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The teacher’s purpose is to teach, and the student’s purpose is to learn, in theory anyway. Whether you are teaching or the one learning, it helps to learn how people learn. As a teacher, you want to incorporate as many different learning styles into your method as possible. As a student, you want to improve your weaker learning preferences and focus your study methods on your strengths. People learn using 3 main different senses: some listen, some watch, some just do it.
Audio Learners
Audio learners learn best from hearing the material and conversation. They do well in lecture oriented classroom environments. To focus study methods on this type of learning style, one can record lectures and notes and regularly listen to the recordings as a study method.
Visual Learners
The visually oriented people learn best from watching. In the conservative classroom environment, this includes reading, notes on the chalkboard, and use of other visual aids. When taking notes, the visual learner does well to chunk information using headlines and categories. Sometimes it helps to use mapping techniques during the note taking process. Color also plays an important role for the visual learners.
To take visual learning one step further, outside the conservative classroom environment, visual learners learn best by watching. Documentary type media and the internet can be very useful for the visual learner, but watching someone do what they are trying to learn how to do is the best way for them to learn. Providing examples are important.
Kinesthetic Learners
The Kinesthetic learners learn best with a hands-on learning environment. Reading about it just isn’t the same sometimes as actually experiencing it. The conservative classroom environment is currently limiting to the hand-on experience it provides in the learning process where only a few select studies like art really offer it. Kinesthetic learners can supplement their learning strategy with extra-curricular activities related to their subject of learning.
Almost all people learn using all 3 of these styles. We learn about each other when we talk to each other, watch each other, and shake hands, and we do this many, many times a day. When we get into academics, sometimes we have to tune into our favorite ways to learn in order to find a passion for a dreaded subject or overcome obstacles in the difficult subjects. Everybody can almost learn anything; they just don’t always learn it the same way.
