What are learning styles?

Learning styles describe unique preferences for how we like to learn and how we best remember new
information.

Why should you determine your learning style?

Identifying your learning style entails determining how you learn best. You can use this information to
your advantage when studying by employing learning methods that suit you, such as taking notes,
constructing mind maps, using models, or reciting aloud. This can help you with in-class learning as
well as exam revision.

7 - Different Types of Learning Styles

1.) Visual (Spatial) Style

Visual Learners/ Spatial Learners

This type of learner is all about pictures, images and visualization.
› Learns by sight and visual representation (like, pictures, images, symbols, boxes, charts) They communicate ideas by showing them in diagrams and charts.
› They make use of color, drawings, diagrams, and models, in their learnings They also tend to need these visual representations to make sense of information.
› They mostly benefit from videos and visual presentations

Visual/spatial learners will remember certain things first such as faces, the appearance of
The occipital lobes at the back of the brain manage the visual sense. Both the occipital and parietal objects, colors and the appearance of maps, but they may forget names of people or places
lobes manage spatial orientation. and sounds.

Also, this type of learner must see WHAT THEY ARE DOING or LEARNING ABOUT in order to
understand it.
They will definitely want to write down the names of people or places they need to remember.
They may struggle in lecture classes unless the instructor also makes extensive use of
presentations or written notes.
2.) Auditory (Aural) Style

Auditory learner / Aural learner This learning style must use sound, music, rhythm and other auditory stimuli to process
› Learns by hearing and using sound and rhythm information.
› They benefit greatly from songs, rhymes, and beats They rely on their ears as opposed to their eyes and will thrive when they can hear the
information provided to them.
› May want to record discussions, lectures or lessons to play back
They will probably perform best in a lecture classroom or with a teacher skilled at talking about
› May want to discuss or give speeches of concepts
and describing the information.

They will want to make use of recordings and songs whenever possible.
The auditory information is handled by the brain's temporal lobe. For music, the right temporal lobe is
It will be more productive for an auditory learner to record a lesson and play it back for
especially important.
themselves multiple times rather than trying to take written notes or review books.
They may also wish to turn information into songs or find such songs, especially when trying to
memorize material such as names or dates.

Rhythm and rhyme are very powerful tools for auditory learners.
If they put something to a beat or pattern or use some kind of mnemonic rhyming device, this
can greatly benefit them.

3.) Verbal (Linguistic) Style

Verbal or Linguistic Learner

› Understands information through written or spoken language This style is all about words, whether written or spoken.
› Is very skilled at reading and processing written information and speech Tends to align with either the visual or auditory style, but not both.
It's distinct from the auditory style in that a verbal learner may prefer written words or reading
› Benefits from detailed descriptions
as opposed to listening or talking.
› Uses vocabulary understanding as a foundation for concepts
This type of learner will be a skilled reader and will rapidly be able to process written
The temporal and frontal lobes of the brain are responsible for this learning type. information.

A linguistic style will probably benefit from taking extensive written notes that they can review
later. They tend to love lists and sequences involving letters or words.
Vocabulary will be a powerful foundation for linguistic learners. When tackling a new idea,
they will want to focus on the meanings of any new words as a starting place for exploring
 concepts.
4.) Physical (Kinesthetic) Style

Kinesthetic (Physical) Learner

› Understands information through touch, motion and physical activity.

› Needs to move around a lot
Investigates their surroundings through touch.
› They may make use of body movements or other physical representations to remember ideas,
The child learns by moving around and using their hands a lot. They learn best in vast
and they may want to pair various concepts with a physical action.
environments and enjoy moving about, which is why this learning style is ideal for sensory
seekers.
The cerebellum and the motor cortex (located at the back of the frontal lobe) control much of the This is a do-it-yourself or hands-on learning type.
child's physical movement processes. Simply seeing or hearing descriptions of a concept is not good enough.
Bodily-kinesthetic learners need to perform the actions themselves before they will
understand a concept.

If you are a Kinesthetic learner, Paying attention to your physical body is very important.
They are far more sensitive to the feel of their environment than other learners. Temperature
extremes or uncomfortable chairs or positions will bother them far more. They may also want
to take extra steps to stay relaxed and focused.

5.) Logical (Mathematical) Style

Logical Learner or Mathematical Learner

› Excels at mathematics and logical reasoning This learning style thrives on reasoning, logic, sequence and predictability.
› Can easily solve many difficulties. Obviously, they tend to be more skilled with mathematics, but strength in this learning style
can really be adapted to any subject once properly understood.
› They well understood the cause-and-effect relationships
› They try to categorize and organize everything because it helps their brain make sense of the
This type of learner:
material.
 Likes strategy games
 Organizes and classifies objects
The parietal lobes of the brain, particularly the left side, are responsible for logical thinking.  Excellent with numbers
 Likes to know why things are done the way they are.
 Have superior reasoning abilities; and
 Enjoys math games and cognitive challenges
6.) Social Learning Style (Interpersonal)

› Learn in groups As you might guess from the title, the social learning style works best in groups and thrives on
› Process information through discussion interaction with other people.
› Learn from other people's reactions and perspectives This learner is typically a good communicator who enjoys conversing with others.

They think best when they can share ideas and perspectives with others and see their
Much of a person's social actions are handled by the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.
responses.
They tend to remember information better when they have shared it with other people
compared to repeating it to themselves.
The best way for them to deepen their knowledge of something is to discuss it.
Social learners may not be keenly aware of their own thinking, and they will rely on feedback in
order to refine and structure their ideas.

7.) Solitary Learning Style (Intrapersonal)

› Prefers working alone This solitary (intrapersonal) learner prefers to work alone and thrives in peaceful
› In a communal environment, perceived as the quiet one In sync with feelings environments. They want to study and learn on their own. They excel at self-management of
› Will look for a peaceful and pleasant study location goals and time management. The intrapersonal youngster enjoys playing alone and has a vivid
› Sets personal learning or success objectives
imagination.
› Enjoys keeping a journal

This form of learning is also handled by the frontal and temporal lobes. The limbic system is also Students can achieve their learning potential more easily if they understand their preferred
involved in mood and basic emotions. learning styles and also develop and practice skills in the other learning types. When a child is a
well-rounded learner, they will be able to adapt to various educational, personal, and social
circumstances.
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Prof. Rita and Kenneth Dunn Professors Rita and Kenneth Dunn have done years and years of research and writing about
 - proponent of Dunn and Dunn Learning Style their observations in the classroom, during the 1970s.
What they saw was that some students like learning alone, while others like having the
teacher floating nearby at all times. The hypothesis?
That environmental, emotional, sociological, and physical elements contribute to the
learning environment, and therefore to different students' individual ways of learning.

And for the Dunns, the takeaway was that, teachers ought to provide a range of strategies to
address all those styles and make learning more efficient.

In Dunns and Dunns Learning Style, the Dunns encompasses 5 types of stimuli that can affect
a student, and the 21 elements that play into each stimulus to set apart individual learners.

A stimulus (plural form: STIMULI) is anything that can trigger a physical or behavioral change.

1) Environmental Taking environmental stimuli into account means you ask questions about things like where
It refers to the elements which are biological in nature learners prefer to get their learning Dunn.

 Sound - Do the learners like background music, or do they prefer quiet while studying?
 Light - Do they prefer dim or bright light while studying?
 Temperature - Do they prefer the room temperature to be cool or warm while engaging in learning
 Design (seating arrangement and furniture design) - This refers to the furniture activities?
arrangement that the student prefers. - Do the learners normally sit at a desk (formal) or do they prefer the couch, bed, floor,
pillows, etc (informal).

2) Emotional Emotional attributes are related to the motivation, persistence and even the responsibility of
Are developmental and emerge over time as a result of experiences that happen at home, the student.
school work, etc.
- Are they self-motivated to learn? Or are they primarily motivated by adult feedback and
 Motivational Support reinforcement?
- Do they prefer to work independently with little supervision? Or do they prefer to have
 Responsibility frequent feedback and guidance?
 Task Persistence – this relates to the learner's attention span and ability to stay on - Do they prefer to work on one task or do they like to work on a variety of task
task. simultaneously?
 Structure - Do they like step-by-step instructions, or do they prefer to be given an objective and left
 alone to decide how to complete the task?

3) Sociological Sociological influences impact the social preferences of the learning environment.

 Alone/Individual - Do the learners learn best alone or working with someone?

 Pair - How much Guidance from adults do they want or need?
 Peer
 Group
 Adult
 Variety

4) Physiological

 Perceptual: Auditory, Visual, Tactual, Kinesthetic - Is the student an auditory, visual, tactual, or kinesthetic learner?
 Intake - Does the learner like to snack while learning?
 Time - When is the optimal time for learning?
 Mobility - Does the student require freedom to move during learning?

5) Psychological

 Global - How does the learner attack the problem, globally or analytically?
 Analytical - Does the student jump into problems or pause to reflect before starting?
 Impulsive
 Reflective

Most students and their families have invested large amounts of time and energy to gain
MOTIVATING and ENGAGING Students access to university/college. However, along the way, they are discouraged and lose interest
and motivation to continue with their students.
Loss of engagement, reasons: This may happen or arise because of the following reasons:
 Internal conditions, such as:
- poor health
- lack of confidence
- low self-esteem
- poor time management, and
- loneliness

 External conditions, such as:

- inaccurate course structure
- poor classroom management
- teacher dissatisfaction
- disappointing grades
- any other distractions

Bok 2006 - Essential influences on student motivation and engagement: Individuals are motivated by different forces, and according to Bok 2006, there are some
essential influences on student motivation and engagement.
 Course design, that addresses the needs and expectations of students
 Teaching, that inspires and rewards commitment and restates the purpose of the
study
 Inclusion of student individuality and diversity
 Opportunities to work with others
 Timely and effective feedback from teachers and other students
 Being active rather than passive

Individual Differences No two individuals are exactly similar. Everyone is unique. Even the identical twins differ from
each other.
Individuals differ in their attitude, aptitude, intelligence, abilities, interests and other
personality traits. Usually curriculum is molded for a general classroom. But it is the duty of
the teacher to cater the individual difference of the learner in the teaching learning process
Individual differences stand for “those differences which in their totality distinguish one through different strategies. Individual differences stand for “those differences which in
individual from another.” their totality distinguish one individual from another.
Areas or varieties of individual differences:
1. Physical differences: height, weight, colour of skin, colour of eyes and Areas or varieties of individual differences:
hair, size of hands and heads, arms, feet, mouth and nose, length of waistline, structure and 1. Physical differences: Individuals differ in height, weight, colour of skin, colour of eyes and
functioning of internal organs, facial expression, mannerisms of speech and walk, and other hair, size of hands and heads, arms, feet, mouth and nose, length of waistline, structure and
such native or acquired physical characteristics. functioning of internal organs, facial expression, mannerisms of speech and walk, and other
such native or acquired physical characteristics.
2. Mental Difference: intellectual abilities and capacities like reasoning and thinking, 2. Mental Difference: Individuals differ in intellectual abilities and capacities like
power of imagination, creative expression, concentration etc. reasoning and thinking, power of imagination, creative expression, concentration etc. On the
basis of these differences they are usually classified as idiot, imbecile, moron, border
3. Differences in Motor Ability: reacting time, speed of action, steadiness, rate of line, normal, very superior and genius
muscular moment, manual dexterity and resistance to fatigue etc. 3. Differences in Motor Ability: There exist wide differences in motor abilities such as
reacting time, speed of action, steadiness, rate of muscular moment, manual dexterity
4. Differences in Achievement: and resistance to fatigue etc.
5. Emotional Differences: positive emotions like love, affection and 4. Differences in Achievement: Differences exist in achievement and in knowledge even
amusement and the like are prominent; whereas, in some negative emotions are more among individuals who have almost the same amount of intelligence and have been
powerful. subjected to equal amount of schooling and experience.
5. Emotional Differences: In some individuals, positive emotions like love, affection and
6. Differences in Interests and Aptitudes: amusement and the like are prominent; whereas, in some negative emotions are more
7. Differences in self-concept: powerful. Some are emotionally stable and mature, while others are emotionally unstable
8. Learning differences: and immature.
9. Differences in social and moral development: 6. Differences in Interests and Aptitudes: Variations occur among the individuals in relation
to the specific tastes and interests. Individuals are also found to have different
aptitudes. Some have mechanical aptitude, while the others have scholastic, musical or
artistic aptitudes.
7. Differences in self-concept: Self concept reflects the images, considerations or
judgement about one’s abilities and limitations usually held by an individual not only
projecting himself before others but also for estimating his self in his own eyes. Low self-
image can give rise to low self esteem.
8. Learning differences: Some learn more easily and are able to make use of their
learning more comfortably than others. For some, one method of learning or memorization
is more suitable, while for others, a different method suits.
9. Differences in social and moral development: Some are found to be adjusted properly in
the social situations and lead a happy social life while others are socially handicapped,
unsocial or antisocial. Similarly, people are found to differ in respect of ethical and
moral sense.