Learning Modalities/Styles
by Ava Miller
(updated February 2003)
A knowledge of your learning style and your child's/children's learning styles is very important when it comes to homeschooling. You need to understand the way you learn best and the way each of your children learn best to most effectively help them when it comes to homeschooling.
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic
Combination Learners
A Well Rounded Learner
Learning Modality Activities-
Visual
Auditory
Kinesthetic
Combination Learners
Let's Use My Family as an Example
Figure Out What Type of Learners You Have
Books to Read About Learning Modalities
Learning Modality Links
Visual-
Learns by seeing, watching and demonstrations. Likes TV, magazines, books and just about anything they can look at. Parents should use the TV and VCR prayerfully with much thought as tools to their child's/children's education focusing on the educational shows and videos.
Auditory-
Learns through verbal instructions from others or self. Parents should give instructions verbally especially when the child has been having problems understanding the written directions. Cassette tapes are great especially those with songs and rhymes. VCR tapes and educational TV can be helpful. Having the child tape record themselves orally reading is helpful in addition.
Kinesthetic-
Learns by doing; direct involvement. Loves games and hands-on activities. Thematic studies are best.
Combination Learners
Combination Learners are those that learn by doing two (or all three) of the learning modalities somewhat equally.
A Well Rounded Learner
Make sure you do not just focus on the modality that is your child's strongest. You need to include material that involves the modalities that they are weak in as well. This will help them to become a well rounded learner.
Learning Modality Activities-
Visual-
Comparing/matching games
Looking up information
Tracing
Educational Video Tapes
Educational Television Programs (ETV - Discover Channel)
Flash cards
Puzzles
Instructional books
Charts
Pictures
Posters
Plays/Drama
Writing
Computer
Auditory-
Tapes/Tape Player
Educational Video Tapes
Educational Television Programs (ETV - Discover Channel)
Reading orally
Parents reading orally
Phonics
Plays
Music
Computer with sound
Kinesthetic-
Hopping, jump roping, jumping on a trampoline, or playing basketball
rhythmically while learning anything that needs to be memorized.
Games
Projects
Plays/Drama
Use clay for making shapes, letters, etc.
Use sand or sandpaper
Learn the sign language alphabet
Use finger spelling
Outline shapes/words
Trace shapes/words
Use a pen or crayon that writes with two or more colors at a time
Draw on the whiteboard and/or chalkboard
Typing
Computer
Combination Learners use a combination of any two, or three types of activities listed above.
Let's Use My Family as an Example.
I am a combination learner, if I'm learning something new I will own it, after the first time or two that I do it, only if I can involve all three of the learning modalities. If I can see, hear and do it, I'll have it right away.
My husband and middle son are visual learners, if they can see or read it, they own it. The data is stored in the brain, just from that visual stimulation of seeing or reading the data. When they need to pull on it later to do a project/activity, they've got it.
My three daughters and my oldest son are all hands-on (Kinesthetic) learners, when they do something with their hands, they will conquer the challenge and will learn how to do something new and enjoy it.
My youngest son is an audio learner, he has many special needs and this is his strength. He really loves to hear words, music, and even using his auditory communication device.
As you can see, families can have a wide variety of learning modalities, and if you become familiar with each of your family members you will save yourself a lot of heartache in homeschooling and your daily life.
Figure Out What Type of Learners You Have.
Figure out now from the list of activities above what type of learners you have in your family.
I have included links below for more information on learning modalities and styles as well as a few
surveys & questionnaires to aid you in figuring out what type of learners you have in your family.
I am a _____________________________learner.
My spouse is a ___________________________learner.
______________________________ is a ______________________________learner.
______________________________ is a ______________________________learner.
______________________________ is a ______________________________learner.
______________________________ is a ______________________________learner.
______________________________ is a ______________________________learner.
Books to Read About Learning Modalities-
Growing Up Learning by Walter Barbe
Every Child Can Succeed: How to Make the Most of Your Child's Learning
Style by
Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
Learning Modality Links
(some questionnaires and surveys)-
http://www.middleschool.net/LearningStratagies/learning.htm
http://www.westmark.pvt.k12.ca.us/reading.html
http://faculty.valencia.cc.fl.us/ffarquharson/learning_styles/
http://planet.tvi.cc/idc/webresources/LearningStyle.htm
| 
Obtaining
Your Child's School Records