Differentiating Learning Styles: What Teachers Should Know!

In the not-too-distant past, students were frequently mislabeled as unintelligent, "slow learners," or even "problem children" solely because they had a difficult time grasping not what the instructors taught, but how they taught. Sometimes this stigma followed them throughout their educations, as they were told they did not have the ability to learn. Fortunately, though, it has been found that many students' difficulties in this area are not based on lack of intelligence, but rather the fact that there are a number of "learning styles" and the best way to proceed is to discover which is applicable to the individual.

Both at home and in the classroom there are three means by which one can be taught. Visual learners learn best by seeing-- they are best able to comprehend and process information which is on the visual level, such as reading. These students fare best in education when the information they must absorb is in a textbook, diagrams, or a display. Being able to see the instructor's facial expressions and body language is a positive aid to this type of student's learning.

Auditory learners grasp information easiest when they are able to listen to instruction. This is the type of student who can best process information which a teacher is relating aloud, as well as oral presentations from fellow students. He or she will learn more from what is discussed verbally than from the other methods. An example might be on the topic of reading comprehension: an auditory learner will grasp the most about a book from listening to another student's oral book report than by reading the summary on the book's back cover.

Tactile learners are those who learn most effectively by hands-on doing, such as putting projects together. These students learn best by being shown how to do something, and then by doing it themselves. Whether being taught as a preschooler at home how to tie one's shoes, or excelling at a detailed science-fair project, the hands-on approach is their best method of learning.

It is unfortunate when teachers, parents and students are not aware of these differences, because it can result in a serious stumbling-block in a child's education, and cause unnecessary frustration. In a well-set-up school system, there is the proper environment where teaching and learning by all of these methods are readily available, so each child can learn by the method which is best suited to him, at his own pace. Teachers need to understand that students respond differently to these types of instruction, and create a teaching-and-learning atmosphere which will provide for the needs of all students. In short, in order to be an effective teacher, one must let go of one's bias about one's own preferred method of instruction and provide a wide enough range of teaching methods from which learners in all three categories have an equal chance.