What color was the dragon? Did he have any brothers and sisters? What was he learning about
at school? Write down or tape-record what each person says.
Ask your child to tell you simple story, and write it down. You can prompt her by asking about a
particular event such as a party or playdate. If she leaves out key details or says something you don't
understand, ask her to clarify. When she describes something to you, rephrase it a bit and say it back to
her. ("So, you and Sarah were at a very fancy tea party thrown by a princess?") This will help her think
about different ways to describe the same event. Ask her to draw pictures to go along with the story, and
use them to make a book. Periodically, you can pull out the book and have her tell you the story again.