Learning style should be granted as an important ingredient of teaching in educational psychology

1. Ms, Sucharita Dutt

2. • Every child has different learning preferences. Among the
different ways of learning, some prefer to learn by hearing,
some by seeing, others by doing, some by reading and others
by asking questions. One thing all students have in common
is that they all learn best when they can incorporate items and
topics that interest them into their studies, for example,
building blocks, music, fashion, airplanes, etc.
• Understanding how your student learns is perhaps one of the
most important parts of homeschooling your child. Learning
styles allow your child to get the most from their homeschool
experience, and helps parents choose the best curriculum for
their children.
• Using the right study method makes all the difference when it comes to
your child understanding (and remembering) the material. By knowing
your child’s learning style, you can choose effective study methods that
complement strengths rather than work against them.

9. • This style uses pictures, images, and spatial understanding to
learn. These students can easily visualize information and
have a good sense of direction. Using whiteboards can come
in handy for this type of learner who usually likes to draw and
doodle.
• Being a visual learner entails thinking in pictures rather than
in words. Visual learners learn best by utilizing graphs, tables,
charts, maps, colors and diagrams. They also tend to learn
holistically, instead of sequentially, or in parts. One of the
benefits of being a visual learner is easily seeing the big
picture. As a result, these learners may sometimes miss out
on the details.

10. • Visual learners are good at absorbing information through
what they see. Some of the visual learner’s main
characteristics include the following:
• They tend to have a vivid imagination and this can sometimes
lead to daydreaming or mental wandering.
• Since they think primarily in pictures, they highly enjoy visual
stimulation.
• They tend to grasp the underlying meaning behind body
language and facial expressions. On the flip side, they may
need to see a person’s body language and facial expression
to fully understand what they are trying to say.
• They are typically good at reading maps and charts.

11. • When it comes to spelling, they oftentimes need to visualize
the words in order to spell them correctly.
• They are usually good at using their intuition to solve
problems.
• They enjoy watching videos, using flash cards and
highlighting information.
• They easily notice new things in a room or physical changes
in a person.
• They tend to make lists to recall information.
• They usually have strong artistic, mechanic, or technological
talents.
• They are perfectionists and usually highly organized.
• They can easily identify patterns in what they see.
• They usually prefer a quiet environment as they can easily
get distracted by noises.

12. • My child excels at visual activities (such as art)
• My child enjoys books that include illustrations (such as
pictures, graphs, maps, etc.)
• My child is good at recognizing and recalling people,
words, and places
• My child is very interested in the world and objects
around him or her
• My child does best when provided an example of the task
he or she is working on

13. • Visual learners have many strengths. They are meticulous
and highly value planning and organization in their academic
lives. They are very aware of things like color, brightness,
contrast and other visual elements. Taking advantage of these
strengths can significantly boost their performance.
• Below are a few study tips for visual learners to help you get
started:
• Instead of writing out their work, allow students to represent
their learning in visual and creative ways. Creativity is key for
a visual-spatial learner.
• Provide them a personal whiteboard and dry-erase markers
with plenty of colors. This allows your child to easily draw out
ideas and concepts without wasting paper or taking up a lot of

14. • Try using bright colors whenever possible as these help make an
imprint on your child’s mind.
• Consider watching documentaries instead of using textbooks
whenever possible.
• Create to-do lists with your child so they can refer back to them,
help them stay on track and visualize their progress.
• Incorporate lots of concept maps in your studies. Draw the main
idea and then allow your child to drill down into the categories and
subcategories.
• Use copious amounts of visual aids in learning. Any auditory
instruction needs to be accompanied by something that the student
can see with their eyes.
• Try color-coding. Assigning colors to common themes in textbooks,
such as using a yellow highlighter for vocabulary words, allows your
student to associate color with terms.
• Colors can help the brain remember complex and abstract
concepts.
• Consider creating/using PowerPoint presentations to go over topics
or concepts you have studied. Make sure to use visual cues in your
presentations.
• Try to provide a quiet learning space for your visual-spatial learner,
as they tend to flourish in this type of environment.

15. • Help your child organize their notes like an outline. Simple
indentations and bullets create a visual subdivision that can
help your learner see how larger concepts are related to
specific ones.
• Consider investing in stationery, stickers and other supplies
that your child will enjoy looking at and using. You can assign
different stationery for each subject (or topic) so they are
visually distinct.
• Whenever possible replace words with symbols. This simple
trick helps visual learners associate symbols with concepts,
speeds up their writing and creates that visual aid they need.
For example, # can replace the word “number”, ≠ can replace
the word “different”, ☮ can replace the word “peace” and so
on.
• Search engines can be a great tool for visual learners. You
can look up words, places, and concepts in the images section
instead of the regular search. Your student can study things

16. • Sound and music are a strong suit for these types of learners
who typically have a good sense of rhythm. These learners
are usually singers or musicians who are familiar with
different instruments and the sounds they make. Aural
learners are good listeners who normally learn best through
verbal presentations like lectures and speeches.
• The auditory learning style means a person learns best by
listening. Music, video clips and conversations are their ideal
way of learning. Auditory learners tend to do well in a
traditional school environment listening to lectures, and also
contributing to discussions. Multimedia curriculum is also
great for improving on their auditory learning skills.

17. • People who are auditory-aural learners usually share these
characteristics:
• Talk frequently, to self and to others
• Prefers spoken directions
• Have difficulty concentrating in noisy environments
• Enjoy lectures and discussions
• Remember names, not faces
• Express emotion by tone and volume of voice
• Musically minded

18. • My child excels at auditory activities (such as music)
• My child frequently sings, hums, or talks when playing or
doing schoolwork
• My child does well when following verbal instructions
• My child enjoys talking and having conversations with
others
• My child listens to all the instructions before starting on a
task
• My child asks a lot of questions when working on tasks or
activities

19. • Thinking out loud is the key to removing roadblocks on an auditory
learner’s educational journey; parents and educators can best
assist these students by offering a listening ear and offering
prompts to help them think through the information. When your
student is struggling to understand a new concept, encourage him
or her to talk through the concept or problem. Use terms such as
“explain,” “describe,” or “discuss” to promote understanding.
• Improve your child’s educational experience by taking advantage of
their auditory learning skills with the following study tips for auditory
learners:
• Repetition – Since speaking is a key component of the auditory
learning style, having your student repeat an idea in their own
words will greatly enhance their learning experience.
• Q&A sessions – These type of sessions are great for keeping aural
learners engaged and help them easily absorb important
information about specific topics.

20. • Debates – Auditory learners are often social butterflies, and
because they need to listen, speak and interact to learn best,
debates are usually a fun way to transform and elevate
conversations on a specific subject.
• Music – Songs are an excellent way to engage your child and a
great way to start learning concepts. For younger students, starting
out with the alphabet song helps them learn and remember the
order of the alphabet, which is key when learning to read. Older
children can learn about science from songs that teach about the
digestive, skeletal, and respiratory systems, just to name a few. In
addition, students can learn about sound waves through music as
well as other concepts.
• Read alouds – Reading out loud to your student also helps them
learn, especially if you have your child repeat after you. As they
advance in their reading skills, auditory learners should sound out
words and break down the syllables of each word. Repetition is key!
• Book clubs – Having your child explain concepts to others verbally
gives them the opportunity to talk through situations and
information, not to mention fully absorb it.
• Self-recordings – When students hear themselves explaining
definitions out loud, it helps them grasp concepts and expand on

21. • Group projects/study buddies – Teaming up with another
student and verbally reinforcing the information will help
auditory learners retain facts and details.
• Podcasts – These are incredibly useful for auditory learners,
and can take the place of music on long car rides or even
while exercising!
• Show & Tell – Pick a day of the week to have show & tell. Your
student can pick an object and tell a story about it. To make it
a little more challenging, have them use some adjectives or
vocabulary words they are learning!
• Verbal Games – It’s no secret that learning through play is
effective. For aural learners games like “Just a Minute” and
“Fact or Fiction” are a perfect way to test or increase
knowledge on certain topics. “This or That” is another great
game that benefits auditory learners. If the topic is “sharks”,
warm or hot water? Bones or cartilage? Five or Six senses?
Scales or no scales? And so on.
• Reciting – Reciting information out loud helps auditory
learners retain what is being taught to them.

22. • These learners prefer using words, both in speech and
writing. They can easily express themselves and usually love
to read and write. Verbal learners tend to have a vast
vocabulary and excel in activities that involve speaking,
debating, and journalism.

23. Verbal-linguistic learners love both written and spoken word. They are
naturally drawn to language in general, which means there are plenty
of opportunities to learn. Below are some of the characteristics of
linguistic learners:
• Have a fascination with words and tend to learn new words easily.
• Usually possess a rich vocabulary.
• Tend to flourish in reading and writing activities.
• Tend to enjoy games that involve word play such as Scrabble, and
crossword puzzles.
• Often gifted at learning new languages.
• Tend to ask questions frequently and have excellent verbal
expression.
• Enjoy reading, whether it’s to themselves or to others.
• Tend to do better with word problems in math as opposed to
equations.
• Enjoy talking about what they read, and easily remembers quotes,
puns(jokes) and rhymes.

24. • My child often writes things down or takes notes when
working on a task
• My child enjoys reading books and writing stories
• My child is good at remembering what he or she has read
• My child works best alone in a quiet space
• My child does best when writing down instructions to
follow for a task

25. Verbal learners acquire knowledge best through written and spoken
words. In order to help a linguistic learner succeed in their studies, it’s
important to take advantage of their unique strengths. Below are
some study tips for verbal learners to help you get started:
• Be sure to offer instruction in writing and verbally rather than
visually, since verbal learners will most likely struggle with pictures
or diagrams.
• Read books out loud and have your child read them back to you or
others as well.
• Refrain from using a monotone voice so that verbal learners will be
able to grasp information, which is the most important part of
learning. Try to use different voices and characters.
• Make a list of new words every day along with their sounds and
meanings.
• Use mnemonics, such as PEMDAS, to help students understand

26. • Establishing a rhythm while reading or speaking out loud helps to
increase memorization capabilities.
• Give students written materials for editing to boost their learning.
These learners appreciate the complexities of word and sentence
structure.
• A verbal student will perform better when asked to write about a
scientific topic rather than draw it.
• Assign book reports, scripts to memorize and perform, word
problems in math, and debates to your verbal learner to get the
most engagement possible.
• Allowing your student to write his or her own stories can also be a
tremendous learning opportunity for verbal learners.
• Ask your child to create a story of the ages – perhaps combining
science and history to create a tale of Albert Einstein’s greatest
inventions based on topics they’ve learned recently.
• Try educational games to engage your student. Verbal learners do
well with Boggle, Scrabble, crosswords, or even word searches.
Add some friendly competition into the mix and your child won’t
even notice they are learning.
• Incorporate written projects as often as possible.

27. • Whether it’s by using their body or hands, these learners are
all about the sense of touch. Physical activities and sports
play a big part in these student’s lives. Getting hands-on is a
must for these learners who love to tinker and learn best
when they can do rather than see or hear.
• Tactile learners and kinesthetic learners are often one in the
same. Both of the learners are very hands-on. They learn
best by touching, moving, and physical doing. Kinesthetic-
tactile learners would rather draw, build, or put something
together by trial and error. Because of this, kinesthetic-tactile
learners may get fidgety in the typical traditional classroom
setting.

28. • People who are kinesthetic learners usually share these
characteristics:
• Are highly coordinated
• Learn through hands-on activities
• Have a hard time staying still
• May have difficulty staying attentive
• Usually performers and athletes
• Lots of energy
• Strong motor energy
Some of the characteristics of kinesthetic learners seem to
overlap with characteristics of students with ADHD.

29. • My child excels at physical activities (such as sports)
• My child has a hard time sitting still while learning
• My child enjoys hands-on activities
• My child enjoys active learning activities like drawing or
study games
• My child prefers to jump straight into a task and get
started

30. Kinesthetic-tactile learners retain information best by
incorporating:
• Movement
• Building
• Story
• Visuals
Learning should be exciting, but for kinesthetic learners,
movement is key! These students will be able to stay engaged
and retain more information with lessons that include physical
activity rather than what they read or hear.

31. • Encourage your child to draw diagrams and trace letters will improve their
reading and writing skills. You can also grab some pipe cleaners and
paper and have them make letters using the tools. Then they can create
words or sentences.
• Reenact stories or scenes from the past at home with your child to help
them study history and literature. Or have them create/build timelines of
the events being discussed.
Incorporate physical objects such as coins or bills, clocks, blocks can
prove useful when teaching math concepts.
• Perform science experiments with your student and tie them back to the
topics you are discussing that week or month.
• Let them express their creativity by taking an art or drama course.
• Using flashcards can be incredibly useful and fun! Writing down
information and flipping the card back and forth engages the brain
physically while studying.
• Kinesthetic-tactile learners are good at multitasking. If your student likes
going on walks, have them also listen to an educational podcast,
audiobook, or video.

32. • Have your student act as the teacher. Ask them questions
regarding a topic they have learned. Have them create a
worksheet or quiz for you. This is allowing them to recall the
information they know back to you.
• Kinesthetic learners very much like to participate in
educational trips and games such as Scrabble, Monopoly,
and other similar games.
By incorporating movement or some kind of physical action into
your kinesthetic-tactile learners day, you are allowing them to
maximize their learning potential. Making use of the
environment and their energy in a positive way will allow these
learners to hit milestones and achievements in their educational
adventure.
The kinesthetic-tactile learning style is beneficial for all
students, including those who are auditory and visual learners.
Hands-on learning addresses the needs of kinesthetic learners
and visual and auditory learners alike.