The Secret to Helping Kids Succeed in School. Teaching Towards Their Learning Style!

Kids learn best in a variety of ways. (And while we are at it, adults are the same way.) What might work well for one person as they try their best to learn about something new may not work well for another. 

 

Everyone has a particular learning style that allows them to comprehend things best. As teachers and parents, it is up to us to figure out the strengths of every child as it relates to understanding material. 

 

Listed below are a few top learning styles that adults must be aware of when working with children. 

 

Visual Learners

If you often learn best how to fix things around the house by watching YouTube videos, there is an excellent chance you are a visual learner. Seeing how something is done is much better than reading instructions on completing a project. 

 

For students, this could mean watching a video about a science experiment or the Civil War, where they can grasp the critical information visually without the need to be tied down to a book at the moment. 

 

According to research by education professionals, 65 percent of people learn best visually. People generally remember 80 percent of what they see, 20 percent of what they read, and only 10 percent of what they hear. As a parent or teacher who wants to help the kids learn efficiently, it is always helpful to show a video that corresponds with whatever is taught to the children.

 

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners are hands-on learners that actively participate in whatever is being taught. This could include science experiments, working mechanically on cars, woodworking projects, and things that allow students to get their hands on something. According to the professionals who study the different types of learners, only five percent of people learn best kinesthetically. 

 

Auditory Learners

It seems everyone under the sun nowadays has their podcast. These podcasts take you back to the olden days of families gathering around the radio and listening to their programs before television was invented. 

 

Auditory learners comprehend material best by listening to information. You probably use these skills without even knowing them. For instance, when struggling to understand directions, the first thing you usually do is read them aloud to help you figure out what to do next. 

 

Students that actively participate in class discussions are often auditory learners. 

 

Reading and Writing Learners

Plenty of students can gather knowledge simply from reading the text and then forming their ideas by writing them down. These students usually have high reading comprehension skills. If you turn them loose in a library with the right books, they will learn just as often as sitting in a classroom. (Think of Matt Damon’s character from Good Will Hunting.)  

 

Matching Up the Students with Their Preferred Learning Styles

If your students or children struggle with learning different subjects in school, consider matching them with their preferred learning styles and wait a bit to notice the positive differences. It may just surprise you!

 

If you are struggling to develop ways to use their recognized learning style to promote positive benefits, consider using a professional tutor from iAchieve that can assist you in creating ways to do so. 

RELATED BLOG POSTS

What is Experiential Learning and How Does It Work?

5 Effective Teaching Styles that Should Be Used in All Classrooms

What is Adaptive Teaching?