Principal Points - "Learning Styles"

Past Principal Points

Learning Styles

One of the goals of a good teacher is to accommodate the different learning styles of each student in the class. A "learning style" is simply a way of learning which works best for the individual. There are four common learning styles: Visual, Aural, Oral, & Kinesthetic.

A Visual Learner learns best by seeing objects, pictures or videos of something or by reading about it. An Aural Learner learns best by hearing it explained either live or on tape. The Oral Learner needs to be able to put things in his own words, recite it out loud, or explain to someone else. And the Kinesthetic Learner will want to write it down, make a drawing or diagram, or act it out.

In a school setting with 15-25 children it is not possible to provide opportunities to learn every single concept by means of all four learning styles. Teachers do provide as much variety as possible and usually will employ more than one approach for each lesson and all four styles over the course of a unit. Fortunately, most people will learn by using any of these four approaches, and while each student may have a preference for one particular style, it is usually even better to employ all four when possible.

Making use of all four strategies is a good idea for several reasons. First, it helps to develop the senses which are weakest. For example, a student who has a hard time listening and taking notes is not helped by never being required to listen and take notes! Second, long term memory is strengthened by fixing concepts in the mind through as many avenues as possible. Each approach activates different centers of the brain. It seems that the more neurons actively engaged in learning a concept, the better it is remembered. For example, a student who studies for a spelling test by saying the word aloud and writing it down has employed those brain centers responsible for speech, hearing, vision, and muscle control. Generally, a student who uses this approach will be much more successful than one who merely reads it over from the text.

The majority of students do not have one single clearly dominant learning style, but if it is clear that a student learns best by using a certain style, then it is good for parents to build on this strength when helping students prepare for tests and quizzes. Teachers will continue to provide learning opportunities which make use of all four learning styles so that every child can be successful.

Brian Hazeltine, B.Ed., M.A.
Principal, Airdrie Koinonia Christian School