Learning Styles

By Heather Greenwood Davis on April, 15 2010

(0) Add a Comment

What kind of learners are you and your family members?

These clues will help you identify the visual, kinesthetic and auditory learners among you. Then, not the strategies to skip and tools you can use to help keep everyone organized.

WHO THEY ARE	VISUAL LEARNER: They need a visual cue to process things well.	AUDITORY LEARNER: They need to hear and says things for them to stick.	KINESTHETIC LEARNER: They learn best when they're moving around.
THE CLUES	Learned to read early Closes eyes when trying to remember something Prefers quiet surroundings Colour codes things Very neat dresser	Speaks very fast or hardly ever Likes to read out loud Easily distracted by sounds Loves to listen to music Trouble coordinating clothing colours	Fidgets - tipping their chair at the table, tapping their pen, etc. Often complaining "I'm bored!" - needs to keep doing new things Never sits still. Jumps around from task to task Messy dresser
SKIP	Verbal instructions Opaque containers Noisy environments	Written plans, checklists, to-do lists Labels without an explanation - they need to hear the why for it to stick Noisy distractions - the loudest thing gets the attention	Any task that requires them to stay in the same place too long Making things accessible - they want to get up so place things far enough away that they get the chance to move to get at it
THE TOOLS	Open shelving - in the closet, on the floor, on the walls Hooks Coat trees for hanging clothes Over-the-door organizers with clear pockets for sorting favourite things See-through bins Colour coded storage	Colourful notebooks Timers that beep and buzz Recorders to record to-do lists or notes to themselves on what they're doing and why Music to tap their toes to so they'll stick around longer Let them tell you why they chose a particular spot for a particular thing	Take them shopping with you and let them touch the organizational options: they are tactile people and like things that feel good to the touch Anything with wheels - under the bed organizers, rolling art supplies, carts, etc. Lists with movable parts such as a white board where they can write on/wipe off or sticky notes for the fridge Hands-on activities to keep them interested and involved
TYPICAL PROFESSION	Visual artist Architect Mechanic Teacher Surgeon Writer	Lawyer Politician Musician Poet Speech-language pathologist	Athlete Firefighter Personal trainer Adventure tour leader

Published May 2010