Do you have a particular teacher that you love? Perhaps you have one that you can’t connect with at all. It’s not his personality, he’s an enjoyable person. It’s not the subject, you naturally find it interesting. Your ability to effectively learn from a teacher is often based on whether your learning style compliments the teaching style of the teacher.
There are three types of learning styles, each based on one of your senses: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic. It’s very helpful to learn how you retain information in your teen years so you can make adjustments to your classroom situations. This can help you to be a successful student. If you ignore your learning style or your teacher’s tendencies in teaching, then much of your education could be ineffective. It’s especially important to know how you learn by the time you enter college or the workforce because you will be challenged by subjects and expectations as well as new relationships and authorities. Take a look at the following breakdowns to help understand more about your learning type:
Types of Learning Styles: Visual Learner
Someone who is a visual learner grasps information she sees. She doesn’t fully understand a teacher’s lecture, she has to see the accompanying notes. If reading a textbook, it’s the images or graphs that help a visual learner understand the concepts and ideas in which she is reading. Watching videos on subjects, writing notes or creating charts are helpful tools. A visual learner uses her eyes as the key sense to engage, interact and absorb information.
A visual learner typically would say, “I see what you mean. Looks good.”
Types of Learning Styles: Auditory Learner
An auditory learner can understand information clearly simply by listening. Someone who is an auditory learner can hear a lecture and comprehend what is being said. A person who learns best from listening can read texts or information out loud to fully absorb information. An auditory learner engages in deep conversations and loves to hear thought provoking insights that capture her attention. Repeating notes, recording lectures and speaking out loud are all key tools for an auditory learner. The primary sense that an auditory learner uses is her ears.
Someone who learns from listening would naturally say, “I hear what you mean. Sounds good.”
Types of Learning Styles: Kinesthetic Learner
A person who learns kinesthetically is a very tactile learner. This individual has to do or touch something in order to identify the concepts that are being taught. A kinesthetic learner is a busybody; she must be taping her foot, doodling or playing with a pencil, pacing or chewing gum to soak in information. It’s best for a kinesthetic learner to touch objects or actively engage in her learning through simple movement. Her best tool is note taking either with pen or computer. When studying, it’s helpful to walk around or use body movement and motion to retain focus. A kinesthetic learner uses her sense of touch to keep her focused on subject matter.
An individual who learns kinesthetically says, “I Get it. Feels Right,” while pacing or accompanied by a snap or a clap.
Become a member to learn more about your identity in Christ.
Your Type of Learning Style Reveals Your Personal Character
When you know how you learn, you can make proper adjustments for classes when they don’t cater to your learning style. There’s no right or wrong learning style. As you engage more with your learning style, you’ll realize bits of your personality and character that were intentional from the day God designed you.
The way you learn isn’t just about retaining information. It’s also insight into how you view the world, how God made you to see the world and how you communicate with the world:
- If you appreciate visual beauty, then you will more likely express visual beauty.
- If you more naturally fathom things that are heard, then you too will speak words of wisdom and care.
- If you value what you feel or do, you will express your heart through your actions and touch as well.
The way you engage and interact with the world demonstrates how you most likely appreciate the world.
If someone communicates differently than you, it doesn’t mean that they see things differently than you, it just means that they express their understanding in a different manner. Our learning style is a unique opportunity to see the world more effectively if we look at it through the eyes, ears or body God gave us.
