Identifying Your Child’s Learning Style
Believe it or not, children’s learning styles differ from one child to the next. Kids learn best at different speeds, through different methods and in varying settings.
Understanding your child’s specific learning style will help you to better assist them in their education. It is irrational to get angry with a child for failing to learn a concept through an instruction manner that their brains cannot fully grasp. Your learning style may be different than your child’s, and it is important that both you and your child take a learning style test in order to ensure your child is learning in his or her “language”. It might be useful as well to discover your learning style, so that you will be aware of how you process information best.
Different Types of Learning Styles
1.Visual Learner -Some individuals learn best through visuals. If your child is a visual learner, they will respond well to pictures, seeing the math problem written out, diagrams, charts, etc. The visual learning style lends itself to assignment sheets, to-do lists that can be checked off, video tutorials and written notes.
2. Auditory Learner – Auditory learners tend to benefit most from traditional teaching techniques. Many teachers use a lecture-style forum, presenting information by talking to their students. Regulating voice tone, inflection, and body language will help all students maintain interest and attention. Auditory learners succeed when directions are read aloud, speeches are required, or information is presented and requested verbally.
3.Tactile Learner -Students who benefit from tactile learning, are most responsive to learning through kinesthetics, which means feeling objects, touching and experiencing the material that they’re being taught. The kinesthetic learning style is one of the most popular styles, and centers around complete engagement in the learning process. Students will soak up information by doing an experiment, acting out a skit, going on a field trip or some other activity-based lesson.
If you’re interested in finding out which of the styles of learning is best for your child, he or she can take an online learning style test, or you can have a professional administer the test. Discovering your child’s learning style can avoid years of struggling in school due to being forced to learn a certain way that is not the way they learn best. Because there are different adult and children learning styles, children may get frustrated because they are being taught in a manner that merely confuses them, as they are in a classroom surround by many different types of learners, but just one teaching method.
Once you test the different student learning styles and discover what your child is, you can adapt your at-home study techniques to enhance their learning experience. For example, if your child is a tactile learner, it would be wise to include hands-on learning tools such as using M&Ms for math problems, or actual coin money to explain money transactions and subtraction and addition problems. Be sure to adjust your at-home teaching to whichever method your child responds the best to, and watch their comprehension and grades improve dramatically!
