How Understanding Your Child's Learning Style Can Lead to Academic Success.

By Linda Young & Deborah Greenwood, Parents' Source, January 20, 2002.

We all recognize that children come in different shapes and sizes, which makes them unique. When it comes to learning, children are also different. Some children respond well to verbal instruction, some need visual aid, and some have to involve their bodies in learning. What is your child's learning style? How can you tailor your child's studying techniques to his or her learning style?

All children process information using all of their senses, but in most children, one is dominant. These senses are important in the education process and they influence the way a child communicates. There are three different learning styles or ways of learning: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Since a person communicates best with someone who shares their dominant learning style, it is important that you know the characteristics of your child's learning style.

	A visual learner learns from seeing things. Visual learners might demonstrate many or all of the following characteristics: watches rather than verbally participates, likes to read, neat handwriting, doodling, memorizes by visualization, good organizational skills, gets the words to a song wrong, good speller, good at solving jigsaw puzzles, follows written instructions better than oral ones, and remembers people easily.
	The auditory learner gains knowledge by hearing things. Traits of an auditory learner may include: does well with verbal instruction, likes music, demonstrative, frequently talks, hums or whistles to himself, easily distracted, understands better when reads aloud, struggles to keep notebooks neat, whispers while reading, and enjoys talking to others.
	A kinesthetic learner learns best by touching or actively exploring the world around him. These learners might demonstrate many or all of the following characteristics: talks fast using hands to communicate, always touching things, dramatic, takes things apart and puts them together, can't sit still for long periods, prefers to do things rather than watching a demonstration or reading about it in a book, adventurous, terrible speller, and constantly fidgeting.

These traits can help you identify your own child's learning style. When a child's learning style is identified, it is easier to study and learn if the information is customized into a form the brain can comprehend easily. You can help your child incorporate material into his learning style(s) so the learning is more permanent.

One you know your child's learning style, you can help your child utilize his strengths to his advantage. For instance, if your child is a visual learner, he might use study cards, memory games, acronyms, and acrostics for memorization. Your child should be encouraged to take notes, use a notebook, and draw pictures to aid his retention of material. These children learn best from viewing visual aids. They should be encouraged to use mental pictures to enhance their learning. All of these things make learning easier for the visual learner.

The auditory learner might benefit from using poems, rhymes, and silly songs for memorization. These children gain knowledge from reading aloud, speaking, discussions, lectures, and music. One method that can be effective is recording material on a tape recorder and playing the tape repeatedly. For the auditory learner to be successful, instructions should be made orally.

The kinesthetic learner benefits from doing hands-on activities. They need to take frequent study breaks and move around. Repetition is important, such as writing things over and over. Memorization for these learners should include rhymes, poems, silly songs, and word links. Encourage these learners to skim through reading material to get a rough idea what it is about before settling down to read in detail. They may even wish to highlights reading materials using bright colors. As parents, it is difficult to allow your child to move around while doing homework, but for some children, it is necessary.

It is important to recognize both your child's and your own learning style(s). If your style and your child's are different, it is essential not to force your style onto your child. For instance, if you are a visual learner, and you make your child do study cards to study for a test, and your child is an auditory learner, he will not learn as well from those cards as he would from a tape. Throughout our teaching careers, we have heard from parents who struggle over the issue of homework assignments with their children. Understanding that each individual learns in a different way could reduce these confrontations. If you have questions regarding your child's learning style, contacting your child's teacher would be a helpful place to start.

Linda Young has a Master Degree in Elementary Education and a Reading Specialist certificate. Deborah Greenwood has a B.S. in Elementary Education. Both teach at Hans Herr Elementary School, in the Lampeter-Strasburg School District.

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