Your child pays attention in class, does his homework and puts forth a good effort regarding his schoolwork. So why isn’t he learning?
It could be that his learning style differs from the instructor’s teaching style. A learning style is the approach or way that a person learns. There are several learning styles.
Visual Learners
These type of learners do best by “seeing”. They prefer the front of the room where there are few distractions and they can see the teacher’s facial expressions and body language. They benefit from graphs, charts, videos and hand- outs.
Auditory Learners
Listening is the key for auditory learners. They obtain a lot of information by discussion, verbal lectures and even tone and pitch of speech. They find reading out loud and the use of a tape recorder very beneficial.
Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners
These learners find a hands-on approach very effective. They have a need to explore things around them on a physical level and may even have trouble siiting for long periods of time.
Concrete examples applying this information would be as follows:
Visual learners who do not take detailed notes to look back on and tactile learners may have difficulty in a class where the teacher stands at the front of the room and lectures straight through for a one-hour period.
Auditory and visual learners may have trouble in a class where the teacher presents a table of objects and asks for an explanation of each and their place in the current human lifestyle.
A teacher using only devices such as flip charts and diagrams may pose an obstacle for tactile and auditory learners.
Knowing your child’s learning style can be very helpful with the learning process. You could implement techniques geared toward his/her specific needs. Back to Basics offers psychoeducational testing by clinical, licensed psychologists on our staff that can, in addition to other advantages, determine the learning style of your child. This can assist both you and your child throughout the educational years.
For 25 years, Back to Basics has been recognized as the area’s undisputed leader in one-on-one tutoring. In addition, the firm offers a unique Nationwide private school for grades K-12 and a Private Business and Trade School for adults. Back to Basics is the 2010 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
