Does your child know his or her own
learning style? Knowing their learning
style and using study strategies suitable for that style, can make learning
quicker, easier and more effective.
Children will feel more comfortable with those strategies and achieve
success.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
Children learn in different ways. One way is not necessarily better than
another, it is simply different. There
are three main learning styles through which information goes into the brain:
·
Visual learning style, using the eyes. Children
learn by looking at pictures and colours, remembering the layout of a page and
forming images in their brain.
·
Auditory learning style, using the ears. Children learn
by listening to the information.
·
Kinesthetic learning style, using the muscles and hands.
Children like to move around whilst learning.
Many children have mainly one learning
style, while some have two learning styles, and some even have a combination of
all three learning styles.
STUDY
METHODS AND LEARNING STYLES
Children can complete an appropriate
questionnaire* to discover their learning style. This will help them to choose the most
suitable study methods for themselves.
It is important to note that although a
child may have one learning style, it would benefit him if he also incorporates
methods that are suitable for other learning styles. The more modalities (or senses) he uses, the
quicker learning will be. Learning is a
bit like filling a swimming pool. If
only one hosepipe is used, it will take a long time to fill the pool. If many hosepipes are used simultaneously,
the pool will fill up a lot more quickly.
Here are some study strategies for the different
learning styles.
VISUAL LEARNERS
·
Encourage the use of coloured
highlighter pens to highlight the key words.
·
Draw cartoons or pictures
in the margin that relate to the topic or paragraph.
·
Pay attention to the layout
of pages. Use diagrams, flow charts and
mind maps.
AUDITORY LEARNERS
·
Listen to soothing music with 58 –
60 beats per minute whilst studying.
Research has shown that this can help a person to learn more
effectively. Music with a faster tempo
can have a distracting effect.
·
Read the work aloud. One could also record the work and listen to
it later.
KINESTHETIC
LEARNERS
·
Use the ‘sticky notes’
system. Write a keyword, and perhaps an
additional word or two, or a little drawing, on each sticky note page. Put each page up in a different place in a
room. Walk around the room and read each
sticky note aloud. Do this a few times, until
you are able to recall what is written on each note.
·
Touch parts of your body in a
set order, saying a keyword as you touch each part, e.g.
Right thumb - ‘Seven’
Right palm - ‘times’
Right elbow - ‘seven’
Right shoulder - ‘equals’
Right ear - ‘forty-nine’
* A questionnaire to determine children’s learning style is available in
Lesson Two of the workbook at www.studyrightza.com.
Written by Karen Gottschalk
References:
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