Welcome to Post #2 in the Engaging Kids in the Classroom through Learning Styles series. You may be wondering, “What is a learning style anyway?”
I’m so glad you asked!
A learning style is a person’s preferred method of gaining knowledge. You may have heard phrases such as “visual learner” or “auditory learner” thrown around before – both of these are common types of learning styles. However, there are a few more you should add to the list.
The seven most common learning styles are:
- Auditory (sound and music)
- Visual (picture and images)
- Kinesthetic (body, hands, touch)
- Verbal (speech and writing)
- Logical (reasoning and systems)
Here’s a chart to give you a quick overview of learning styles:
Photo Credit: www.learning-styles-online.com
Much to my surprise, as I was doing research for this series, I discovered there was a bit of academic controversy surrounding the theory of learning styles. While teaching based on learning styles has been a staple in the school classroom for many years, critics are saying that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that “learning styles” are even real. According to Dr. Larry D. Spence, researchers cannot seem to agree if learning styles are attributes, preferences, habits or biological traits.
However, we do know that no two people learn alike and some people do appear to learn more effectively by engaging different senses.
Most importantly, we know that engaged kids learn better. So whether learning styles are rooted in classroom tradition or scientific fact, they are still a great way to include all types of learners and keep things fresh in the classroom.
Join me as we take a look at each type of learner and explore a few ways to create engaging environments for the different learning styles. Hopefully, these ideas will spark your own creative juices. Once you get the hang of incorporating learning styles in your classroom, you’ll be whipping up fresh ideas of your own each week.
Here’s the tentative schedule:
- Wednesday (12/23): Auditory Learner
- Monday (12/28): Visual Learner
- Friday (1/1): Kinesthetic Learner
- Monday (1/4/2016): Verbal Learner
- Wednesday (1/6/2016): Logical Learner
- Friday (1/8/2016): Conclusion and Extra Resources
Hope you find it useful!