Teaching Elementary School Health Education/Growth and Development/I Will Develop My Learning Style
A learning style is the way a person gains and processes information. Educators have identified four types of learners: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, and Global.
Visual Learners
A visual learner is a person who learns best by seeing or creating images and pictures. Visual learners do the following:
- Picture the words they hear or read
- Store what they see, read, or hear in images or pictures rather than in words
- Perform better on written tests than on oral tests
Tips for Visual Learners
1. Take notes and review them often
2. Color-code or highlight notes to be reviewed
3. Make a mental picture of key words
4. Remember lists by using a mnemonic (memory-assisting) device or code
Auditory Learners
An auditory learner is a person who learns best by listening or discussing a topic. Auditory learners do the following:
- Remember what they hear
- Can repeat word for word what someone else had said
- Can remember every word of a song
- Would rather listen than take notes
- Perform better on oral tests than on written tests
Tips for Auditory Learners
1. Tape-record information you need to recall
2. Play the tape several times when studying
3. Read or say information aloud to yourself
4. Study by having someone give you an oral test
5. Make a song of words or facts you need to remember
Kinesthetic Learners
A kinesthetic learner is a person who learns best by acting out something, touching an object, or repeating a motion. Kinesthetic learners do the following:
- Remember objects they have touched
- Remember facts from being in a role play
- Perform better on tests requiring demonstration than on oral or written tests
- Can act out a story or concept
Tips for Kinesthetic Learners
1. Associate information with a feeling of smell
2. Role-play situations in which you recall facts
3. Demonstrate concepts you have learned
4. Make a story to help yourself remember facts
A global learner is a person who learns best by combining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic ways of learning.
Tips for Global Learners
1. Assess which learning style works best for you in specific situations.
2. Experiment with the tips given for the other types of learners.
Learning Disabilities[edit | edit source]
A learning disability is a disorder in which a person has difficulty acquiring and processing information.
The Different Types of Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia is a learning disability in which a person has difficulty spelling, reading, and writing. People who have dyslexia may reverse letters and numbers. They may read from right to left.
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a learning disability in which a person is restless and easily distracted. People who have ADD cannot keep their attention focused on what they are doing. They have difficulty completeing tasks. They may daydream.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a learning disability in which a person is easily distracted and also is hyperactive. To be hyperactive is to not be able to sit still or stand still. People who have ADHD cannot keep their attention focused on what they are doing. They are restless and fidgety. They may be impulsive.
Tracking Disorder is a learning disability in which a person has difficulty following a series of words or images. People who have tracking disorder have difficulty staying on the same line as they read. Or they may have difficulty catching a baseball thrown from the outfield to home plate.
Learning About Support For People With Learning Disabilities[edit | edit source]
People who have difficulty acquiring and processing information can take diagnostic tests to find out if they have a learning disability. If they have a learning disability, a plan to increase their learning can be drawb up. A variety of professionals will work with these individuals and their parents or guardians. These professionals may include a counselor, school pyschologist, teacher, and tutor. Schools may offer special education classes for students with disabilities.