Learning Styles & Types of Learners

“A learning style is the way each learner begins to concentrate on, process, and retain new and difficult information.” – Rita Dunn

People learn in different ways, so present material in various ways to accommodate all learners. Most learners fall into more than one category. If something is not working, try a different approach.

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences• Gardner's theory was first espoused in his 1983 book, Frames

of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

• Gardner believes “that the brain has evolved over millions of years to be responsive to different kinds of content in the world. Language content, musical content, spatial content, numerical content, etc. And all of us have computers that respond to those kinds of contents. But the strength or weakness of one computer doesn't particularly correlate with the other computer.”

Basic Learning Styles• Social: Learning in

groups and by working collaboratively

• Solitary: Learning independently and introspectively

• Visual/Spatial: Learning through seeing

• Verbal/Linguistic: Learning through hearing

• Logical/Mathematical: Learning through numbers

• Physical/Kinesthetic: Learning through moving, doing, and touching

• Aural/Musical: Learning through music

Social Learners

• Get along well with others, are empathetic, listen and communicate well

• Learn from bouncing ideas off others• Like working in groups or on teams • Like individual attention from a teacher or tutor

Solitary Learners

• Like to work independently• Tend to be reflective and introspective, especially

about their own thought processes• Have good concentration and prefer a quiet learning

environment

Learners with Visual/Spatial Style

• Need to create vivid mental images to retain information • Enjoy looking at maps, charts, pictures, videos, and

movies

Skills: puzzle building, reading, writing, understanding charts and graphs, a good sense of direction, sketching, painting, creating visual metaphors and analogies (perhaps through the visual arts), manipulating images, constructing, fixing, designing practical objects, and interpreting visual images

Learners with Verbal/Linguistic Style

• Have highly developed auditory skills and are generally elegant speakers

• Think in words rather than pictures

Skills: listening, speaking, writing, story telling, explaining, teaching, using humor, understanding the syntax and meaning of words, remembering information, arguing their point of view, and analyzing language usage

Learners with Logical/Mathematical Style

• Think conceptually in logical and numerical patterns• Ask lots of questions and like to do experiments

Skills: problem solving, classifying and categorizing information, working with abstract concepts to figure out the relationship of each to the other, handling long chains of reason to make logical progressions, doing controlled experiments, questioning and wondering about natural events, performing complex mathematical calculations, and working with geometric shapes

Learners with Physical/Kinesthetic Style

• Express themselves through movement• Have good sense of balance and eye-hand coordination• Remember and process information through interacting with

the space around them

Skills: physical coordination, athletic ability, hands on experimentation, using body language, crafts, acting, miming, using their hands to create or build, dancing, and expressing emotions through the body

Learners with Auditory/Musical Style

• Think in sounds, rhythms, and patterns• Immediately respond to music, either appreciating or

criticizing what they hear• Are extremely sensitive to environmental sounds

Skills: singing, whistling, playing musical instruments, recognizing tonal patterns, composing music, remembering melodies, and understanding the structure and rhythm of music

A learning type may be defined in large part by the answers to four questions:

1. How does the person perceive information: through the senses or intuitively?

2. Through which sensory channel is external information most effectively perceived: visual or auditory?

3. How does the person prefer to process information: actively or reflectively?

4. How does the person progress toward understanding: sequentially or globally?

Sensing Learners

• Sensing Learners like learning facts.

• They usually solve problems by well-established methods and dislike complications and surprises.

• They are patient with details and good at memorizing facts and doing hands-on work.

• They are practical and careful.

Intuitive Learners

• Intuitive Learners prefer discovering possibilities and relationships.

• They like innovation and dislike repetition.

• They may be better at grasping new concepts and are often comfortable with abstractions and mathematical formulations.

Visual Learners

• Visual learners remember best what they see.

• They learn more when information is presented both visually and verbally.

Auditory Learners

• Auditory Learners get more out of hearing than reading words.

• They do well with lectures and may enjoy giving oral presentations.

• They are attuned to changes in pitch and tone.

Active Learners

• Active learners tend to retain and understand information best by doing something active with it—discussing it, applying it, or explaining it to others.

• "Let's try it out and see how it works" is an active learner's phrase.

Reflective Learners

• Reflective learners prefer to think about information quietly first.

• "Let's think it through first" is the reflective learner's response.

Sequential Learners

• Sequential learners tend to gain understanding in linear steps, following logical paths to find solutions.

Global Learners• Global learners tend to learn in

large chunks, absorbing material almost randomly without seeing connections, then suddenly “getting it.”

• They may be able to solve complex problems quickly or put things together in novel ways once they have grasped the big picture, but also may have difficulty explaining how they did it.

Encourage Visual/Spatial Learners to:• use graphics to reinforce learning• color code to organize notes• use color to highlight important

points in text• use flow charts and diagrams for

note taking• illustrate ideas as a picture before

writing them down• ask for written directions• visualize spelling of words or facts

to be memorized• study in a quiet place away from

verbal disturbances

Encourage Verbal/Linguistic Learners to:

• read aloud• recite information they need

to learn• use tunes or rhymes as

mnemonic devices• read aloud and record test

questions or directions

• dictate to someone else and have that person write down the thoughts

• use verbal analogies and storytelling to demonstrate their point

Encourage Mathematical/ Logical Learners to:

• classify and group material • make lists or outlines

before writing• make a TO-DO list and

calendar to chart progress before beginning a project

• use Venn diagrams or formal logic to figure out a position

Encourage Physical/Kinesthetic Learners to:

• trace letters and words with a pen or the index finger when reading and studying

• skim through reading material before reading it in detail

• annotate text and write questions while reading

• translate information into diagrams or other visual study tools

• recite a list of items by counting on fingers• memorize or drill while walking or dancing• listen to music while studying

Encourage Auditory/Musical Learners to:

• read aloud• repeat back to you what you said• play music or sounds associated

with what they are learning while they study to help them visualize the material

• use jingles to create aids to memory

• play music they associate with positive or confidence boosting emotions while studying or writing

Sources

• http://www.ncsu.edu/felder-public/Learning_Styles.html

• http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm • http://www.learning-styles-online.com

These sources link you to lectures and tests you can take to test your own learning style or type.